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The major international EICMA and INTERMOT motorcycle shows are canceled for 2020. In the United States, AIMExpo is changing its focus and will no longer be open to the general public. And the consumer-focused Progressive International Motorcycle Shows are still scheduled but uncertain.
If the world goes back to a pre-COVID-19 "normal," will motorcycle shows go back to the way they were or are they forever changed? Will we never again see crowds of people packed closely together to get a look at new models and consumers touching and sitting on the motorcycles that interest them — the same motorcycles that a thousand others have touched. Like so many other things in the COVID-19 era, it's no sure thing.
Here's where we stand at the moment. The International Bicycle & Motorcycle Exhibition, commonly called the EICMA show, in Italy, has been postponed until 2021 and the INTERMOT show in Germany (shown in the top photo) will also not happen this year. Those two European shows are the ones that typically see the most new models unveiled. It's where manufacturers focus their attention when they have something new and important to show and want to get maximum exposure. The Tokyo Motor Show in Japan is another international show where the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers sometimes unveil a new model, but that event takes place every other year and 2020 is an off year anyway.
The AIMExpo, an annual show here in the United States that usually takes place in the fall, has been rescheduled and refocused. In its early years, it took place in Orlando, Florida, and more recently has alternated between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Columbus, Ohio. The multi-day show included a couple of days for industry people only and then it opened up to consumers.
AIMExpo has been rescheduled for January 21 through 23, 2021, in Columbus and the consumer portion has been eliminated. The event always has been more focused on dealers and others working in the industry, with lots of seminars on how to improve your business. Now, that focus is even tighter.
"We remain committed to providing a platform for you — powersports dealers, OEMs, aftermarket manufacturers, and industry professionals — to connect and drive business in this rapidly changing environment," event organizers said in a statement announcing this year's event.
So what about consumers?
So consumers won't be reading a flurry of news stories here at Common Tread this year from EICMA and INTERMOT and AIMExpo won't provide an opportunity to get an early glimpse at new motorcycle models and accessories. But there's still the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows, right?
IMS has always been the consumer-focused show in the U.S. market. It traditionally gets kick-started with the show in Long Beach, California, which typically draws a lot of industry types, because many (though fewer than in the past) motorcycle industry companies are based in Southern California. Long-time industry insider and founder of Jonnum Media, Chris Jonnum, is a Long Beach native who now lives just a few miles from the site of the show, after living in places around the world, and says it has traditionally been a fun start to the show season.
"For subsequent shows in colder markets, I think IMS really represents a symbolic 'gearing up' for the approaching riding season, but Long Beach IMS has more of an industry vibe, since most of the OEMs and many aftermarket companies are based within an hour or two," Jonnum said. The question is whether the kind of catching up with colleagues that Jonnum appreciates can still take place in a pandemic year and whether the other shows can still serve motorcyclists looking forward to the coming riding season.
This year, the organizer of IMS has released a schedule of eight shows: Long Beach, New York, Dallas, Denver, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Chicago. But this is 2020, so it's hard to count on anything. Naturally, Informa Markets, which organizes the events, has to comply with local and state restrictions on public gatherings in each of those locations.
"Currently, we are working with our partners preparing to host the tour and hope to provide a concrete update for our community at the end of the month," said PR Manager Lauren Lloyd.
The Long Beach show is only about two and a half months away, scheduled for November 20 through 22. Under current general guidelines in place in Long Beach, businesses are supposed to limit occupancy to half the normal limit. Restrictions like that can make a show unprofitable.
Even before the pandemic, some manufacturers scaled back or ended their participation in the shows on a national basis, leaving local dealers to represent the brand, if at all. Just as some companies have learned during this pandemic that many employees can work remotely and it isn't absolutely essential to rent lots of expensive office space, will the motorcycle manufacturers and parts and accessories companies decide they don't need shows?
"Even before the coronavirus, trade shows have been in kind of a weird place lately, with some questioning their relevance," Jonnum said. "Many brands are doing their own unveil events — both in real life and, increasingly, virtual — where they don’t have to compete for attendees’ attention. However, IMS doesn’t really hang their hat on big product announcements. They’re more about the basics: giving local enthusiasts the opportunity to look at and touch the latest crop of already-announced models. It’s a simple formula, but it still works."
So, to return to the question we started with, will motorcycle shows ever go back to the way they were? Maybe, but I think it's far from a sure thing.
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