[REPORT]

BIKEASIA

BikeAsia, the Bicycle and Motorcycle Show of South-East Asia, held in Singapore from 10 to 13 April, started off on the right foot.

BikeAsia 2008 is the first international exhibition on bicycle, motorcycle, accessories and components in Southeast Asia. It is a Regional show for 500 million people who can reach Singapore with a 5 hours flight and over a billion people within 8 hours. BikeAsia's goal is to become the new appointment for thousands of lovers and dealers of the 2 wheels sector.

All doubts on the potential of this event were dispelled: the first edition attracted 79 journalists, 1,360 trade operators from the ASEAN countries, but also from India, Australia and Japan, while 20,000 visitors flocked to the Singapore Expo during the two days the show was open to the public.

The exhibitors were extremely satisfied, many of whom have declared that they managed to do business or at least establish promising business contacts: almost all of them have already confirmed their participation in BikeAsia 2009. The most prestigious motorbike brands were Italian, while bicycles were well-represented by products from the US, Japan and Indonesia.

The chief aim of BikeAsia is to develop new businesses, enhancing a market that is potentially of great interest, i.e. 580 million people for whom bicycles and motorcycles are changing from useful, low-cost tools to move around, into objects of desire to do sports, tourism, leisure. From this point of view, the public’s response, which exceeded even the rosiest of forecasts, is of particular importance, as is the success of the fringe events: “Count My Wheels”, a festival attended by hundreds of cyclists and motorcyclists, and “BikeAsia Mountain Bike Cross Country Marathon “, a 100km-race in which took part 350 bikers, also from Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, as well as the many times MTB champion Tinker Juarez, who is to be EICMA’s guest at the next Milan Show.

A Growing Market
Asia has the largest manufacturing base in the world for bicycles and motorcycles and it is also the largest consumer of these products. As per capita income increases rapidly in Asia, the desire to own better bicycles, motorcycles, accessories and to embody a lifestyle that expresses this new status increases as well. A new acquired conscience for the environment enhances further the interest for bicycles and motorcycles as choice mode of transport to reduce pollution and improve living conditions.

BikeAsia 2008 is at its first edition yet it can count on the wealth of experience of it's co-organizer partner, EICMA, which organizes the world's largest International Bicycles and Motorcycles show in Milano, Italy.

EICMA also exported a very small portion of MOTOLIVE to BikeAsia: the performances of Sergio Canobbio and of the “Show Action Group” team were an amazing highlight for the public and the press.

The exhibit “The designer’s hand” set up by ICE was greatly appreciated, allowing visitors to retrace the history of 2-wheelers across design.

The second edition of BikeAsia will be held on a different date: the Show will be anticipated to avoid overlapping with the Motorcycle Shows of Taiwan and China, while the duration of the Show will be reduced from 4 to 3 days, the first day entirely dedicated to the Trade, while the remaining two to the public. The appointment is in Singapore from Friday 27th February to Sunday 1st March 2009.

EICMA 2008 will take place from 4 to 9 November (on November 4 and 5 access is limited to the Press, and Trade Visitors)

 

Link:

www.bikeasia.org