September 6, 2021 - (Friedrichshafen, GER) With 18,770 trade visitors and 13,424 bicycle fans in attendance at the 29th edition of Eurobike, the world’s leading bicycle trade show, the massive enthusiasm for cycling exceeded expectations.
“With four days of high visitor numbers, Eurobike 2021 was a big success. Despite numerous challenges, we were positively surprised by the significant international presence. In sunny weather and a positive atmosphere, there was strong business drive, further underling the enormous potential for bicycles,” summarized Klaus Wellmann, CEO Messe Friedrichshafen, as the show closed on Sept. 4.
A total of 630 exhibitors from 68 countries attended the event that welcomed trade visitors for two days, while the final two Festival Days were open to consumers as Eurobike bid farewell to Lake Constance and unveiled further details of its new concept for Frankfurt 2022.
In her welcome address, German chancellor Angela Merkel described the happy instance that it is the bicycle industry as it meets at one of the first international trade shows to take place again in Germany. “After all, this industry has achieved higher sales growth and turnover during the pandemic and has been able to add considerably to its upward trend of recent years. This is a very positive development – especially for our inner cities and climate-friendly mobility.”
Correspondingly, the importance of face-to-face meetings was clearly demonstrated at Eurobike. Diverse challenges, including supply chain issues in all parts of the value chain, train strikes in Germany and restricted international travel did not prevent visitors from making their way to Friedrichshafen.
“We were really pleased and surprised to see how many international visitors attended the show – far more than expected, especially from manufacturing,” says Head of Eurobike, Stefan Reisinger. In addition to the DACH region comprising Austria, Germany and Switzerland, there were high numbers of visitors from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe. Furthermore, the show welcomed trade visitors from the United States, the Middle East and Asia.
“Despite the challenging conditions, the Eurobike team has once again staged an outstanding industry gathering and successful international trade show. The ZIV member organisations spoke of high-quality, concentrated talks in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. In times like these especially, there is a lot to discuss and talk about. Above all though – the bicycle industry was finally able to meet up in a face-to-face setting again. As the last year for Eurobike at Lake Constance, a bridge has been built for the future of the show in Frankfurt. The time in Friedrichshafen was fantastic. We would like to thank the trade show organisers and the city of Friedrichshafen for these many excellent years. The importance of Eurobike for the unique development of the German and international bike business is something that cannot be stressed often enough. We’re delighted to continue the partnership at Eurobike 2022 in Frankfurt am Main,” explains Burkhard Stork, Managing Director German Bike Industry Association (ZIV).
With the numerous accompanying conferences, including the sold-out Bike Biz Revolution prior to the show, the Eurobike Academy, Travel Talk, and the fully-booked Start-Up Area, 36 Eurobike Award products and some 1,000 test bikes in the Demo Area, the Eurobike 2021 supporting programme certainly managed to impress. One in five visitors took advantage of the test course to try out next season’s models.
The Eurobike Festival Days offered infotainment showcasing the latest bike trends on the Friday and Saturday and attracted 13,424 bike enthusiasts to Lake Constance. They saw impressive performances from international stars of the trial and BMX scene, enjoyed numerous test ride opportunities, and gathered information about international bike tourism offers at Holiday on Bike. “For two days, the industry celebrated bikes in style with all bike fans. There was a very good response, and we were able to create positive energy to get more people on bikes,” explained a delighted Dirk Heidrich, Eurobike Show Director. “The Festival Days are very important to the industry and to us as well – which is why we intend to expand them in future.”
Bernhard Lange, managing partner of Paul Lange & Co. OHG approves of the trade show’s future course: “Visitor traffic at our stand on both of the first two days met and also exceeded our expectations. After one and a half years of being restricted to remote contact via video conferences, telephone and e-mail, you could feel how much visitors, our customers and partners appreciated the opportunity that the show presented to meet again in person and exchange ideas and opinions directly within the industry.
“We received very positive feedback from our customers about our presence at Eurobike. Naturally, we feel somewhat sad at having to say goodbye to Friedrichshafen – we have been partners since the trade show first started at Lake Constance and greatly appreciate the warm welcome the region has always shown. Nevertheless, the move to one of Europe’s foremost metropolitan regions is the right way forward to restart as Eurobike 2.0 and meet the requirements of the bicycle industry as it becomes a leading driver of modern, sustainable mobility.”
The new show concept for next year was released before Eurobike 2021. In 2022, the 30th edition of this leading trade show will take place from Wednesday, 13 July to Sunday 17 July in Frankfurt. “This move represents a huge opportunity. In addition to established topics, there will be new themes and we look forward to widespread interest and further support for the new future direction,” says Stefan Reisinger.
