Motorcycle trade shows

Well, sure...5 minutes....7 hrs? No way, Jose.

 

when the show was in Orlando it might have overlapped Biketoberfest a couple times. I didnt spend a dime at the show but walked away with 40lbs of freebies! I would have thought maybe the AIM planners could have put the show at the Ocean Center in Daytona and promoted it a whole lot better to consumers.

 

I went to (and enjoyed) the AIM show when it was in Orlando. Then the AMA got involved and it moved to Ohio (AMA center of the universe).

Actually, in ye olde days, Daytona was such a big deal that nearly everything you wanted to see showed up at Bike Week... So I could kick tires, look at accessories or try on gear during that time, but it is a shadow of it's former self, in both racing and vendors.

That said, I appreciate those who still show up though (racers and vendors).

 

I'm planning to go to the DC show this weekend. Anyone got any inside tips for discount codes for tix? Can't seem to find any at the usual sites.

 

Went to the Chicago one. Was just pathetic. A spice company had a booth, yes a SPICE COMPANY. We left after a "lap" around it and went to the Chicago Auto Show. That one was packed.

 

The one in Chicago used to be great ... 20 years ago . Then they got crappier , and crappier each year . The last time I was there it was like a Harley swap meet from the twilight zone .. I love motorcycles, but I just can't ever attend another one again

 

What y'all are talking about is motorcycle consumer shows, I.E. IMS US or Canadian consumer shows. The motorcycle industry shows aren't open to the public and they starting 30 plus years ago in Cinci, then moved to Indy and then died. 4 years or so ago a group moved them to Orlando and copied the EIMCA show in Italy where the first few days were for the industry then it opened to consumers for the Saturday and Sunday. They moved that Orlando show to Ohio last year but I'm not sure how successful it was.

But for sure everything is changing and business with the M/C industry is in a big flux of a change. And who knows where it will go!

 

Well according to the AIM website which is the show you are talking about(Orlando), it will be in Las Vegas this year and back to Columbus next year.

 

I think my first industry show was in 1997 or 98 in Indy?? Well mostly it was an event for walking off hangovers but fun to see all the exciting products. I attended as a rep for a budding wheel company thats ridiculously profitable today even though motorcycle accessories are a small portion of their business.
But the real fun started at the AMA Drags that rolled into Bikeweek or Biketoberfest.
Funny how that always seemed to work out.

 

The JPCYCLES18 promo code is for $3 off 1-day admission tickets, online only

IMS' Website

 

Thanks!!!

 

Durrani's ???

 

For years the North American motorcycle industry wanted the Indy dealer show to move to the Fall. around 2007 the economy started to tank and consumer shopping habits began changing too. Indy started to shrink in vendors and dealer attendance, and I think the last year of the show they even had a separate part of the building set aside for the IMS consumer show. So Advanstar tried everything to keep it going but manufacturers couldn't justify the huge display/hotel/transportation costs and it stopped.

IMHO AIMs reasoning for a Fall show was that the European (EIMCA, Cologne/Munich) shows were in late in the year and were very successful, and from the manufacturing standpoint a Fall show made more sense in planning/manufacturing for the upcoming year. As these shows were focused on the industry for the first few days and then consumers on the weekend I believe that AIM said let's try that format. But I also think AIM felt they had to get consumers to the show to justify the investment as the show builds each year. And with Biketoberfest going on 60 miles away I think they felt consumers would make the drive/ride to visit. To attract dealers I think Orlando was chosen because dealers/shops could justify the trip for business by dropping the family at local Orlando attractions for a mini vacation then shop the show.

But with the whole market and consumer buying habits changing the show has to keep current and try different stuff. So they moved it to Columbus to be close the 60% of the US dealer base. Yep 60 to 70% of the motorcycle business is within a 10 hour drive to Columbus/Cinci/Indy. And to keep trying something new and to attract dealers (especially the west coast) they will have the show in Vegas to test the waters.

The cruiser/touring/v-twin segment is bigger than the sport, sport touring, adventure bike segment combined and is it very conservative and yet the famous Cinci V-Twin show died after about 16 years in 2017. Things are sure changing AND it will be interesting to see where it will go in the next 5 years.