International Dealer News IDN 142 April/May 2018 | Page 4

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Promising start to the sales season as industry
gears up for a joint INTERMOT and EICMA year
he early season registration numbers emerging from Europe’s major The massive change in management culture of a few years ago has altered the
national trade associations are showing a (mostly) positive start to international perception of EICMA, and not for the better. Communications continue to
the year. It would appear that ACEM and others were right, and that be an Achilles heel - so far this year it has been radio silence from Milan where show
the apparent decline in registrations seen in the statistical reports news is concerned, whereas Koelnmesse has been releasing a steady stream of news
last year (after three years of growth on a Europe-wide basis) were wrong. about new initiatives and plans for INTERMOT, and has been conspicuously higher profile
It is now perfectly apparent that the anomalies caused by the Euro 3/Euro 4 transition in its general promotion of the event and its engagement with the industry that the show
at the end of 2016 and in early 2017 had indeed distorted the picture. In reality, while is a part of. The residual effect is one of leaving a feeling that whereas EICMA exploits
2017 may not have seen as much growth as the prior three years, certainly not in the dealer and vendor community, INTERMOT does as much as it can to be seen to be
percentage terms, it did still see some modest low single digit increases in motorcycle trying to serve it.
(if not also small cc unit) sales, and demonstrated the rise of the lightweights and
hat stream of news from INTERMOT has included the announcement that the show
middleweights that is being seen as new generations of consumers fill the void created
is to host the first European Stunt Championship Finale - the 50 best stunt riders
by the years of post-Lehman darkness.
from 15 nations are expected to fight for the European stunt riding crown over the three-
The figures released so far aren’t fully reliable as an
day competition on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
indicator for the year in full yet, as they are mostly
Koelnmesse says that it has already had booth
based on generally and traditionally low January
reservations from some 400 exhibitors (that’s
and February sales numbers, but it is a more positive
individual exhibiting companies, not vendors and
start than the one we were looking at 12 months
brands combined) from more than 30 countries
ago.
and say they anticipate filling some 100,000
This year is that biennial delight of a year with both
square metres of exhibition space and offering
INTERMOT (Cologne, October 3-7) and EICMA
around 60,000 square metres of outdoor area for
(Milan, November 6-11) hanging over the market
test rides, races (including Sprint races) and
and impacting industry budgets and manufacturer
demonstrations, including the chance to try out E-
new model launch cycles like a cloud. In the United
bikes.
States, AIMExpo is sandwiched in between the two
Both shows boast impressive international trade
European majors, this year in Las Vegas (October
visitor credentials, with an estimated 59,000
11-14); see report in the ‘American Report’ This year’s INTERMOT Custom Special is this drag style Yamaha trade visitors from approximately 100 countries at
XV 950 R customised in Germany by Marcus Walz
elsewhere in this edition of IDN.
INTERMOT in 2016.
It is to be hoped, however, that this is a cloud with
IDN will again be hosting the INTERMOT trade
multiple silver linings, and that if the dealer attendance seen at January’s excellent visitor ‘International Night’ networking reception (Wednesday October 3), and Hall 10
Motorcycle Trade Expo in the UK is anything to go by, there will be plenty of well- is again the venue for the fast growing and now further expanded INTERMOT
motivated and well-funded dealers, as well as enthusiastic and growing visitor numbers, ‘Customized’ “Show-within-a-Show” concept.
to make both shows viable for the exhibitor community.
Centrepiece of Hall 10 will again be the IDN sister magazine AMD (American Motorcycle
he characteristics of difference between the two shows persist – with EICMA having Dealer) 13th World Championship of Custom Bike Building - the fourth time the ‘AMD’
an impressively high theoretical visitors number but only half of them, at best, are of has been staged in Europe after being in the USA since it started in 2004 and the third
riding age or current riders; whereas at INTERMOT it is clear from their attire and time at INTERMOT.
demeanour that nearly all of the perfectly respectable 200,000 or more visitors clearly With six months to go, there are already some 50 plus world class customs registered
to compete for the custom motorcycle’s industry’s ultimate accolade, with custom
are high mileage current riders.
EICMA perfectly reflects the demographics of the Italian motorcycle market in terms of motorcycle engineers from some 14 countries, including from the United States, Russia,
scooters, “urban mobility”, northern Italian focus, race fans and so forth, whereas Indonesia, Taiwan, Mexico and the first ever competitors from the fast-evolving Indian
INTERMOT pulls visitors from further afield than simply the central Germany, greater market.
Cologne area and features a higher displacement of a multi-bike owning and definitely
more touring oriented and older, wealthier audience that befits a northern European
show.
Therefore the shows don’t need to be seen as duplicatory - not entirely so at least. Each
has its own fans and its