Business – A new entrant in the motorcycle show war –

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A new entrant in the motorcycle show war

Business - A new entrant in the motorcycle show war -

Four months before the Mondial, the motorcycle show war intensified with the arrival in 2006 of the Paris Moto Show at Le Bourget, a direct competitor of the Paris Motor Show and the Lyon JPMS … Preview, interviews with the forces involved.

Recently refocused on its activity of event organizer (Moto Tour, Paris Tuning Show …) following the liquidation of its late press branch, the Option group (Option Organization, Option Regie) will officially announce the creation of Paris next Friday. Moto Show, a new motorcycle show to be held every year at the end of February at Le Bourget.

Part professional, part general public (reserved for pros on the 20th and 21st and open to all from 22nd to 26th), the Paris Moto Show will take place for the first time from February 20 to 26, 2006 in Halls 1 and 2 at Le Bourget, at the same time at the Paris Tuning Show () of the same organizer, transferred to the new Halls 3 and 4.

No reliable information has yet filtered on the brands pre-registered for this very first edition of the Paris Moto Show (PMS). Ducati, which has already announced its absence from the World Cup, could be one of the first registrants, just like Yamaha from which both Eric de Seynes (now boss of the Options group) and Philippe Gorce (current commissioner general) come from of the Paris Moto Show after having also worked at Motorcycle Review), which plans to publish the list of exhibitors "end of July".

"Interactive vocation"

"We want to create an annual show with a national and interactive vocation because after maturing the project for two years, we came to the conclusion that the French two-wheeler market had to have at least one annual show."believes Philippe Gorce today:"the two-wheeler market is extremely difficult and something is wrong with the fact that its interests are defended by a single public show which only takes place every two years". For the general commissioner of the PMS,"if most of the dealers keep smiling, it is thanks to the accessories, on which the margin is more favorable than on new motorcycles. But profitability levels remain low and would make any investor smile! Today, it is Milan which is leading the way in Europe. Munich has moved away and it is up to the other European capitals to take their positions".

"The Paris Moto Show is not against anyone!"

The target is therefore clear: the Mondial de Paris! Even if, assures Philippe Gorce, "the Paris Moto Show is not positioned against anyone: we do not come in head-on competition with the World Cup but in addition, because our philosophy is different. We work for all market players and after that, what will happen !"

An analysis which, one suspects, is in total opposition to that of Thierry Hesse, commissioner general of the World Cup, who considers on the contrary that "the current two-wheeler market in France does not justify the creation of an annual show! When I took over the organization of the Mondial in 1989, the show was annual. It was at the request of exhibitors that it became a biennial in 1991, because it corresponded better to their investment strategies at European level. Today, the vast majority of manufacturers prefer to stay on a biennial basis".

The Mondial de Paris, which broke attendance records during its last edition with 415,168 visitors, is today the third largest show in France after the motor show (by the same organizer with 1.5 million visitors) and agriculture (600,000 visitors). "We hope to increase again this year", explains Thierry Hesse:"out of a total of 1000 registered brands (motorcycle and bicycle), we already have nearly 500 registered brands for the motorcycle part, an increase of 10% compared to 2003". The Paris Motor Show is regularly cited by manufacturers in the top trio of European shows, with Milan and Intermot (from Munich or Cologne next year) ahead of Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Birmingham or Amsterdam.

The boss of the World Cup still recalls that there is "already had several attempts, especially in Villepinte, which did not work simply because the manufacturers did not want to go !"

"A" bis salon "is detrimental to the profession"

"I am against any attempt to divide the market and weaken the profession", continues Thierry Hesse:"the motorcycle world is today under attack from all sides. It needs to be unified, not divided. We need an institutional salon that is the interlocutor of the public authorities, which will not be the case with a suburban salon. The creation of a "bis salon" is detrimental to the profession, because the division leads to weakness! This should not prevent the Mondial from evolving: one can for example imagine that in 2007, a part will be reserved for props, as is the case today for cycling. In the meantime, at the request of exhibitors, we have already reduced the duration of the show by one day and we have not increased the price of stands since 2003".

Logically, the price per square meter at Porte de Versailles remains significantly higher than in the northern suburbs: 140 euros per m2 bare (220 euros equipped) for the Mondial (9 m2 minimum) against 70 euros per m2 bare ( 105 euros equipped) at the Paris Moto Show (12 m2 minimum).

The tests put forward by the Paris Moto Show? Thierry Hesse believes that "this does not interest the manufacturers, who have their own strategy and prefer to encourage customers to go and try their new products in dealerships. On the other hand, we will have a grip track for quads and we maintain the initiation for children with the FFM".

Primary role of the occasion

Clearly competitors in the general public show sector, AMC Promotion (Mondial) and the Option group (PMS), on the other hand, agree on one point: the essential role of the used motorcycle market today in France! Both have therefore planned an important pole of the occasion in their respective salons, with "a Hall 2.2 almost entirely dedicated to used motorcycles"at the Porte de Versailles and a"market for used motorcycles selected and guaranteed by exhibiting dealers"at Le Bourget."Today, the second-hand market really competes with the new market", considers the person in charge of the Paris Moto Show.

The Paris Moto Show should offer an outdoor space of 28 ha so that professionals can try out new products on the first two days, then so that the general public can attend demonstrations on the following four days. "For obvious safety reasons, it was not possible to have the motorcycles tested by the general public", specifies Philippe Gorce.

As for the public entrance fee, the difference is small (10 euros at Le Bourget versus 12 at Porte de Versailles). A joint ticket for the two events at Le Bourget (Paris Moto Show and Paris Tuning Show) should be offered at around 12 euros. On the World side, the ticket also gives access to the halls dedicated to cycling.

"I sincerely wish them success!"

Same optimism among the organizer of the very effective Professional Motorcycle and Scooter Days (JPMS, read), which sees one eye "vigilant but confident"the arrival of this new competitor:"I sincerely wish them success, because their success will show the renewed activity of the motorcycle market, which really needs to be boosted", notes Jean-Pierre Bonato.

The Lyon JPMS, reserved for pros, will therefore take place less than a month before the Bourget PMS, on Sunday 29 and Monday 30 January 2006. Jean-Pierre Bonato is counting in particular on the central geographical location and on the loyalty work carried out. during the three previous editions to ensure a 2006 edition "still unparalleled". Another significant advantage, the outward and return train tickets will be available this year again"offered to all dealers, resellers and accessories manufacturers in mainland France".

PMS, JPMS, Mondial … Isn’t there a risk of saturation, and therefore of dilution of exhibitors and visitors? "The truth will emerge from the attendance and prices of each show, because the main market players will make their choice and a hierarchy will emerge."between the different offers, predicts Philippe Gorce.

And facing the JPMS, a young 100% professional salon which Jean-Pierre Bonato believes that "the concept has been refined in four years"and to the famous Mondial, international reference in the eyes of the general public and world manufacturers, the Option group will therefore oppose a mixed project"which has been maturing for two years", affirms Philippe Gorce:"a new generation of managers is taking the reins in motorcycles, they are above all entrepreneurs, sometimes passionate but who have a market culture very marked by respect for the end customer"…

In short, Moto-Net’s advice: may the best win !

Paris World Cup
Porte de Versailles, Paris, from October 1 to 9, 2005
For more information: and

Professional motorcycle and scooter days
Eurexpo de Lyon, from January 29 to 30, 2006
For more information: and

Paris Moto Show
Le Bourget, from February 20 to 26, 2006.
20 and 21: reserved for professionals.

Eric MICHEL

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