Cover feature
Bikes,
tariffs and
takeover
deals
Words by Paul Colston
We seem to be living through a time of
turbulence in the global exhibition market,
with big shows like Interbike and Cebit
abruptly ceasing, alongside some big organiser
acquisitions and the wild card of tariffs
US tariffs on Chinese imports were certainly the main
scapegoat for Emerald Expositions Events Inc. when announcing before
the New Year the end of its 37-year Interbike show, scheduled for Reno,
USA, in September 2019. Emerald’s Executive VP Darrell Denny
said “it became pretty clear the market had changed
quite a bit. We need to look at how we can serve
the market in a different way. It will have to be
pretty cost-efficient with inexpensive travel”.
The Cebit (the world’s largest IT show in
Hanover) story also illustrated that big
show organisers need to be listening to
their exhibitors and visitors constantly
and acting on research and feedback
quickly, as the pace of change accelerates.
Cebit organiser Deutsche Messe AG
stunned the market when it pulled the
giant tradeshow as exhibitors and visitor
numbers dwindled. The storm clouds had
gathered fast.
Bloomberg’s Michael Sasso is one observer
who believes Chinese tariffs are another factor
keeping US tradeshow organisers on edge.