Eurobike 2019 confirms – bike riding captures the zeitgeist
admin September 8, 2019
28th Eurobike ends with 39,834 trade visitors and 21,240 bike fans – international participation from 99 nations – Top themes: urban mobility solutions and networking
Friedrichshafen – After four days demonstrating the bright future of the bicycle, Eurobike 2019 ended on Saturday as a big success. Over 1,400 exhibitors presented the latest technological innovations to more than 60,000 international visitors from the trade and the general public. From international market leaders to visionary start-ups – the attending companies showcased an extensive selection of new innovations and high-quality bike solutions with immediate environmental and social benefits.
“Eurobike 2019 was an innovation-driven mobility show, where manufacturers from all over the world shined a spotlight on the bike and all its components as a sports vehicle and sought-after mode of transport. Established exhibitors and large numbers of new companies all demonstrated the current upbeat mood on the market with their products. Powered by the particular impact of electrification, it was made very clear in Friedrichshafen that the bike will play an increasingly important role – whether in town or country, for leisure or the daily commute,” said CEO Messe Friedrichshafen Klaus Wellmann, summarising the 28th edition of the Eurobike show.
The economic interest in and passion for bike riding is reflected in the figures for Eurobike 2019: 39,834 trade visitors (2018: 37,379), 1,345 media representatives and 21,240 bike fans on the final Festival Day came from 99 nations (international proportion: 59 per cent). The world’s biggest bike industry trade fair filled the showgrounds to capacity at Lake Constance with the latest bike premieres, drive systems, equipment and services. Siegfried Neuberger, managing director, German Bike Industry Association (ZIV), explains: “The response from ZIV members is positive in every respect and the return to the later show date has been met with widespread approval. Trade visitors to the show are very interested and the discussions are high quality. This year we have also witnessed particularly strong resonance from the media and politics.”
The presence of market leaders and the high-quality offer from all areas of the bike industry creates plenty of interest for visitors. “Our Mission is to provide exhibitors and trade visitors the best-possible opportunities to conduct business. I’m delighted that Eurobike has met the high expectations and that both manufacturers and trade visitors rate their participation or visit as positive. Eurobike has established itself as the leading, international bike business show that draws a notable who’s who to Friedrichshafen. In addition, we are creating a networking and knowledge transfer platform that creates real added-value and goes far beyond the reach of the product itself. Many of the newcomers are established technology companies who are bringing their approach to the current mobility megatrend,” said Stefan Reisinger, Head of Eurobike.
People have ever more differentiated mobility needs – this is one of the central findings of the leading trade show. Society is going to see more and more diverse forms of individual and public transport and the European buyer’s premium programmes seem to be working. Introduced to encourage sales of electric vehicles, exhibitors of mini vehicles, cargo bikes, e-mobility solutions and e-scooters are also very pleased. The extended Cargo Area was one of the hot spots of Eurobike 2019. In particular fleet managers and transport logistics experts are very interested in this area. “Cargo bikes are the ‘Yes, We Can’ in the bicycle industry,” says cargo bike expert, Arne Behrensen, succinctly.
New mobility offers and digital innovations in the bike market might well be becoming more significant, however Eurobike continues to be an important stage for product innovations in the sport-orientated bike sector. And there are exciting, new developments in this segment at Lake Constance too. “We’re particularly satisfied with the B2B-take-up and meet many of our German retailers at Eurobike, as well as welcoming visitors from other European countries and Asia. We’re also delighted to receive a Eurobike Award for our e-road bike. And as a sport-orientated brand, we’re very pleased to see the large numbers of people who are passionate about powering their bikes solely by muscle power,” says Andrea Gastaldello, CEO of Italian manufacturer Wilier Triestina.
New this year, Eurobike rolled out the well-attended ‘Bike Biz Revolution’ congress format for manufacturers, retailers, decision-makers and representatives of the media the day before the show. The new format essentially addresses the fact that digitalisation is well established in the industry and that it’s important to get informed and hear also controversial approaches. “I was highly impressed by the ‘Bike Biz Revolution’. There were exciting highlight topics, great speakers – and a relaxing atmosphere. It was the right setting to talk to many clever minds and get ahead with new ideas,” says Thomas Sauter-Servaes, Head of Degree Program Transportation Systems, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). In addition, Eurobike Connect – the first business network for the bike and mobility industry – was presented at the ‘Bike Biz Revolution’. The new digital platform connects manufacturers, suppliers and retailers during and beyond the show and enables easier product finding, comparing and selling.
Infotainment showing the new bike trends formed a major part of the Eurobike Festival Day, which attracted 21,240 visitors to Friedrichshafen on the weekend. “The resonance is very good, and we were able to provide plenty of stimuli to get more and more people on bikes in the future,” says Eurobike Project Manager Dirk Heidrich. There were over 1,000 test models available for test rides in the Demo Area. Furthermore, there were show performances from the stars of the bike scene, numerous presentations and tips for bike holidays all over the world at ‘Holiday on Bike’.
Eurobike Date 2020
Eurobike 2020 takes place from Wednesday 2 to Saturday 5 September 2020 on the exhibition grounds in Friedrichshafen. For further information, visit: www.eurobike.com and www.facebook.com/eurobike.tradeshow.
Source: EUROBIKE Friedrichshafen
Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH Press and PR Department Postfach 2080 88010 Friedrichshafen GERMANY