Paris Motor Show – Interview with Etienne Cochet, new director of the Paris Motorcycle Show –

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Interview with Etienne Cochet, new director of the Paris Motorcycle Show

Paris Motor Show - Interview with Etienne Cochet, new director of the Paris Motorcycle Show -

Since January 1, Etienne Cochet has chaired AMC Promotion, responsible in particular for the Paris Motor Show and the Paris Motorcycle Show. His baptism of fire will be the big event for 2 and 3-wheelers scheduled for early December Porte de Versailles. Interview.

The Paris Motorcycle, Scooter, Quad and Equipment Show will open its doors to the public from December 1 to 6, 2015 at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center (read).

MNC interviewed Etienne Cochet, successor to Thierry Hesse as commissioner general of the great French motorcycle meeting, which takes place .

Site: What was your journey before taking the handlebars of the Motorcycle Show ?
Etienne Cochet, President of AMC Promotion and General Commissioner of the Motorcycle Show : Above all, I am passionate about the press, but also professional and general public exhibitions. In particular, I worked five years at Vogue Homme and five years at Maison et Jardins as Sales Director. Then, 20 years ago, I launched into the creation of the Maison et Objet show, which has become a benchmark.

At the end of 2014, I joined AMC Promotion – organizer of the Mondial de l’Automobile, the Motorcycle, Scooter and Quad Show, as well as the Cycle Show – which I have officially managed as President since the 1st January 2015. In this capacity, I hold the function of general commissioner of these events. Leaving a professional show of the scale of Maison et Objet to be responsible for auto, motorcycle and cycle shows is an extraordinary general public perspective, due to the power of these products and their history, rooted in French sociological reality has always been.

M.-N.C: What is your vision of the Paris Salon ?
E. C. : After the end of the Motorcycle Show in 2009, the following editions in 2011 and 2013 served to reinforce the product in Paris, which was not at all obvious with the international competition it has to face . Because with the cancellation in 2009, Paris had four years without a fair, due to its two-year format. The resulting handicap is obvious to visitors and builders. And this big "hole" naturally benefited our main competitors (EICMA in Milan and Intermot in Cologne, Editor’s note).

"We can show reasonable optimism for the 2015 edition"

Now, I am delighted to find a very close-knit team and the attendance figures for the 2011 editions (183,026 visitors over five days, Editor’s note) and 2013 (more than 180,000 over six days, Editor’s note) show reasonable optimism, although there is still much to do. I am also delighted that the 2015 edition will bring together almost the entire motorcycle, scooter, quad and equipment profession, which is good for the place of Paris. I am all the more satisfied with this since I am a fervent defender of the French market against our international competitors, because we need a showcase of all the trades of the profession internationally..

M.-N.C: Have all the motorcycle manufacturers responded, including Harley-Davidson, a major absent from the previous edition? ?
E. C. : All the major international manufacturers will be there. Harley-Davidson was even one of the very first to register for 2015. To this is also added the presence of major equipment manufacturers who did not or no longer participate in the Paris Motor Show, such as Bihr.

"EICMA has become the inescapable crossroads"

M.-N.C: When you mention "international competition", you are referring to the Milan EICMA, which has become the major motorcycle event in Europe with no less than 628,000 visitors in 2014 ?
E. C. : The EICMA is annual, so it has become the inevitable crossroads for the annual presentation of manufacturers. Because the reflection of the latter is as follows: "I have new products to present each year, where can I find a platform allowing me to do it in a relatively" stable "manner?" Answer: in Milan, due to its annual format.

M.-N.C: This year, the EICMA has been postponed by ten days and will be held exceptionally from November 19 to 22 (instead of November 6 to 9 in 2014). The Salon de Paris will therefore begin immediately after: do you see an advantage? ?
E. C. : I actually see a lot of interest for the Paris show, because we will start 8 to 9 days after the EICMA instead of one month the previous editions. Because of this, for the press and professionals as well as for visitors, Paris offered a somewhat "distant" position in terms of presentations of new products. This year, it will not be the case: the innovations revealed in Milan will hardly be described to your readers in your columns when they will be able to see them almost immediately in Paris. !

M.-N.C: This virtual overlap of dates with the EICMA would therefore be rewarding for Paris, but have certain manufacturers reserved for you the premiere of the presentation of their new products? ?
E. C. : No, the manufacturers did not go so far as to tell us that they would not unveil one or their new products at EICMA for the benefit of Paris. But from their point of view, they consider that it is almost as if they were presenting them in Paris since we are "stuck" to EICMA. Because of this proximity to Milan, some told us that they intended to strengthen their operations with the press or their distributors during the French show, whereas they were thinking of doing so in Italy. Of course, we’ll see what they actually do, but that’s another positive sign.

"Focus on young people via social networks"

M.-N.C: What are the other positive signals concerning this 2015 edition of the Paris Salon? ?
E. C. : You are probably not without knowing that from November 30 to December 11 a major environmental meeting will take place at Le Bourget (France is hosting and chairing the 21st conference of the parties to the United Nations on Climate Change 2015, Editor’s note). This conference will be very followed by the media around the world and starts on the day of the opening of the Paris Motorcycle Show to professionals (November 30 for the pros, December 1 for the public, editor’s note). So this is another positive aspect, because there are a lot of things that are currently developing in this direction in the two-wheeler industry (like the astonishing, Editor’s note).

This is also the reason why we are inaugurating an "Urbanconnect" space, intended to highlight all products "connected" or using electric energy such as motorcycles and electric scooters, but also VAE (electrically assisted bicycles , sector currently in full growth in France, editor’s note). The Motorcycle Show will thus cultivate its civic image and will serve as a showcase for all those interested in these technologies, whether they are individuals and professionals such as the town hall of Paris, for example..

M.-N.C: In the last press release of the Show, it is about operations aimed at young people and the province. Can you elaborate on the initiatives that are or will be taken ?
E. C. : This will mainly happen via social networks, the place where young people are and find themselves today. We will be very present on important social networks, as well as in regional dailies in order to promote the show to everyone and encourage young people to go there through competitions. In addition, we strive to create a warm and friendly atmosphere, with themed restaurants or a "vintage" space run by enthusiasts. All of this will be highlighted in our communication, in order to promote a certain "art of living" around motorcycles and the show..

Finally, for the first year, we are setting up a preferential rate for all people who book their ticket until September 30 on our official website (14 € instead of 16, editor’s note). Again, this is an approach in the current trend, to which we hope that young people subscribe..

M.-N.C: Speaking of price, precisely, the price of the ticket purchased at the ticket office went from € 12 in 2011 to € 14 in 2013, then to 16 this year … How to explain this increase against the backdrop of the crisis ?
E. C. : No, the price of the ticket does not increase in 2015: it remains at 14 € for all those who order it on the internet until September 30. However, it’s like at the station, nobody buys their ticket at the ticket office anymore, everyone reserves it on the internet: it’s faster, easier, we don’t queue up … Young people, especially , will be sensitive to this practical novelty.

Schedules and prices of the 2015 Paris Motorcycle Show

Press and professional days

  • Monday November 30 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Tuesday December 1st from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m..

Open to the public

  • Tuesday December 1 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m..
  • Wednesday 2, Saturday 5 December from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m..
  • Thursday December 3 and Friday December 4 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Nocturnes).
  • Sunday December 6 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m..

Prices

  • Entrance fee: € 16 (€ 14 until September 30 on the)
  • Free up to 14 years old (accompanied by an adult, limited to 3 children)
  • For 14-18 year olds and students (on presentation of the current student card): € 8
  • Group admission price (from 15 people): € 14

Interview by Alexandre BARDIN

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