SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (BRAIN) — Last month's Interbike, with its new venue, experimental invitation-only consumer entry and other novelties, attracted more stores, but fewer people than last year, organizers said.
The show, held this year for the first at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., also sold a record amount of display space.
“We had to manage quite a bit of ‘new’ this year, and we’ve heard from retailers and exhibitors alike who were both pleased with the end result of their visit and also enjoyed their experience at our new home," said Interbike vice president Pat Hus.
Interbike released preliminary figures about the show late Monday. Here are some highlights:
- Overall attendance was down 7 percent from 2012. However, the number of stores represented was up 8 percent or 350 additional stores.
- Approximately 750 consumers attended the consumer-access day on Friday, Sept. 20, the final day of the show.
- Exhibitors secured 320,000 net square feet (not including the main lobby or the outdoor Paddock) — approximately 1.5 percent larger than 2012 and the most space Interbike has ever sold.
- More than 220 brands exhibited at OutDoor Demo, a 10 percent increase over 2012.
- The number of attending retail buyers from Colorado was down 18 percent from 2012, probably because of the flooding that hit the state's Front Range days before the show opened.
- Attendance at the National Bicycle Dealers Association Super Seminars was up more than 20 percent over 2012.
Hus attributed the lower overall attendance to the tough business climate in 2012; while more stores than ever were represented, they sent fewer employees per store.
In a release Monday, Interbike conceded that attendance via the closely watched consumer day was "well below initial estimates." Under the program, retailers were allowed to invite in a limited number of their customers. Paying spectators at Wednesday night's CrossVegas race and participants in the post-Interbike gran fondo also were eligible to attend the Friday event.
“This was our first attempt to show cycling enthusiasts all of the great brands that exhibit at Interbike, and help strengthen relationships with their local IBDs,” said Hus. “We learned quite a bit from the experience, and while the program did not meet our expectations, we don’t want to just throw in the towel either.
Show organizers will release a more in-depth study of attendance in the coming weeks.
Next year's show is a week earlier than usual. It opens with the Outdoor Demo in Boulder City, Nev., Sept. 8-9, followed by the indoor expo at Mandalay Bay on Sept. 10-12.
Interbike is owned and operated by Emerald Expositions. Emerald also owns Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, which is operated by the National Bicycle Dealers Association under a license agreement.
