Welcome address German Chancellor Angela Merkel:
“The fact that one of the first international trade shows to take place again in Germany is a meeting of the bicycle industry is a happy instance. After all, this industry has achieved higher sales growth and turnover during the pandemic and has been able to add considerably to its upward trend of recent years. This is a very positive development – especially for our inner cities and climate-friendly mobility.”
Burkhard Stork, Managing Director Zweirad Industrie Verband (German Bike Industry Association ZIV):
“Despite the challenging conditions, the Eurobike team has once again staged an outstanding industry gathering and successful international trade show. The ZIV member organisations spoke of high-quality, concentrated talks in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. In times like these especially, there is a lot to discuss and talk about. Above all though – the bicycle industry was finally able to meet up in a face-to-face setting again. As the last year for Eurobike at Lake Constance, a bridge has been built for the future of the show in Frankfurt. The time in Friedrichshafen was fantastic. We would like to thank the trade show organisers and the city of Friedrichshafen for these many excellent years. The importance of Eurobike for the unique development of the German and international bike business is something that cannot be stressed often enough. We’re delighted to continue the partnership at Eurobike 2022 in Frankfurt am Main.“
Bernhard Lange, Managing Partner Paul Lange & Co. OHG:
“Visitor footfall at our stand on both of the first two days met and also exceeded our expectations. After one and a half years of being restricted to remote contact via video conferences, telephone and e-mail, you could feel how much visitors, our customers and partners appreciated the opportunity that the show presented to meet again in person and exchange ideas and opinions directly within the industry. We received very positive feedback from our customers about our presence at Eurobike. Naturally, we feel somewhat sad at having to say goodbye to Friedrichshafen – we have been partners since the trade show first started at Lake Constance and greatly appreciate the warm welcome the region has always shown. Nevertheless, the move to one of Europe’s foremost metropolitan regions is the right way forward to restart as Eurobike 2.0 and meet the requirements of the bicycle industry as it becomes a leading driver of modern, sustainable mobility.”
Wilhelm Humpert, Managing Partner Ergotec:
“We’re very satisfied at Ergotec. The majority of our appointments took place. They were surprisingly international – something we didn’t expect. In addition, there are a lot of retailers here. All-in-all, the trade fair has been better than expected for us. Even if some exhibitors were not here, it has still been a very good show. We’re sad to have to say goodbye the lake!”
Erhard Büchel, Owner and Managing Director Büchel:
“It’s good to be back at a trade show. Direct customer contact is just completely different. Due to the supply situation, many bike manufacturers have nothing to exhibit or sell. We see this trade show as a component manufacturer’s show. As such, we have enjoyed greater attention and the quality of talks is very high. This is also because the issue of reshoring is playing a role. It was definitely worth coming to the show. Anyone not here is missing an opportunity. We feel sad about it being the last ever show in Friedrichshafen. I can understand why it is moving to Frankfurt, it’s clear that certain aspects will function better there. I will miss the opportunity to present bikes as a leisure object there. For me, this was always easy to do with the lakes and the mountains at Friedrichshafen.”
Alexandra Baum, CEO and Founder Texlock:
“This year’s Eurobike took place in very special circumstances. There were the effects of the coronavirus and it’s also the last time in Friedrichshafen. We decided to be more modest with our stand size, as we expected the fair to be less strongly frequented. Despite our expectations, we were really pleased with the very busy response. All our planned appointments went ahead and we met many visitors expressing concrete interest in us. This means that we are very satisfied with the fair. I think it’s brilliant that so many international visitors came, for example from Poland and Czechoslovakia.”
Alessandro Graser, CEO and Founder Cybro Industries:
“Eurobike was the first ever trade fair for Cybro – and it was very impressive. It’s superb, how many people have visited our stand, took pictures of our products and informed themselves about our bikes. We also had the opportunity to meet our suppliers in a great atmosphere during the show. Pre-orders for Cybro Bikes start now, so that we can begin production at the end of September. We’ve seen that trade fairs like Eurobike are very important for our brand, to make customers aware of Cybro, to get feedback and to write orders.”
Ulrich Prediger, Founder Jobrad:
“We were delighted that the trade show could take place with the appropriate health and safety measure in place. Once again, we enjoyed important talks with manufacturers, retailers and bike fans.” “We’ve enjoyed being part of Eurobike Friedrichshafen. Ever since Jobrad was founded, we have made a decisive step forward in our development each year at the show,” adds managing director Holger Tumat. “We’re going to miss the Lake Constance location, but are looking forwards to Eurobike 2022 in Frankfurt.”
Anja Knaus, Head of Communications, Flyer:
“We say goodbye to this beautiful trade show location here in Friedrichshafen and feel very sad about it. We’re going to miss the Swabian warmth and hospitality. However, we’re really excited about Frankfurt and the urban environment, and an infrastructure, which will probably make it easier for us as an exhibitor.”
Arne Behrensen, Managing Director Cargobike.jetzt:
“What timing! Right in time for Eurobike, cargo bikes are at the centre of a debate for the German elections. The Cargo Area excelled here by proving a unique overview of the current cargo bike market. From compact child transporters to the heavy-duty category with 500 kg load capacity – the whole range of models and the latest innovations were on show. The level of interest in expert information is enormous. Our four-hour “Cargo Bike @ Eurobike-Academy” programme on the Thursday was really well attended. There were some very lively discussions – a real highlight! Of course it would have been nice to see more visitors at the Cargo Area too. However, as it was, there was more time for more intensive discussions and test rides. We see major potential for the cargo topic at Frankfurt 2022. And not just because manufacturers in our European Cargo Bike Industry Survey are expecting market growth of 66% for 2021. In Frankfurt, the cargo bike revolution is already taking place on the roads and cycle paths – and Messe Frankfurt’s facilities surely offer capacity to further expand the Cargo Area.”
