IN
THE
WIND
P24
Intermot 2020 Canceled (Sort Of)
C
ovid-19 has claimed another,
rather unsurprising, victim. The
Intermot Show in Cologne, Germa-
ny, the second largest motorcycle
industry trade show in the world,
will now be a digital-only event.
Run every other year, the 2020
show was set to run October 6-11,
and the organizers have now said
there will be a live online version of
the show before the end of the year.
"After conferring with key play-
ers from the industry, and with
a view to the health of exhibitors
and visitors, Koelnmesse and
the German Motorcycle Industry
Association (IVM) have decided
not to host this trade fair in 2020,"
read a statement by the German
Motorcycle Industry Association
(IVM), Koelnmesse GmbH. "An
event that depends on its appeal
as an experience and event cannot
be held in this form at this point in
time and thus does not meet the
expectations and needs of the
industry. Our customers resources
for 2021 are already under heavy
strain as a result of the SARS/
Covid-19 crisis. As an important
part of the motorcycle industry,
however, and particularly in difficult
times, we want to actively support
our partners and are now working
full steam on a digital format. With
the digital Intermot news stream,
we are creating a communication
platform that will provide sustain-
able inspiration for the industry and
the motorcycle community alike.
We can then turn our full focus to
the event scheduled for 2022."
Given the scale and number
of vendors at Intermot, it will be
fascinating to see how the public
responds to the digital format.
European trade shows are big
events, often covering five times
the floor space of regular U.S.
shows like the Progressive Inter-
national Motorcycle Shows.
However, Intermot's future will
likely be a hybrid format of in-per-
son and digital shows, according
to show organizers.
The traditional Intermot Show
will return in 2022. CN
If you were planning
on attending Intermot
this year, sorry.
