SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (BRAIN) — Several major brands are returning to the Interbike Expo this year after an absence of several years, show organizers said Tuesday.
Among the returnees are Giant USA, Colnago, Felt, GT Bicycles, Fox Racing Shox and Chris King Precision Components. Interbike said the show, held at Las Vegas' Mandalay Resort Convention Center for the first time this year, is sold out on the main floor.
“It’s great to see companies like Giant, Felt and others coming back to the show,” said Pat Hus, vice president of Interbike. “It says we’re doing something right and that the show is once again bringing real value and ROI to its exhibitors and our attendees. At the end of the day, that’s always been our goal. The added investments we’ve made in the show have brought a ton of energy back and it’s only going to get better from here on out.”
Giant USA and Felt have each participated in recent years at the show's OutDoor Demo but not at the expo.
“Giant USA is excited to return to Interbike,” said John "JT" Thompson, executive sales director of Giant USA. “We are thrilled to communicate our brand's exceptional capabilities and impress Interbike attendees with what we believe is the planet’s highest level of bicycle engineering and performance. The show is, of course, a great opportunity to connect with our existing retailers; it’s also the best way to meet additional top retailers who operate in markets that are not served well and are interested in partnering with Giant.”
Felt’s director of marketing, Doug Martin, sees exhibiting at Interbike as a multi-pronged approach for his brand.
"We felt like we needed to be back on the Interbike floor this fall for a number of reasons,” said Martin. “In addition to a 2014 line-up we consider to be our best ever, we have several all-new product platforms we will be introducing at the show. By having a presence at both OutDoor Demo and the Interbike expo hall — especially with the newly added consumer day — we can be confident that we will reach as many of our customers as possible."
Hus also mentioned that several longtime exhibitors have either increased their booth size, and/or added space at OutDoor Demo. The Accell Group will now have the single largest booth at the show with more than 10,000 square feet of space in its newly designed campus of brands, and several others have increased their footprints as well, including Easton Bell Sports, Opus, Norco and Poc.
Retailers will find some new brands at OutDoor Demo this year, including Niner, Alpinestars, Poc and more. Electric bike manufacturers ProdecoTech and Solex will also exhibit at the demo for the first time.
