FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Eurobike's organizers are changing some policies in order to engage consumer-direct brands, brands with large dealer events, and other companies that have seen little value in attending trade shows.
The show has announced that brands no longer are required to have a display at the German trade show in order to participate in its consumer festival or its preshow media events.
Eurobike also plans to be more accommodating to brands that want to rent conference rooms in lieu of a display on the main show floor, said Stefan Reisinger, the head of Eurobike.
"The whole sector is changing very rapidly ... so we decided we are going to open up all our different events for the industry. Every customer can choose where to exhibit, where to be present, which format to choose," he told BRAIN.
"In the future we see different sales models developing in the industry, from those who sell to consumers directly and those who use traditional channels. Of course these companies have very different needs and we are trying to better meet them," he said.
After experimenting with July dates last year, Eurobike's main show in Freidrichshafen returns to Sept. 4-7 this year and the show has announced it plans to stay in early September in coming years. The 2018 show did not include a consumer festival, as had been traditional in recent years. That event returns this year.
Besides the Friedrichshafen show, the organization holds a media event in the South Tyrol, July 2-4, and an urban mobility media event in Frankfurt, July 10-11. The company is also partnering to produce ASEANBIKE, in Bangkok, Thailand, in October this year.
Besides changing the policy about requiring a trade show booth to participate in the media and consumer events, Eurobike is considering other digital options for show participants, said Dirk Heidrich, project manager for the event.
"In future, brands will be able to officially take part at Friedrichshafen without having to commit to an elaborate booth. We are also offering new analogue and digital configuration options, with different price models," Heidrich said.
"There is great potential to ease the burden here. We see ourselves in the future as a provider of business solutions to multiple client partners, and not just as a trade show organizer for exhibitors."
