IAA Mobility show pulls A-list cycling brands

IAA Mobility’s bid to seat top tier cycling brands alongside the broader motoring and mobility world has proved successful with a brand list released earlier hosting some of the industry’s largest labels.

The Munich exhibition, which has for many years been one of Germany’s largest automotive events, cast its net wider this year, acknowledging a trend toward other forms of mobility and one which automotive giants are warming to in the face of challenges to the car business; many even hold stakes in micromobility businesses.

The exhibitor list this year already counts on the presence of Specialized, Bosch, Canyon, Fazua, Tern, the SRAM group of brands, Abus, Scott, Continental, Rose, Riese & Muller, Bergamont, Schwalbe, Stromer, Hartje, Brose and many more. At a quick count nearly 60 labels are listed.

David Zimberoff, SRAM VP of Marketing, offers the reasoning for the group’s attendance: “We’re super excited to participate in the IAA Mobility show to reach new riders and end consumers. We love the format, the location and timing of the event, and have a great feeling about the current momentum in the bike industry.”

The show is not being shy about its pull against the long-established competition, advertising a 560,000 visitor figure for the 2019 show as “over nine times more than the strongest competitor in the cycling-only tradeshow segment.”

Likely in the current climate such figures would not be possible with some international restrictions in place for travel into Germany, but the draw for bike labels addressing a new audience has nonetheless proved strong, especially in such close proximity to Munich’s 6.2 million citizens. One edge that others may have is that IAA is a biennial platform, meaning the next show won’t land until 2023.

For the trade and cycling advocacy groups, IAA has also scooped the World Cycling Forum conference, set to be hosted on September 6th and 7th in the International Congress Center on the Munich trade fair ground.

The show has now granted enhanced access to the public, which is believed to have added weight for brands looking to reach those keen to try before they buy into the e-mobility space. The event has now been divided so that both a trade and consumer environment can co-exist.

According to Messe München, “the bicycle brands see the traditional IAA B2B-visitors, who have been going to an IAA for years, all as potential end-customers – and classic end-consumers can also access the grounds during the complete runtime.”

Some in the industry have previously sounded the alarm on a blending of the bicycle and automotive business, warning that the four wheeler industry is very well financed and does not make mistakes, alluding that if automotive makers get serious on bikes (or more specifically e-bikes), as many are, the bicycle industry could lose out.