The announcement by German bicycle industry associations ZIV – German Bicycle Industry (ZIV) and Zukunft Fahrrad (ZF) of ending cooperation with Eurobike stunned the bicycle industry. Organiser fairnamic GmbH also appears to have been caught by surprise, but say that they are still open for talks on how to adapt the show to the industry’s needs.
At first, moving Eurobike from Friedrichshafen to Frankfurt seemed to add some fresh dynamic to the world’s leading bicycle show. The proximity of a major airport and an abundant choice of accommodation made life a lot easier for overseas visitors in particular. But for a variety of reasons this year’s event saw a further decline in exhibitors, with domestic heavyweights such as the Zweirad Einkaufs Genossenschaft (ZEG) and Bike & Co opting for in-house events and SRAM and Merida Centurion Germany also deciding not to exhibit, further cutting into the substance and thus relevance of the show.
As a consequence, many exhibitors and buyers were unhappy as they could not see a decent return on the time and money invested in attending the show. Eurobike organiser fairnamic could not ignore this and reached out to stakeholders, as its Managing Director Stefan Reisinger explains: “Over the last few months, we have been in close and constructive dialogue with industry players and have received valuable input from across the sector – through industry surveys as well as requirements from the associations themselves in the form of a 10-point plan – on how to develop Eurobike further. Many of these suggestions were implemented immediately and have already been communicated.”
One demand often heard was for a stronger focus on the business side of things and trade visitors. “We have already adjusted the duration of the trade fair, cutting it by one day by cancelling the Sunday, and we have introduced multiple options for exhibitors to contribute to the trade fair, as well as realigned the congress program,” Reisinger explains. “Additionally, an advisory board is set to be established with the involvement of Eurobike’s different target audiences to accompany the further development of the event permanently, with Stephan Kurzawski from Messe Frankfurt serving as its chair.”
Reisinger also points out: “In the interest of the industry and its players, we are also working on further concept development and adaptation measures to ensure the continuous progress of the trade fair.” Despite all these activities ZIV and ZF decided to pull out at the end of October, announcing that they both would cease their cooperation with Eurobike. The move caught Fairnamic on the wrong foot, as Stefan Reisinger says: “We are surprised by the decision of the industry associations, as the ongoing dialogue between all parties was conducted in an objective and solution-oriented manner.”
While speculation about possible alternative events was rife following Thursday’s joint press release of ZIV – German Bike Industry and Zukunft Fahrrad, fairnamic has no intention whatsoever to give up on its bicycle trade show, as Stefan Reisinger stresses: “It is our goal to work together with the industry and our partners from trade and politics to continuously develop Eurobike and strengthen its standing as the leading trade fair in a national and international context.”