Luca Violetto, Marketing Wilier:
“Despite it being a complicated year for the bike industry, we’re very happy to be part of Eurobike. We enjoyed major media interest at our stand and had international customers, despite the circumstances. The trade show was particularly important for us as we launched a new product in cooperation with Shimano, who also exhibited.”
Mathias Plouvier, Managing Director Classified:
“It was our first ever Eurobike and we are really happy to be able to show our product here after seven years developing it. In particular, we are delighted about the Eurobike Gold Award. This recognition will trigger further future innovation.”
Dr Thomas Leicht, Head of e-Bike Drives Brose:
“We reached our goal to have very interesting discussions with customers and receive lots of positive feedback on our products. We had lots of visitors to our stand, and we booked around 200 rides per day on the test circuit on the open air grounds. Eurobike 2021 went really well – we’re very satisfied!”
Tamara Winograd, Head of Marketing and Communication Bosch eBike Systems:
“We’re really pleased that the entire bike industry could get together again this year after such a long time – although for the last time here at Lake Constance. We have so many great memories with Messe Friedrichshafen – but feel very positive about the new direction for Eurobike in the coming years. Frankfurt am Main is an important international trade show location with an excellent infrastructure. We welcome the move to the metropolis and are excited about the new, urban show concept.”
Roman Högerle, Public Relations MCG:
“Above all else, it was good to meet people again and be back at the show. We didn’t expect that our booth would be so busy or that so many people would be there. People were a bit unsure at first, but this feeling soon disappeared after the first day. I was totally booked out and received very positive feedback And, like others too, I also feel a bit wistful, as I have always enjoyed coming to Lake Constance. At the moment, it’s important to remain very flexible in all areas. This is why we are positive about the future.”
Doris Klytta, Head of Marketing & PR Ralf Bohle:
“Fundamentally, we’re very happy to back at Eurobike again. There was a lot of activity at our stand. It was a bit of a shame to have a more streamlined version of the show for the last Eurobike in Friedrichshafen. We’re looking forward to Frankfurt next year – we’re coming. In our opinion, it was the right decision to change to a more central location – to give new momentum to the idea of a leading international trade show.”
Guido Müller, Managing Director Busch + Müller:
“Day one and day two saw high levels of visitors when it comes to wholesale and OEM. Retail visitor numbers were lower than we expected.”
Dominik Voss, Content Manager Magura:
“In these Corona times, I think that many exhibitors, including us, came to Eurobike with lower expectations. These expectations were confounded. We had more visitors than we expected. We were busy the whole time and held very good discussions.”
Emil Norup, CEO Pentalock:
“We were very impressed by Eurobike. We were told to expect fewer visitors due to coronavirus, but the show went well and we met exactly the right people. It’s a shame, for example, that some people from China were not able to come, but we’re more than happy with the contacts we made with bike manufacturers, who are our target group. We far exceeded our targets for the trade show.”
Uwe Daniel, CEO Revonte Oy:
“We’re basically very happy with how things have gone, because we arranged 90 per cent of our appointments in advance. We move solely in the B2B sector, so we were meeting OEM customers. As such, quantity is relatively unimportant for us at the show. We just need to see a relatively small group of relevant people. All-in-all, the show was pretty relaxed. I think though that we only saw around 50 per cent of the people that we saw here two years ago. For travelling and infrastructure, this was maybe a good thing, but we missed a number of big brands and representatives, who didn’t even send a single colleague.”
Andre Fuchs, Key Account Manager Bafang:
“We’re very satisfied with the show, with our orders, and our supply times. We have no problems with delivery times of one to two years. Instead, we can deliver our goods in 90 days, because we were quick to react early. Overall, there was less going on due to corona, but we’re very happy with the number of visitors to our booth.”
Marcel Spork, Sales Manager SKS Germany:
“Our results from Eurobike 2021 are better than expected. So, as such, we are satisfied. We saw a good number of big customers, manufacturers and also retailers. We were very happy to have face-to-face contact again, after such a long break. We leave Friedrichshafen with sadness, but look forward to hopefully a stronger Eurobike 2022 in Frankfurt.”
Annalena Horsch, Managing Director Coboc:
“At first, we were sceptical about what would happen this year, but ultimately were are very satisfied. Compared to last year, there were fewer talks with customers; however they were of a very high quality. In particular, it was great for the team to see customers “live” again and pick up feedback from the market.”
Rob van Wijngaarden, Account Manager Widek:
“We’re very happy with that we decide to come here, despite being unsure at first. The show went well for us, maybe even better than previous years. Because everything was a bit smaller than usual, we had more time for talks with our customers.”
Bastian Müller, Founder GRDXKN:
“Eurobike met our expectations – despite the situation with corona. The start-up had a good location and saw lots of visitors. We had international visitors and plenty of interest at our stand. The Eurobike Award brought us additional attention and – as it functions as an extension of the presentation area – is helpful for start-ups.”
Mauro Carminati, Axevo Technology:
“Eurobike was very different his year. However, despite all the changes, we interacted successfully with the public. Before we came, we did worry that visitor numbers would not be sufficient. They were actually down on previous years, but this was foreseeable, especially when you think how difficult it is to travel at present and that there are big brands missing. As far as start-ups are concerned, we’re really proud of our Eurobike Award. We hope that this victory will bring us growth and success in future.”
For more information, visit: www.eurobike.com and www.eurobike-frankfurt.com.