MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY CROSSOVER TRADESHOW?
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]nterbike is the largest bicycle industry tradeshow in North America, hosting the two-wheeled world for five full days of product demonstrations, education and industry networking in mid-September. However if you didn’t notice the lycra instead of leather in the apparel booths, a dealer could be fooled into thinking this was a motorcycle trade event. One look at the exhibitor list, the VIPs and industry types in the aisles at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas and it is easy to see how much our industries crossover these days.
In a nutshell Interbike is 750+ companies representing more than 1,200 brands – a one stop opportunity to connect with the entire bicycle industry, discover emerging trends and learn new business ideas. The overall footprint at Interbike was approximately 328,000 square feet, representing the largest show to date. With a crowd of more than 25,000 in attendance, this is serious business!
From former MPN cover girl turned TV hostess Amanda Woods to Motocross Files and Penton movie producer Todd Huffman, we saw plenty of our motorcycle industry friends crashing the party. On the exhibitor side of the equation familiar brands ranged from the Italian Pavilion to Jessy Nelson’s Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM, (complete with a moto mannequin showing the latest TLD MX gear) that was on display front and center at the GoPro display.
A good percentage of the booths had a definite powersports flavor. Just some of the names motorcycle dealers would know included EBC, Fly, Italjet, Kenda, KTM and Sidi. CST tires even had Cory Sappinton’s Desert Toyz Can-Am straight from Best In The Desert racing action
on hand.
If you are interested in learning more about the Interbike International Bicycle Expo September 16-23, 2016, see how the other half of the two-wheeled industry rolls at www.interbike.com.
