Here is the full statement:

Eurobike Cancels Portland Show; Teams Up with Sea Otter

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN)-Eurobike has canceled its proposed September trade show in Portland and is developing a new show format with Sea Otter organizer, Frank Yohannan.

Klaus Wellmann, Messe Friedrichshafen's CEO, said the German trade show company is only "postponing" its foray into the U.S. market. Instead, working with Sea Otter staff, Wellmann wants to create an event that includes consumers as well as dealers, manufacturers, and the media.

"We do visualize a spring and a fall show, the first of which is the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey in April," he said. "With Sea Otter being one of the world's largest cycling festivals, we feel that both organizations complement each other. Our aim will be to serve the industry's changing needs without a lot of bureaucracy," Wellmann said.

Eurobike organizers, one of Sea Otter's key sponsors for this April's show, will be on hand to meet with industry leaders about a second show and a new format. Sea Otter will be held April 12-16.

Yohannan said the industry describes Eurobike as the preeminent industry trade show, and that it's an honor for him to team up with such a "terrific" organization. "We look forward to bringing the best of Sea Otter Classic and Eurobike to the U.S. market," said Yohannan, who attended Eurobike this fall.

Lance Camiscasca, Interbike's show directory, said he was relieved to learn of the September cancellation. "Now the industry doesn't have to contend with competing shows in the North American market, let alone dealing with all the shows in Europe," he said.

As for Interbike, Camiscasca said he would continue researching the market to make certain the show occurs in the right venue at the right time. "I also hope to learn more about the collaboration between Eurobike and Sea Otter," he added.

Erich Reiss, who represents Messe Friedricshafen in the U.S., said initial reaction to the Portland show was less than positive as suppliers voiced concern over cost and another show in an already crowded September calendar.

"This is a perception that could hurt the industry in terms of greater costs," he said. "That has never been the intent of Messe Friedrichshafen," Reiss added. The fact that Eurobike had yet to hire a management team before it's late October announcement also hampered plans for an event this September.

However, there were some within the U.S. industry interested in a change of venue away from Las Vegas, pointing out that Portland is a city that wants to become a center for cycling suppliers. "Many people from within the industry and also the general public sent us many supportive comments, especially for our choice of Portland," Reiss said.

Wellman said it was the industry that had approached the Messe about an alternative show in the U.S. "We investigated the possibilities and came to a unanimous decision to consider organizing an alternative show in the U.S. which we feel will serve as an additional marketing tool on both continents.

"From the first serious considerations to the final decision and announcement, we aimed for an alternative kind of show with more of an environmental and educational emphasis," Wellman said.

In a conversation today with POVA's VP of Sales, Michael Smith, I learned that the two groups were still in the "qualifying stages", and that the announcement caught them completely by surprise.

"We were talking with them, trying to determine if Portland would work for them. We thought we were in the early stages. But once we heard the news we were thrilled."

Smith said POVA didn't think the Eurobike Portland (not the official name) show would compete with the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), whose director withdrew plans to hold his show in Portland in 2008 after learning of the announcement.

"We're not bike people here at POVA and we didn't understand all the implications of the announcement. We have been in contact with Don Walker (director of NAHBS) about his show...we feel it would be a great complement to a larger show. We respect his decision to not come to Portland in 2008, but we'd still like to work with him if possible."

I have questioned POVA's handling of the announcement and wondered why they decided to not tell anyone (including Commissioner Sam Adams) about their ongoing discussions with Messe Friedrichshafen at a meeting full of Portland bike industry leaders just days before the announcement.

Smith says he regrets that situation but that they were "sworn to secrecy" by Messe Friedrichshafen,

"We did not share the information at the client's directive and because of concerns we had about litigation if their intentions were leaked. We didn't even tell Sam (Adams) who sits on our Board of Directors."

Smith also said he was very sorry for how the announcement might have affected Jennifer Nolfi's work as a representative of the PDC to the bike industry,

"We put her (Nolfi) in a bad situation. We've apologized to her and have made it clear that we want to be partners with the bike community from here on out.

We have incredible respect for Portland's bike industry and community. There's so much passion and energy...I only wish we had the same interest from other industries we work with."

At this point, according to Smith, Messe Friedrichshafen has still not signed any contracts with the Oregon Convention Center or with any local hotels.

