TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Taichung Bike Week organizers set Nov. 12-15, 2013, as the dates for next year's show, sticking to an earlier timeframe that proved successful this year.
The format will stay the same in 2013 with exhibitors spread among three hotels in downtown Taichung—the Tempus, the Evergreen and the Splendor—although the Splendor is likely to get busier, according to organizer Steve Fenton, owner of Pro Lite, a Taichung-based frame and wheel manufacturer.
Fenton expects the Splendor will sell space to 150 exhibitors in 2013, double the number of this year. That was up from just a dozen brands in 2011. SR Suntour and Asahi served as anchors at the Splendor drawing more product managers to walk the 10 minutes from the two main hotels. The traffic was a welcome change from years' past when the Splendor was so desolate that some people abandoned their booths to hang out in the lobby of the Tempus or Evergreen where they were sure to see more potential customers.
"Everybody is so happy," Fenton said.
Fenton estimates about 2,500 people stayed in the three hotels this week to attend the casual OEM show, which ended Friday, and that doesn't account for the number of industry folks who live in Taiwan who attended.
Taichung Bike Week has grown greatly in importance over the past several years with more than 200 brands using the week as a casual atmosphere to present next model year products to key spec decision makers from North American and European brands. ?
It's come a long way since a decade ago when folks from smaller brands would nearly stalk product managers from big brands like Specialized, Trek and Cannondale who were in town to make final spec decisions for the next model year.
Fenton remembers the early days of tracking down product managers at local restaurants or hotels to pitch his products, working with other industry folks to keep an eye out for potential targets.
"It was like an undercover operation," he joked.
The show in its current form will likely peak next year or in 2014, however, as the hotels can't accommodate anything much larger, Fenton said. Many of the Taiwanese companies are pushing for the show to be more formalized and held under one roof, but Fenton has resisted in order to maintain Bike Week's low-key character. Organizers work for free and hotel space is relatively cheap—about $1,500 for four days—and it's a comfortable atmosphere in which to do business. As Bike Week and the accompanying Ride On—Taichung's original OEM show, which is much smaller and held at the nearby Hotel One—gain more exposure, their intimacy is at stake.
Noting "nothing is forever," Fenton said Bike Week works for now because its timing coincides with when industry drivers like Shimano and SRAM release products and pricing. But, with ever-earlier product timelines, its relevance could eventually change. Taipei Cycle, held in March, was once the industry's prime sourcing event, but has morphed into an aftermarket show.
"Getting to the top is the easy part. Staying there is difficult," Fenton said.
