It’s been 22 months since the last industry get-together at Eurobike, so the first-ever Eurobico event offered a welcome return to in-person business for bicycle manufacturers, distributors and retailers alike. The total of more than 5000 participants was a clear sign of just how welcome this opportunity was.
The first-ever edition of Eurobico was held July 23-26 in Frankfurt am Main. In the wake of too many cancelled events since the fall of 2019, the event, organised by German retail federation Bico and the Eurobike trade show, had a lot on offer. A total of 125 exhibitors found plenty of space in Frankfurt Messe’s spacious Hall 1 and an adjoining atrium. Test tracks designed to try out utility bikes and feel the differences of various electric drive systems offered plenty of opportunities for retailers and media to get up to speed regarding the latest trends and developments. As for the exhibitors, these ranged from industry heavyweights such as the Accell Group, Pierer E-Bikes, Hartje, Bico, Paul Lange, Merida Centurion Germany and Bosch eBike Systems to a number of small but interesting start-ups.
Soon after the Eurobico event had opened its doors to visitors on Saturday morning, it became obvious that Bico’s large pre-order event met with a lot of interest from German retailers after a lengthy period with no trade shows at all: of the total of 5100 registered participants, most were bicycle retailers and shop personnel. Add to that about 100 journalists who had travelled to Frankfurt am Main to get a feel of the mood of manufacturers and distributors and to get informed about new trends and products. To no one’s surprise e-bikes and parts and components designed for the use on e-bikes took the center stage. After many months where communication about the booming bicycle market had mostly moved to the digital sphere, participants from the industry, trade and media alike felt the importance of personal face-to-face contacts at the Messe Frankfurt.
In order to make the event as safe as possible for all participants, social distancing rules were part of the Covid-19 precautions at the event, and face masks were mandatory inside the halls. All participants had to show either a Covid certificate to prove that they either had been fully vaccinated, had recovered from the disease or had tested negative before the event. These measures did not get in the way of the busy interactions throughout the three-day event, as Bico’s general manager Jörg Musse confirmed: “We are glad to see such a strong participation at our event despite the ongoing pandemic. The mood amongst the Bike&Co members and our associated suppliers was upbeat.” Eurobike head Stefan Reisinger offered a positive summary as well: “This first step for our mutual event has been working wonderfully for all concerned parties. Eurobico also offered an opportunity to check out the new venue and see how a trade show focusing on mobility and bicycles can work in this environment.”
Before the world’s largest bicycle trade show moves from Lake Constance to the banks of the river Main, one final edition of the Eurobike will be held in Friedrichshafen at the beginning of September. After 30 years of meeting up at Lake Constance, the farewell may be emotional for some visitors of the show. But as the saying goes, the end of one thing is always the beginning of something new.