From my perspective, their plans for a show here in September of 2007 seem highly unlikely, although I could see them re-adjusting their schedule and coming here in 2008.

Unfortunately Erich Reiss -- Messe Friedrichshafen's US representative -- has still not returned requests for comments so we'll just have to wait and see what happens...stay tuned.

With each passing day, the likelihood of Messe Friedrichshafen (the company behind Eurobike) following through with their announcement to bring a major bicycle trade show to Portland grows slimmer.

With only ten months left until their alleged show, they still have not confirmed dates, approached exhibitors, or even given it a name. Even as skepticism builds, they haven't communicated with the media since the initial announcement. I would expect that if they were serious, they'd want as much positive spin and PR as they could get.

Does this seem fishy to anyone else?

Today I ventured downtown to check out the NBDA Super Seminar. Many industry insiders were there and most of them seemed to share my skepticism.

One of them -- who didn't want me to use his name -- said the whole thing seems, "half-baked" and that he "wouldn't be surprised if it didn't even happen."

**Update: I have spoken with Matt Pizzuti, the marketing and sales director for the Oregon Convention Center. Pizzuti has been the primary contact with Messe Friedrichshafen and says,

"I'm not holding my breath for them coming in 2007. The indication we're getting is that they're scrapping their plans for 2007 to better prepare for 2008. The feeling I've gotten is that they're still getting their team together."

Something is definitely wrong with this picture. It just doesn't add up.

Theories abound...

Did they make the announcement just to test the waters and have now pulled back because the response was not as good as expected?

Was the initial announcement a mistake that was leaked to the press before they were ready?

Whatever's going on I have a growing suspicion that we won't be seeing a Eurobike Portland anytime soon. If my hunch is correct, than that's really too bad. Nearly everyone I've spoken with says Messe Friedrichshafen's Eurobike is the cream of the trade show crop and I bet they would have put on an awesome show.

Hey Don Walker...is it too late to bring your show here? No hard feelings huh?

Just weeks before the announcement was made, POVA staff sat around a table at City Hall during a meeting of the bicycle industry task force that included Commissioner Sam Adams, PDC's Jennifer Nolfi, and leaders from the local bicycle industry.

Despite obviously being deep into plans and negotiations, POVA made no mention of their dealings with Messe Friedrichshafen (the company behind Eurobike) at this meeting.

According to Jennifer Nolfi, who addressed members of Portland's bike industry at a meeting two nights ago, POVA says they had to keep quiet due to strict confidentiality terms and that they feared a leak would get them in legal trouble with Eurobike.

That's all well and good, but there are ways to suggest at the possibilities of a big announcement without getting yourself in hot water.

The result of POVA's communication breakdown is some lost credibility and confusion for Portland's ongoing efforts to establish relationships within the bike industry with an eye toward recruitment of new businesses.

POVA's surprise announcement also resulted in event promoter Don Walker bolting from negotiations with the PDC and Commissioner Sam's office to bring his popular North American Handmade Bicycle Show to Portland. Walker was just about to announce Portland as the location of his show in 2008 when the Eurobike announcement was made.

The timing of the attendance at Interbike by the PDC and the Commissioner's office, combined with POVA's October surprise, hopefully doesn't cause industry insiders to assume that Eurobike was courted by Portland "city officials" when in reality it was just POVA.

At the meeting Wednesday night Nolfi announced that POVA plans to have a meeting to debrief Portland officials and bike industry stakeholders about the announcement and give details on ongoing Eurobike plans.

I'm sure we can expect better communication as plans for Eurobike and Portland's burgeoning bike industry effort moves forward.

""The OCC's main room has 255,000 gross square feet. However this gross space will likely only yield a net occupied total of 127,500 square feet.

No matter how you do the math, this event will likely be roughly one third the size of Interbike, even if it sells out."

Camisasca is also planting seeds that the new show would harm the industry,

"...we are also greatly concerned about the dividing effect Eurobike's announcement may have on the industry.This would certainly divide the industry and there are concerns about potentially having three shows in North America in September, never mind the Euro calendar."

I think it's strange that since making the big announcement, no one has heard any more details from Messe Friedrichshafen's U.S. rep and Hood River resident Erich Reiss. Adding to the mystery is a report in this morning's Oregonian Business section that says,

"The organizers have not signed a contract, POVA spokeswoman Deborah Wakefield said, but they have visited Portland and indicated their interest in holding an event in September 2007. "

Visits to and interest in Portland are a far cry from making real plans.

