It’s good to hear from the one media outlet in attendance, Element.ly. And, I agree with the power of positive thinking, but the Interbike 18 show is what it is and a show like the past isn’t coming back.
That’s because when PR companies convinced the big brands to spend money on content marketing a few seasons ago they don’t need the media and we don’t need them. It comes down to vacation edits on YouTube and being on whatever message they flew an influencer in for, not a trade-show launch.
I just got back from Interbike. And despite all of the hand-wringing and moaning and armchair quarterbacking, it was a delightful event. The venue was clean. Parking was plentiful. Food was quite delicious and reasonably priced. The energy level was surprisingly high. There was a nice mix of legacy brands and dreamers. And overall it made me excited to say I was at the very first Interbike held in Reno.
Stephen missed that in the 80s, Interbike was held in Reno, not that it matters much. Millions of bikes will still get sold annualy and a trade show will happen in whatever city.
Brands aren’t going to return. And if they don’t give media something to do, they won’t either.
I wasn’t there because I had a schedule conflict attending a Sony event in San Francisco.
5 years ago, Jim Merithew and I walked the show floor and Jim said at some point
The bicycle industry’s epically huge, fluorescently lit, yearly hype-fest is an assault on the senses.
Then it was fat, gravel, and cross with much excite.
The Mobile Social took over the Strip.
Now, I hope someone else is quietly working on the next big thing after all the bikes have motors bolted onto them and doing so with a vision.
And, we’ll see it in no less than 2 years.
The industry needs it in Reno or somewhere else.
The venue doesn’t matter.
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