International Motorcycle Shows not as popular?

bill2 · Dec 6, 2016

Hi everyone,

I looked and didn't see any prior posts on this so I thought I would ask.

I live in the bay area in northern CA, and usually the motorcycle show comes through every fall, but this time it was in Long Beach in So Cal, and that was it. It wasn't up in Seattle either.

What gives? Is it becoming less popular, or do the manufacturers just not have the cash to back as many shows as they used to have?

Thanks

SeabeckS · Dec 6, 2016

I believe the Seattle show got moved to Portland...that's when I quit attending every year. The last couple of shows in Seattle seemed to have good attendance. I was quite surprised when the venue moved 180 miles south. Wonder if the Canadians who attended up here travel to Portland for the show now?

EUGENE · Dec 7, 2016

A no show in Portland ,OR. this year too. :scratch

SeabeckS · Dec 7, 2016

Guess it's a thing of the past. :dunno

xrsc · Dec 7, 2016

No Show

I moved to the Greenville SC area in 2007 and have attended the PIMS in Atlanta GA, Greenville SC and Charlotte NC. Now the closest show is in Washington DC! Really enjoyed the event but wont be going anymore because of the distance involved... :scratch

Omega Man · Dec 7, 2016

For your consideration, it seems that many "shows" have gone by the wayside. It has been suggested that a "show" (event) that has been in the same spot for years, well attended and well liked begins to get treated as a "cash cow" by the owners of the event location feeling that they can hold the promoters hostage for every increasing fees.
None of these shows have ever been cheap to run with so many "people" with there hand out.
OM

JDOCKERY132445 · Dec 7, 2016

Greenville was best

xrsc said:
I moved to the Greenville SC area in 2007 and have attended the PIMS in Atlanta GA, Greenville SC and Charlotte NC. Now the closest show is in Washington DC! Really enjoyed the event but wont be going anymore because of the distance involved...

I preferred the Greenville show. Cheap rooms available, free parking for motorcycles and a great presence by BMW. Charlotte was closer to me; but there was NO motorcycle parking. What idiots thought that was a good idea. As for Atlanta...how do you like riding a motorcycle in the middle of a demolition derby?

marcopolo · Dec 7, 2016

Last year the show did not make it to D.C., but I see it's back for this year (January 2017).

ricochetrider · Dec 7, 2016

Hmmm. I work in convention centers here & there. The reality is that the conv ctrs located in major cities, are expensive real estate and are expensive to run and maintain. It costs quite a bit to host an event, even a small-ish event, in one of these places.

IF, by chance, attendance numbers falter, waiver, or slowly but steadily decrease then you can bet your bottom dollar that the organizers (in this case Progressive, an INSURANCE COMPANY HELLO) are looking hard at the numbers. Do you go every single year? I know me personally? I've been to a few of these things. It's a good day out in the middle of Winter, maybe- but I have to travel to get to one. Last one I went to was in New York City (3 hours away by car or train) at the Javitz Center- what do you think it costs to hold a major convention or event in that space? Before that, DC (2+ hours drive)- also an expensive city. I'm like every other year -if that- depending on my schedule. I enjoy it when I go to one, but it's not to high on my priority list.

Anyone who's paid any attention at all has seen vendors drop out, and other aspects of these particular shows change over the years, esp just the past couple years.

I'm not surprised the cities are falling off. I was just thinking about this show last night, guess I'll check the schedule to see when the DC show is.

EDIT:
Javitz Ctr NYC Dec 9-11 this weekend
Washington DC Jan 6-8

http://motorcycleshows.com/

ragtoplvr · Dec 7, 2016

Omega Man said:
For your consideration, it seems that many "shows" have gone by the wayside. It has been suggested that a "show" (event) that has been in the same spot for years, well attended and well liked begins to get treated as a "cash cow" by the owners of the event location feeling that they can hold the promoters hostage for every increasing fees.
None of these shows have ever been cheap to run with so many "people" with there hand out.
OM

For example, SEMA has become very expensive. The show for my industry is also in Vegas, and beside the $300 dollar hotel room at "special" show pricing, they charged us $200 for a table and $75 per chair and $100 to haul in our little box of display samples, about 50 lbs.

