【Final Report】Eurobike 2017

Sep 26, 2017

26th Eurobike: 42,590 industry visitors (2016: 42,720) from 101 countries - An additional 22,160 bike fans on Eurobike Festival Day - 1,654 media representatives - New trade show concept for 2018 met with broad approval

The Eurobike remains the sure-fire place to be for the international bicycle industry. 42,590 industry visitors (2016: 42,720) and 22,160 bike fans on the show’s last day, Eurobike Festival Day, came from 101 countries to the world’s largest bike trade show at the sold-out fairgrounds on Lake Constance, where they got information from 1,400 exhibitors from 50 countries about the global bike industry’s new equipment, bike premieres and services of the future. "With its thriving, energetic business and technical exchange, the Eurobike 2017 was a great success. For many customers, it is their most important meeting of the year and a unique opportunity to talk with decision-makers from all over the world,” said Klaus Wellmann, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen, summing up the results of the 26th edition of the leading trade show.

The large number of bike premieres and innovations did not fail to make an impact. Specialty dealers from Germany and abroad valued the innovative concepts presented at the show across all segments. Eurobike Head Stefan Reisinger explains: "We are very satisified with this year’s show, even if there was a lot of rain after a sunny start. With high profile visitors again this year and its location in Europe’s top bike selling region, the Eurobike remains a guarantor of good contacts and business as well as a reliable showroom for the industry.” The number of guests travelling to the Eurobike in Friedrichshafen from abroad remained consistently high at 62 percent this year.

"The e-bike is here to stay,” was one of the less surprising revelations that became clear after four days of the show. A walk through the exhibition halls made it clear to every visitor that, in the future, all of the different varieties of bikes will be available with motor support and that the Eurobike is where the refinement and further improvement of pedelecs is taking place. "At the Eurobike it was clear that e?bikes are making an important contribution to the renaissance of the bicycle. More and more people are interested in this intelligent and future-oriented mode of transportation which is changing mobility. Fast, flexibly and sustainably on the go - the e-bike makes it possible. The Eurobike offers an ideal platform to present this new innovation to a broader public,” explained Tamara Winograd, Director of Marketing, Bosch eBike systems.

In the opinion of many industry experts, the Eurobike in Friedrichshafen offers the ideal professional platform that’s perfect for the biking scene. Volker Dohrmann, Brand Manager at bike manufacturer Stevens, summed up the show thus: "We are very satisfied with the show and the level of visitor traffic. The visitors, dealers, amount of orders, everything was at a very high level, even better than in the last two years. We like the atmosphere in Friedrichshafen and are optimistically looking forward to the 2018 season.”

"The industry summit’s function as a convention location, with the large number of conferences, seminars and workshops that took place at the Eurobike Academy alongside the show itself was also very persuasive,” said pleased project leader Dirk Heidrich. In addition, the Eurobike Awards and the seven theme areas at the Eurobike Festival Days, with their participatory activities and informational events were popular with the public. The big hits this year included the very diverse array of bike travel offerings from Holiday on Bike, the bike action and performance area, the fashion shows, and last but not least the demo area with 3000 test bikes.

In overall ratings from visitors, the Eurobike 2017 again had top marks: A survey showed that 93 percent of visitors ranked the significance of the show as important or very important. The Eurobike was once again a media spectacle. 1,654 journalists and bloggers from 39 countries informed themselves about the events in Friedrichshafen.

New concept and earlier date for the Eurobike 2018

The show organizers continue to be pleased with the broad approval of the new Eurobike concept. Addressing this topic, Martin Schamböck, Director Brand Management, Focus Bikes, said: "Trade show dates in July are fundamentally better. In the international business schedule, order placement begins in July - really, the organizers should have moved the Eurobike to July a long time ago.” In 2018, the Eurobike will take place from Sunday, July 8 to Tuesday, July 10, 2018, and due to its early date will only be open to industry visitors. The well known Eurobike Media Days, the innovations test event for all manufacturers of complete sports bikes, will take place right before the Eurobike, from July 4 - 6, 2018, in the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis region of Tyrol, Austria. The day in between, July 7, will be filled with individualized events that appeal to target groups, such as conventions, test events, media launches and even including closed door meetings.

More information is available at >www.eurobike-show.com and www.facebook.com/eurobike.tradeshow.