FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Interbike Confidently
Welcomes Eurobike to U.S.A. Trade Show Market
Following a successful 2006
Interbike
OutDoor Demo and International Bicycle Expo,
Interbike responds to announcement of a competing
trade show
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, California –
November 1, 2006 – Interbike, a division of VNU
Expositions, today responded to Eurobike’s
announcement of its plans to launch a competing
show in Portland, Oregon in fall 2007.
“I was interested to hear the news of Eurobike’s
proposed show,” said Lance Camisasca, Interbike's
group show director. “We welcome competition, as it
will help us do a better job. However, we are also
greatly concerned about the dividing effect
Eurobike’s
announcement may have on the industry. Many will
remember the time when the industry suffered
through multiple shows resulting in additional expense
and heartache. We hope the industry will continue to
support the Interbike show and we promise to
continue to do everything we can to make Interbike
the best show for the North American market.”
Interbike is the leading bicycle industry
business-to-business event in North America,
bringing
together top international manufacturers, retailers,
industry advocates and media to conduct the
business of cycling. Interbike consists of two events:
the two-day OutDoor Demo, held this year in Bootleg
Canyon in Boulder City, Nevada, and the three-day
International Bicycle Expo held at the Sands
Convention Expo and Convention Center in Las
Vegas.
The 25th anniversary and 2006 edition of
Interbike OutDoor Demo and International Bicycle
Expo had the largest exhibit footprint in its history
and an attendance increase of twelve percent,
compared to 2005, which is a good indication of the
health of the industry and the support it receives
from exhibitors and retailers.
The OutDoor Demo occurred
September 25-26 with 61,400-square feet of outdoor
exhibit space filled with more than 130 bicycle and
accessory manufacturers. Three thousand five
hundred individual buyers and journalists tested
bicycles and accessories on cross country mountain
bike trails, downhill-specific courses, a professionally
built BMX track and a closed road course. Total
overall attendance for the two-day demo was more
than 6,000 individuals. In terms of square footage
and attendance, it was the largest OutDoor Demo
since the pre-indoor expo was started 11 years
ago.
The indoor portion of Interbike, the International
Bicycle Expo, ran September 27-29 and consisted of
displays from 735 individual bicycle and accessory
manufacturers representing more than 1,000 brands
covering approximately 15 acres of the Sands Expo
and Convention Center. With a total of 310,000
square-feet of occupied exhibit space, this year's
event had the largest footprint in Interbike's
history.
Total attendance was close to 22,000 individual
exhibitors, manufacturers’ representatives, buyers
and members of the media, which represents a 12
percent increase versus 2005 attendance. Buyer
attendance was close to 10,400 individuals, which
equates to a six percent increase versus 2005 and
represents a little more than 3,100 stores.
“We understand the Interbike show may not be
perfect,” Camisasca said. “But we have always tried
to listen to retailers, exhibitors and advocacy groups
to improve the show and to help the industry grow.
For example, when the industry wanted more space,
all on one floor, we moved the show to Las Vegas.
We have also kept exhibiting costs below the
tradeshow industry average to maintain affordability
for exhibitors both large and small.”
Interbike believes the industry thrives in good
and bad times through strong partnerships, so it
regularly provides significant financial, in-kind and
moral support to the National Bicycle Dealer
Association (NBDA), Bikes Belong, The League of
American Bicyclists, International Mountain Bicycling
Association (IMBA), Trips for Kids, Sprockids and
other such organizations.
The next 25 years of Interbike start with the
OutDoor Demo in Bootleg Canyon, Boulder City,
Nevada, September 24-25, 2007 and the Interbike
Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 26- 28,
2007.
For more information about Interbike, please visit
www.interbike.com.
About Interbike
Interbike, a division of VNU Expositions, is a full-
service tradeshow company that creates, markets
and produces high-quality expos and educational
conferences. Producers of the OutDoor Demo and
Interbike International Expo, Interbike is the leading
bicycle industry business-to-business event
management company, bringing together top
manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and
media to conduct the business of cycling. Finishing
its 25th successful year, Interbike (
www.interbike.com) gathers more than 1,000 cycling-related brands
and more than 21,000 total attendees annually.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Chip Smith, SOAR Communications, 801.523.3730
(wk) / 801.597.7515(cell),
csmith@soarcomm.com
or
David Politis, SOAR Communications,
801.523.3730(wk) / 801.556.8184(cell),
poppa.p@soarcomm.com