But Halloween in Vegas was as always, interesting!

Rod

mika · Dec 7, 2016

2009 and beyond attendance faltered and several manufacturers, BMW and Triumph for example, dropped out for several years. They apparently did not see enough show or dealer traffic to justify the expense. The number of shows has decreased while the participating manufacturers has increased again.

BMW Motorrad USA Revs Up Manhattan This Weekend At The Progressive International Motorcycle Show
BMW Group PressClub USA / 19min
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 7, 2016… BMW Motorrad USA will showcase its diverse line up of motorcycles at The Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York this weekend, including a number of updated and all-new models.

bobs98 · Dec 7, 2016

NYC Friday

I missed last year for the first time in several years, but am looking forward to meeting a few friends on Friday in NYC.

Wonder if BMW will have the Vision Next 100 concept out for ogling. :stick

Oh, and definitely stop in at the MOA booth too.

36654 · Dec 7, 2016

ragtoplvr said:
For example, SEMA has become very expensive. The show for my industry is also in Vegas, and beside the $300 dollar hotel room at "special" show pricing, they charged us $200 for a table and $75 per chair and $100 to haul in our little box of display samples, about 50 lbs.

But Halloween in Vegas was as always, interesting!

Rod

Oh...........and you can't carry that 50-lb box, either......

Nickle and dime charges are how they pay the bill, but that drives away the vendors.............So, no show

Visian · Dec 7, 2016

bobs98 said:
Oh, and definitely stop in at the MOA booth too.

This year you can visit the MOA *in* the BMW booth....

71243 · Dec 7, 2016

I attended the Cleveland show ea/yr for 15-16 years. The later / last of them seemed to have more "junk" ?? Doo-rags & sunglasses....hooligan riding videos & 'vinyl' - leather. Choppers seemed to dominate. so 2013 was my last year . I just think 'quality' of the shows was lost ?.........

And to be honest , the guy I used to attend with passed-away...that took my enthusiasm for them.

lkraus · Dec 7, 2016

I've turned down several invites to see the Cleveland show. Winter show dates have always involved a boring six hour drive. I was never in the market for a new bike and I think I can get equal or lower gear prices online. The entertainment value was not worth the time or expense.

Next September brings the AIMExpo to Columbus. A thirty minute ride from my doorstep makes it a lot more attractive.

71243 · Dec 7, 2016

lkraus said:
I've turned down several invites to see the Cleveland show. Winter show dates have always involved a boring six hour drive. I was never in the market for a new bike and I think I can get equal or lower gear prices online. The entertainment value was not worth the time or expense.

Next September brings the AIMExpo to Columbus. A thirty minute ride from my doorstep makes it a lot more attractive.

Six hours from Columbus to Cleveland .... :scratch

tangoalpha · Dec 7, 2016

I didn't realize the Seattle show was moved to Portland. Doesn't make sense to me, unless the attendance and vendor participation is dwindling and the organizers needed a smaller/less expensive venue. While I can't speak to the change in venue, I can tell you about the Long Beach show I attended; and it seemed to be as popular as ever. Progressive pulled out all the stops and had a huge section of floor space dedicated to catering to needs of male/female riders. Besides hosting the usual music bands and workshop/clinics, they were offering free haircuts, manicures for the ladies, free boot shines, faux tattoos, a coffee bar with a lounge area. Gotta admit. I was really impressed with their investment and commitment to MC riders. Besides that, the demo rides were crazy busy. BMW had filled up all their demo rides spots sometime around 10 or 11AM on Saturday. Everyone one else was on standby if they wanted to ride. I rode H-D and Indian as American V-twins are also close to my heart. HD's new Milwaukee 8 motor is silky smooth. They made several other changes which make for an overall much better bike. The Indian's I rode were equally impressive. I love how they shift. it's like a hot knife through butter. Very precise shifting....no notchy, clunky shifts. The clutch is very short and operates with the lightest of squeeze...probably hydraulic.

