Eurobike v. Interbike - can this be good?

The other day Eurobike announced that it will launch a new bicycle industry trade show in the United States. This new show will be held in Portland, Oregon in mid to late September according to the announcement. This puts it squarely in competition with Interbike, which is held in Las Vegas the last week in September each year.

Until recently I have always believed that Eurobike and Interbike were one in the same. I pictured one big traveling road show put on by the same company, sort of like the Ringling Brothers, Barnum, and Bailey Circus. I'm guessing most non-industry types have similar thoughts about the two shows, if they have even heard of them in the first place. But the two trade shows are owned and operated by different companies, which, until now, only competed tangentially on the world stage. Now the companies will be in direct competition with this shot across the bough from Eurobike.

Can this be good for the cycling industry?

Well, with most things there are pros and cons. In the short term, I doubt there will be much good that can come from this. We've already got the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) deciding to pull out of it's plan to bring the show to Portland and find another venue elsewhere. Next there are industry types questioning if it is even possible to resource all of the different trade shows that take place in this time frame already.

I think there are two fundamental shifts that are happening in the trade show arena (in any industry). First, there is the issue of registrations or attendees. Every trade show out there seems to be enjoying record attendance these days and Interbike was no exception this year.

Why? I believe that it is due to the need for people to feel connected to one another and break away from their online environments. Ok...that's an oversimplification, but the combination of distance in time from events such as 9/11 causing great fear and angst along with the increased hurriedness we all feel from communications technologies, causes us to want to get back to basics and see each other in the flesh. (Work with me here).

At the same time, however, we have companies rethinking the way they approach the marketplace. These same communications technologies can be used for more direct and authentic interaction with customers and the old ways of marketing - print ads, direct mail, and trade shows - are being called into question.

For example, Trek and Cannondale chose not to have a booth in the Interbike Expo hall (they did, however, have a very large presence at the Outdoor Demo), diverting their resources to events of their own that targeted dealers directly.

Are you still with me? So let's examine some of the fallout here.

There is a lot of speculation out there regarding what Eurobike may or may not be doing with this show. Based on the news stories and press release from Eurobike, it would appear that the expo company is planning to develop a show that will ultimately rival Interbike in size and scope. But what if Eurobike did something different?

What if Eurobike decided to focus the show on a particular niche of the biking industry? Perhaps they focus on commuting and touring, Portland would make an ideal venue for such a focused show. Or, even if they decided to focus on mountain biking only and carved this huge market away from Interbike. Focus on a particular segment of the market may work for Eurobike, but simply mimicking the current Interbike or even the current Eurobike won't work.

Interbike is right when it says that there is a need for and a benefit to the industry to have a single annual event that brings the entire industry together. Even they admit, however, that the competition will cause them to raise their game to provide an even more valuable experience for vendors and dealers alike.

If I were Interbike, I would not overreact to the announcements of Eurobike. I would build on the strengths of the current show and tweak around the edges. No sudden moves. Leave the show in Vegas, but take action to address the concerns of those that don't feel the city is very bike friendly. Maybe work with the city to make some temporary bike lanes for specific routes or organize specific commuting routes and rides to and from the major venues and hotels for each of the events.

Another thing that I would do if I were Interbike would be to beef up the educational component of the show. The educational sessions almost seem like an afterthought to the expo hall and are primarily run by vendors. To keep dealers interested in coming year after year, the value of the educational sessions should be highlighted more. Also, invite more dealers and outside influencers to present, creating a more rich and diverse educational experience.

The bottom line here is that Eurobike's motivation is clearly to hurt Interbike. If they truly believed there was room for more than one trade show in the United States they would not schedule it within a week or two of Interbike. This will only splinter the industry at best, and at worst cause more companies to go the route of Trek and Cannondale.