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mostly positive about its business prospects for the coming season . That was the ' take-away ' for the International Dealer News team from the 79th edition of EICMA , Milan , in November . After the post-pandemic 2021 ' comeback ' year had seen a near collapse in the admittedly absurdly |
high and almost certainly exaggerated attendance numbers being reported for the shows to 2019 , there does indeed appear to have been an increase in 2022 . The organisers are not quoting an attendance number for 2022 as such , but are claiming a 38 percent increase over 2021 . The 2021 press release claimed a 342,644 total attendance figure ( way down from the absurd 800,000 plus claims that the organisers had been making ), and that would put 2022 at around 472,000 total visitors . Whether or not one believes the numbers , the fact is that the show was busier this year and , despite all the reasons not to be cheerful ( Russia ' s attack on Ukraine , consumer price inflation , supply chains , logistics , materials price rises and shortages , impending recessions in some or all |
markets etc .), the motorcycle industry continues to be able to sell most , if not all , of the PTW unit inventory it is generating , and may again prove to be one of those few , rare markets that can grow in a downturn . With the magic of momentum filling its sails , expect to see the number of vendor booth comebacks that were seen in 2022 increase for EICMA 2023 , with fewer withdrawals and more new generation business continuing to fill the halls for Edition 80 . |