As for the show itself, most of the major brands were well represented. There were some brands I didn't see that came as somewhat of a surprise. Conspicuously missing was Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Triumph and also a fairly new American manufacturer who hit the scene a few years ago, Motus was not present. They make a very interesting V-4 bike and I was hoping for a chance to learn more about the brand and see one in person. The crazy stunt riders from Fitz Army Moto Mullisha were on hand showing their insanely impressive high flying stunts. Always a crowd pleaser. All in all, I throughly enjoyed my time at the show. I usually go to this every year, typically on Saturday. Although, with so much to see and do, I could easily turn this event in to a 2 day trip. While I didn't attend the show Sunday, I did extend my stay in Long Beach by visiting the nearby Queen Mary enjoyed feasted on a world class brunch! YUM!

All in all, the Long Beach MC show was a great experience and I'm already looking forward to the show next year. The only thing that could have made the show better would have been even more beautiful models roaming the show floor and a better variety of dining options. The food trucks all had pretty much the same thing. After a long day of standing in lines, riding bikes and walking what felt like miles, I was really craving a cold beer and some BBQ Tri-tip or a pulled pork sandwich and there was none to be found. Other than that, it was the perfect weekend.

greenwald · Dec 7, 2016

lkraus said:
I've turned down several invites to see the Cleveland show. Winter show dates have always involved a boring six hour drive. I was never in the market for a new bike and I think I can get equal or lower gear prices online. The entertainment value was not worth the time or expense.

Next September brings the AIMExpo to Columbus. A thirty minute ride from my doorstep makes it a lot more attractive.

Having flown down to the AIMExpo shows in Orlando for the past two years, and attended the Toyota/Progressive IMS for the last decade or more in Chicago, trust me - these are two very different animals.

You might be disappointed in Columbus.

powwow · Dec 7, 2016

tangoalpha said:
I didn't realize the Seattle show was moved to Portland. Doesn't make sense to me, unless the attendance and vendor participation is dwindling and the organizers needed a smaller/less expensive venue. While I can't speak to the change in venue, I can tell you about the Long Beach show I attended; and it seemed to be as popular as ever. Progressive pulled out all the stops and had a huge section of floor space dedicated to catering to needs of male/female riders. Besides hosting the usual music bands and workshop/clinics, they were offering free haircuts, manicures for the ladies, free boot shines, faux tattoos, a coffee bar with a lounge area. Gotta admit. I was really impressed with their investment and commitment to MC riders. Besides that, the demo rides were crazy busy. BMW had filled up all their demo rides spots sometime around 10 or 11AM on Saturday. Everyone one else was on standby if they wanted to ride. I rode H-D and Indian as American V-twins are also close to my heart. HD's new Milwaukee 8 motor is silky smooth. They made several other changes which make for an overall much better bike. The Indian's I rode were equally impressive. I love how they shift. it's like a hot knife through butter. Very precise shifting....no notchy, clunky shifts. The clutch is very short and operates with the lightest of squeeze...probably hydraulic.

As for the show itself, most of the major brands were well represented. There were some brands I didn't see that came as somewhat of a surprise. Conspicuously missing was Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Triumph and also a fairly new American manufacturer who hit the scene a few years ago, Motus was not present. They make a very interesting V-4 bike and I was hoping for a chance to learn more about the brand and see one in person. The crazy stunt riders from Fitz Army Moto Mullisha were on hand showing their insanely impressive high flying stunts. Always a crowd pleaser. All in all, I throughly enjoyed my time at the show. I usually go to this every year, typically on Saturday. Although, with so much to see and do, I could easily turn this event in to a 2 day trip. While I didn't attend the show Sunday, I did extend my stay in Long Beach by visiting the nearby Queen Mary enjoyed feasted on a world class brunch! YUM!

All in all, the Long Beach MC show was a great experience and I'm already looking forward to the show next year. The only thing that could have made the show better would have been even more beautiful models roaming the show floor and a better variety of dining options. The food trucks all had pretty much the same thing. After a long day of standing in lines, riding bikes and walking what felt like miles, I was really craving a cold beer and some BBQ Tri-tip or a pulled pork sandwich and there was none to be found. Other than that, it was the perfect weekend.

The Seattle show was moved to Portland just last year. As stated in an earlier post, it isn't being held in either location this year.

International Motorcycle Shows not as popular?

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