One of the best parts of my job is the opportunity it has given me to travel the world meeting with dealers and manufacturers and attending the events that help shape our industry.
In November, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the EICMA Show in Milan, Italy, as a guest of the Italian Trade Commission. The scale of the event was stunning, and the OEM new model releases were nothing short of cinematic.
While the show has a distinct European flavor, I would absolutely encourage any American who loves powersports — especially dealers — to attend this show at least once in their lifetime. Two-wheels are a way of life for so many Europeans, and in addition to the amazing new units, accessories and apparel on the show floor, Milan itself served as an inspiration on how the future face of powersports might look in the U.S. market — smaller displacement transportation-based units just might be your next big profit center.
You can check out our website and Facebook page for my snapshots from the show and archived live coverage from the event. I also encourage you to flip to page 8 of this issue to get the full scoop on the agreement the Italian Trade Commission inked with the AIMExpo at the show.
When the AIMExpo was first announced last year, Larry Little told me how the EICMA show was his team’s inspiration for the creation of a combined trade, consumer and media event in the U.S. After seeing EICMA, I absolutely understand that a show that uses the European model will well-serve our industry, and we can expect quite the shakeup in the U.S. show landscape over the next few years.
In addition to the launch of the AIMExpo in Orlando set for Oct. 16-20, 2013, the annual tradition of the February Dealer Expo comes to a close this year. In a move called reactionary to the AIMExpo, the Advanstar team originally announced October 2013 dates for the next iteration of the show, but that date has since shifted back to September of 2014, leaving the 2013 AIMExpo the prime buying event for powersports dealers going into the 2014 selling season.
While the industry has voiced strong reactions to all of these shifts, the true measure will come in units of vendors and attendees who make it to the shows in the coming year. So, where will I see you in 2013?
