ANCMA, the Italian motorcycle industry trade association, has been forced in to an embarrassing volte face after it failed to ensure it had sufficient backing for its plan to add an extra public attendance day to EICMA.
The plan, which was the subject of what can be best described as a “soft launch” would have seen the show extended with Monday, traditionally the last of the set-up days, becoming one of the two Press and Trade Visitor days, with the Wednesday fully opened to the public – making for a fifth public day with the show still open through Sunday.
The move was not well received among the show’s parts, accessory, gear and apparel exhibitor community, with many small businesses considering whether the increased costs would be the final factor to make them decide to abandon the show in the face of increasingly unconvincing attendance profiles.
The members of ANCMA, the motorcycle manufacturers and selected vendors with OE parts contracts, must have approved the plan but the wider exhibitor community, whose booth fees subsidise those of the members, were clearly not happy.
Several contacted IDN as well as the organisers, and it would appear that the show has had to curtail its ambitions. There had been some speculation that the move was a precursor to returning the show to a biennial frequency. Either way, EICMA is now (in theory) back to being two Media/Trade/VIP visitor days, Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by four public days Thursday through Sunday with opening to 10:00 pm on the Friday.