Despite the advantages of Portland over Las Vegas, it's clear that the Eurobike folks have an uphill battle to establish a successful, rival bike trade show in North America and now I'm beginning to wonder how much credibility this big announcement really has.

Was it all a PR stunt to test the waters of public and media reaction?

Until we hear more from the Erich Reiss and his company, it's hard to think otherwise.

I've got several emails and phone calls into Reiss but have yet to hear back.

Stay tuned.

"I know that the point may be to shut down Interbike, but let's be realistic, it isn't going to happen in a year or two or even five. What happens in the mean time?"
--Donna Tocci
Kryptonite

Reactions to yesterday's big news that Eurobike boss (and Hood River resident) Erich Reiss plans to launch a major US bike industry trade show in Portland this September (which I'll call "Eurobike Portland" until an official name surfaces) has quickly spread around the bike biz and the web.

As I've talked to people involved (still waiting to hear from Reiss) and read reports on blogs and bike news outlets, reactions have ranged from shock, surprise, confusion, excitement and concern.

If you're wondering what all the fuss is about, just consider the size of Interbike (currently the major US bike industry trade show) and Eurobike. Not that Eurobike Portland would be nearly this size 11 months from now, but just for perspective...

According to the Eurobike website, this year's show drew 31,810 trade visitors from around the world, 19,684 cycling fans on Open House Day, and 1064 journalists from 32 countries. Interbike on the other hand drew 22,000 people which included individual exhibitors, manufacturers, buyers and members of the media.

The Man Behind the Show

[Erich Reiss of
Eurobike]

Erich Reiss is the force behind Eurobike's success. I've yet to meet him and I don't know much about him, but apparently he's a very smart and capable businessman and he comes with solid credentials. According to industry veteran Michael Nover (formerly head of Mountain Cycle),

"Reiss is the head of what I consider the best trade show in the world. He's definitely not just some guy with a big idea...he is responsible for making Eurobike a world class event."

It certainly bodes well for Eurobike Portland that Reiss will be the man calling the shots.

The Location

Obviously the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) doesn't even compare with the Sands Expo Center/Venetian Hotel gargantu-plex where Interbike currently resides, but that's OK for now.

According the the Portland Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the OCC has about has about 250,000 square feet of space for the show. Compare that with Interbike, which uses 750,000 square feet. And don't even ask about the disparity in hotel rooms (OK, the Venetian/Sands alone has 4,000 rooms, as much as all of downtown Portland combined).

So for the first year or so, the OCC should be fine, but if Eurobike Portland is to ever reach its full size and potential, a new location would have to be built or found.

Also, don't forget that Reiss lives in Hood River, just minutes from epic off-road trails which would be perfect for mountain bike demos (now, if he could reserve a sunny day that'd be great).

The Date
The exact date has not yet been confirmed, but according to Bike Europe, Messe Friedrichshafen (the group behind Eurobike) has said it will happen sometime, "between mid and end of September.” That would put it smack-dab at the height of show season, which prompted Kryptonite's Donna Tocci to write this over at Bicycle Marketing Watch:

"Do you do four shows? That's a strain on personnel, not to mention finances...you can only be in so many places at once and only be away from home so long before you get miserable and aren't that good at your job."

The upside of an end of September show is that the weather is usually fantastic in Portland that time of year. I just hope Reiss doesn't pick Cycle Oregon weekend; now that would be a difficult choice.

The Politics
I'm still amazed at how this huge announcement was leaked to the media before I heard anyone talking about it. In fact, at a big meeting of Portland's bike industry task force a few weeks ago, the Portland Oregon Visitor's Association (POVA) had three reps in the room and none of them said a word about it.

The news about this show has also caused Don Walker of the popular North American Handmade Bicycle Show to abruptly shelve his plans to bring that show to Portland. This seems like a big downer for the PDC and Commissioner Sam who were working hard to get that show. So not only did they lose NAHBS, but it seems like they didn't even know much about the Eurobike plans until yesterday (I think POVA has been the main player thus far).

It makes sense that Reiss worked solely with POVA on this (if indeed that's what happened). He's a shrewd businessman with serious backing, so he doesn't have any reason to look for handouts and concessions from the PDC or City Hall.

The huge upside for the PDC is that this show will put Portland on the map around the world as a great place to not only live and ride, but to do bike business as well.

