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A total of 744 exhibitors were present at 2021’s IAA Mobility, including 75 bike brands, which took place in Munich from 7th-12th September.
The show was attended by 400,000 participants and 3,500 journalists from 95 countries. This means that the new IAA Mobility attracted 32% more visitors per day compared to the average number of visitors at the last IAA in Frankfurt – despite the continued COVID-19 restrictions on international travel.
Tobias Gröber, executive director – business unit consumer goods at Messe München, said: “The IAA Mobility is the first major international event in Europe after the start of the pandemic. We are very satisfied with the way things have gone so far. Many market participants are only now realising or understanding that we really want to bring together all mobility carriers on one strong platform. And that the bicycle can and must also play an important role here.
“Of course, we will continue to develop and adapt our concepts. For example, the bicycle brands in the Open Spaces and B2C areas, but also the brands in the B2B area, have expressed the wish to integrate this area much more strongly and to mix in with the suppliers from the automotive, IT/tech, infrastructure and start-up sectors. Especially a mix of automotive brands, supplier industry, global corporations, start-ups and bikes, micromobility, e-scooters and cargo bikes has been extremely well received. Therefore, we will tackle this for 2023.
“We are aware that this opening will not please all market participants and stakeholders who would like to hold on to their traditional ”enemy images’’ (cars versus bikes, pedestrians versus bicycles). But this polarisation will not get us anywhere as a society, because only an interplay of all solutions will help us move forward; not the artificially maintained preservation of traditional positions.
“Because mobility in the countryside needs different solutions than big metropolitan areas. And that is why, especially after the first IAA Mobility, it is even more important for us that it is not “either bicycle or car”, but “both bicycle and car” – that we have an eye for the better solution in any situation.’’
Hildegard Müller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), which organised the IAA Mobility this year jointly with Messe München, said: “We took a courageous step and were rewarded by the visitors. 400,000 participants in only six days is a clear case of visitors ‘voting with their feet.’ The visitors were evidently very interested in and delighted by the whole experience.
“The IAA Mobility is now the largest mobility event in the world. New electric cars, bicycles, e-scooters, energy policies and urban planning, digitilisation, digitisation and more – here in Munich we presented and discussed what needs to be thought, together in the future. At the IAA Mobility Conference, we also experienced lively discussions on the path to the new mobility.
“The exhibitors unveiled more than 100 premieres of their latest models and concepts, underscoring the fact that the transformation of mobility is being driven forward toward climate neutrality and digitisation.”
The third edition of the World Cycling Forum took place in conjunction with the trade fair on 6th-7th September. The main theme of the two-day international congress was around capitalising on the current bike boom. WFSGI president and CEO Robbert de Kock said: “For the bicycle industry, this is a crucial moment and we aim to capture the momentum from the IAA Mobility to continue to innovate, and further grow in the mobility sector.”
The next IAA Mobility will be held in Munich from 5th-10th September 2023. Starting immediately, inquiries about taking part in 2023 may be sent to mobility@iaa.de.
Bike Connection Demo is an all-new media testing event supported by IAA Mobility, taking place in Andalo, Dolomiti Paganella Bike on 17th and 18th June 2022. The event will be open to cycling brands of all product categories, and will feature test courses for all disciplines, for more information click here.
