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The Cycle Show is to add a trade day to its schedule next year, taking place on 24th June.
The show, which is taking place at Alexandra Palace, will include the inaugural London eBike Festival in partnership with Shimano Steps. Following a recent reshuffle of dates, the show is now due to run from the 24th-27th June 2021.
“Given the cancellation of the early year trade events in 2021, we consulted with the confirmed exhibitors to get their views on reinstating a trade day at the Cycle Show,” said show organiser Chris Holman. “The consensus to do so was very positive so we will be opening the show a day early for the trade on Thursday 24th June.
“Next year is going to see a major resetting period with stocks arriving at different times than usually scheduled. Even if products have been launched digitally to the trade there will have been few opportunities for dealers to see them first-hand and to meet with brand experts. Currently, there are no plans to offer a trade day beyond next year, but we will survey exhibitors and visitors after the show to see if there is a need to offer it again in some capacity.
“One of the USPs of the venue is the exterior parkland and the opportunity to properly demo bikes on the hill, so there will be further discussions with exhibitors to gauge the levels of interest in opening the tracks a day earlier. An additional charge to brands wishing to participate may be levied to do that, but we don’t anticipate any other costs for taking part in the trade day.”
The trade day will be free to attend, but strictly for IBDs and other cycle retailers, plus members of the press only. Previous incarnations of the trade day at the NEC allowed other members of the trade to attend, but this will not be extended for the Alexandra Palace show. All trade registrations will be subject to approval in the same way as the annual house shows operate. Trade applications open in early 2021. To register your interest in attending, click here.
Alongside the organisation of the shows, the event team has undertaken a recent research project into consumer cycling habits across the Immediate portfolio of digital titles. Over 4,600 people completed the survey and the summary document of this research will be available for all brands exhibiting at next year’s shows. Research and insight cover a range of results from consumer buying habits, electric bike ownership interests, consumer participation, consumer holiday habits and more.
Close to 8.5% of respondents said they were considering buying an electric bike in the next 12 months and 77% of those were non-enthusiast cyclists looking for a multi-purpose/leisure style bike. While the price was the key factor when first considering buying an electric bike, that was overtaken by the weight of the bike and battery capacity becoming the most important considerations at the time of purchase. The majority of buyers spent more than they’d planned to, but the price was still a big factor in deciding to buy a traditional bike instead.
Demos of electric bikes are also key to the buying process, with 64% of buyers having a test ride before purchasing. 75% of potential customers said their local bike shop was the first choice for them when considering buying an electric bike, and less than 0.5% felt that bike shops were intimidating places to go into to find information about buying.
Exhibitors at the Cycle Show or London eBike Festival can enquire here for more information on the research and results.
The organisers also confirmed the London eBike Festival powered by Shimano Steps is now fully booked. “The growth in interest in electric bikes is showing no signs of waning and it’s great to have so many quality brands on the floor plan,” added Holman. “There will be plenty of e-bikes to see throughout the rest of the show and electric bike companies can still exhibit in the main Cycle Show hall.”
For more information on the Cycle Show, visit https://www.cycleshow.co.uk/.
For more information on the London eBike Festival powered by Shimano Steps, visit https://www.londonebikefestival.co.uk/.
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