AIMExpo’s Larry Little, VP and general manager of the motorcycle group at Marketplace Events, has announced that the show has a tier-one Japanese OEM committed to the event.

While the team hasn’t unveiled the name of the OEM, Mike Webster, president of the trade show division of Marketplace Events, has confirmed that the OEM is fully invested in the show with indoor displays and demo rides planned.

"We’re thrilled to soon be able to announce the name of our first OEM participant," said Kerry Graeber, Marketing Director, AIMExpo. "As we have said all along, OEM involvement is a core component to AIMExpo so this is the next logical step in the evolution of our event. OEMs bring new model reveals, added dealer involvement and increased media attention and, again are central to the AIMExpo vision.  Along with the first OEM that we’ll be revealing, I’m happy to say that there are others that will soon be announced, as well. The momentum is clearly building as more and more companies are realizing that AIMExpo is set to truly transform the powersports business in the United States."

This news broke at the conclusion of a VIP facility tour held Jan. 24-25 in Orlando, Florida. Attendees of the event included representatives from National Cycle, Saddlemen, Vee Rubber, Erik Buell Racing, The Service Pavilion, LeoVince, Givi and The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), among others. 

At the event, MIC President and CEO Tim Buche characterized the AIMExpo as, "the perfect backdrop to showcase the industry." Buche went on to comment that our industry hasn’t done a very good job of showing our size, and this event will give the industry that international stage in the U.S.

In addition to touring the indoor and outdoor venues, the AIMExpo team used the VIP event as a platform to showcase how their show will literally look far different than other U.S. shows. Instead of the standard pipe and drape, AIMExpo has opted for hard wall booths. 

"We made the decision to invest in hard walls for all linear booths at AIMExpo for three primary reasons:  First, to provide our exhibitors with the best possible environment in which to do business, second, to deliver a better overall show experience for both exhibitors and attendees and, third, to maximize consistent traffic flow throughout the entire show," said Graeber. "By their very nature, hard wall booths are more functional, cleaner and professional-looking. They also enable exhibitors to do more to merchandise their display and products with much better graphic opportunities and space utilization. We showed a mockup of the different display configurations and available fixtures at our VIP preview in Orlando, and the response was unanimously positive. Finally, we’re making our hard wall booths available at a total cost that is significantly less than competitive shows that only offer traditional pipe and drape."

Erik Buell Racing’s VP of sales and marketing, Jim Dorman was among the attendees and shared the enthusiasm of many of those present. "I was impressed with the quality and dedication of the people behind this great opportunity for the motorcycle industry," said Dorman. "Our industry has needed some new blood and vision to help spur on interest in the U.S. and international motorcycle industry. We need help to bring the levels of motorcycling back to volumes like we enjoyed  in 2007, when over 1 million motorcycles were sold in the U.S. compared to sales of less than 500,000 last year."  

"The AIMExpo’ s concept of combining both a consumer show with an industry only show is great. It sure helps with resource planning and  exposure to the market. AIMExpo even has planned for areas where people can demo ride our bikes, that’s special! We have committed to making the AIMExpo our new product launch event and have reserved a large amount of booth space in a prominent area of the convention center. Orlando is a wonderful choice, the airport is easy to get to, the city has world class  entertainment and restaurants, and the weather can’t be beat. We hope to see a lot of new faces here in October," concluded Dorman.

The inaugural AIMExpo will be held Oct. 16-20 in Orlando, Fla. To learn more about the event, visit www.aimexpousa.com.