MILAN, Italy (BRAIN)—At the conclusion of last November’s EICMA show, Costantino Ruggiero said the bicycle show was facing a difficulty, noting that since moving its dates from September to November, exhibitor numbers had dropped.
Ruggiero, chief executive officer of the annual Italian bicycle and motorcycle show in Milan, predicted that next year’s dates and show format could change. And that prediction now has become a reality.
Yesterday, EICMA organizers announced that for 2009 they will hold two separate shows since “a single exhibition is insufficient to cater to all potential exhibitors.”
A bicycle-only show catering to trade visitors will take place Sept. 18-21, while a combined bicycle and motorcycle consumer fair will be held Nov. 10-15.
Organizers said the bicycle only show will offer “good quality and affordable turnkey booths as well as favorable hotel prices,” with exhibit space costing 70 euros per square meter. The high cost of exhibiting at the show was a chief complaint voiced by some exhibitors in the past.
Meanwhile, the combined bicycle and motorcycle show will still be home to the indoor velodrome and the six-day track races and will cater to consumers. The combined show attracted approximately 500,000 visitors this year.
Show organizers said that while the past two November shows met with the approval of some exhibitors, it upset a large number who feel that a show should be able to target the trade, too, and therefore needed to be held between July and September. A November show was simply too late, and most retailers had already seen new product by then, exhibitors said.
ANCMA, the Italian association of bicycle and motorcycle manufacturers, which owns the show, conducted a post-show survey last month to gauge exhibitors’ satisfaction.
However, show organizers will still face some challenges. In moving the dates back to September, EICMA joins an already crowded fall trade show schedule that kicks off with Eurobike Sept. 1. It also will have to compete with Canada’s Expocycle, and Interbike, which kicks off with Outdoor Demo on Sept. 21. The indoor show is Sept. 23-25.
—Lynette Carpiet