Will the public be invited?
Interbike is an industry-only show, no general public allowed. However, Eurobike and other European trade shows typically have a "Public Day" that is open to consumers. I hope Reiss brings this feature to the Portland show, but I have yet to hear a confirmation either way.

Ramifications for Interbike
This is immense news for Interbike. They've been dealing with grumbling from the Industry over the Vegas location for a long time. This news will force them to respond in some fashion. Whether that means making changes to their format or looking for another location remains to be seen.

Fortunately Interbike has a blog (started in no small part because of this post I made on a bicycle industry blog back in April '05) so they were ready to respond right away:

"...if Eurobike believes that they can help our industry continue to grow cycling as a more visible and important activity in our marketplace by launching a competing show at about the same time as Interbike, then we welcome them to the family. If nothing else, the competition will help us to be even better at what we do. However, the dividing effect it could have on our industry is a concern. We believe that having an annual gathering of the industry community where we can all get together is important."

I plan to follow this story as closely as I can so tuned for more developments.

The recent announcement that a major bike industry trade show will come to Portland next year has put a wrench in ongoing efforts by the PDC and Commissioner Sam Adams' office to woo the popular North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) to Stumptown.

Don Walker, the man behind the NAHBS, told me in a phone conversation this morning that he was "heartbroken" when he heard the news.

"It breaks my heart because I saw the potential of Portland hosting the show...right down to the bar where the band would play and the hotel I would stay in."

Just last week, Walker was in town to scout potential locations and meet with city officials. On Friday he joined a gathering of local bike builders in Southwest Portland hosted by Andy Newlands of Strawberry Bicycles.

In attendance were many local builders along with Maria Thi Mai, senior policy director for Commissioner Adams and Jennifer Nolfi, bicycle industry liaison at the PDC.

[Don Walker at a gathering of local bike builders
in Southwest Portland last Friday (10/27)]
From L to R: Andy Newlands, Natalie Ramsland, Tony Pereira, Joseph Ahearne, Don Walker, Ira Ryan

I spoke with Don at that party and he seemed nearly 100% sure he would bring his show to Portland. He said, "From what I've seen today, I could see that NAHBS could be hosted in Portland."

However, now that's an impossibility because Walker refuses to play second fiddle to a larger show and he would have to compete for exhibitors.

Walker called me this morning to express his disappointment:

"This recent announcement by Eurobike has completely ruined any chance of NAHBS coming to the Pacific Northwest.

We are a stand-alone event and I'm not willing to be in a market where there's already an industry show. We'd be known as 'that other show' and I see that a major negative."

Walker added that many of his potential exhibitors can only afford one show, and he has already confirmed that at least one of his existing exhibitors is being courted by Messe Friedrichshafen (the company behind Eurobike).

Walker will now re-focus his game plan and choose a city on the east coast. His short list includes Allentown and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and Baltimore Maryland.

According to Walker, he has already sent an email to his contacts at the PDC and Commissioner Sam's office but has yet to hear back from either of them.

From Bicycle Retailer & Industry News:

"The organizers of Eurobike, Germany’s premier trade show, will launch a competing event in Portland, Oregon, next September challenging Interbike’s long dominance as the only show in the U.S. market. Messe Friedrichshafen, Eurobike’s owners, have met with Portland officials who will support efforts to bring retailers and exhibitors to the West Coast city.

Erich Reiss, a long-time consultant for the Messe who lives part-time in nearby Hood River, is the driving force behind the Messe’s board of directors’ decision to launch a competing show. “We will offer absolute quality,” said Reiss, a 24-year veteran who led the launch of Eurobike...

...Dates for the new trade show have yet to be set, but it will be held sometime in mid-September. Reiss also has yet to hire a U.S. team to manage the show but hopes to make an announcement soon."

Full story on BicycleRetailer.com

I just read this and immediately called Jennifer Nolfi, the cycling industry liaison with the Portland Development Commission. Jennifer said she was not surprised to hear about this because she recalled staffers from the Portland Oregon Visitors Association asking her to set up meetings with Eurobike staff at the recent Interbike show. They said their reason for meeting was confidential.

Now we know the big secret.

I've also spoken to Bike Gallery owner and bike industry insider Jay Graves. He was aware of this but did not think the story was ready for public consumption...until he read it online.

This is huge news for Portland. Stay tuned for developments.