TAIPEI, Taiwan — Although Taipei Cycle has been displaced by Taichung Bike Week as the premier OE spec show, the March expo remains an important event for international distributors to get a jump on next-model-year aftermarket product — and exhibit space is once again sold out.
More than 1,100 companies in more than 3,000 booths have eaten up all available space at Nangang Exhibition Hall as well as at TWTC Hall 1, the show’s former venue near the Taipei 101 skyscraper. Sixty new companies — largely in tools and accessories — will exhibit at this year’s show, which begins Wednesday.
“Even though we’ve tried to accommodate as many exhibitors as possible, there are still more than a hundred companies waiting,” said Andrea Wu, a spokesperson for the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), which organizes the annual trade show. Wait-listed exhibitors will have to be patient until 2017, when construction on the second half of Nangang Exhibition Hall is scheduled to be completed.
Some 25 percent of exhibitors will be visiting the March 18-21 show from overseas, with a total of 36 nations represented on the show floor. In addition to the continuing EU and French pavilions, Taipei Cycle adds a new Japan Pavilion this year organized by the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute featuring 11 exhibitors.
The show’s growing global profile is also reflected in the annual Design & Innovation (D&I) Awards, which saw a 37 percent increase in international entries this year. The 57 winning entries from 10 countries — including a new Young Enterprise award recognizing innovation from a company founded after Jan. 1, 2011, — were honored at a pre-show press conference Tuesday. The competition received a total of 209 entries, up 19 percent from last year.
Peter H.J. Huang, president and CEO of TAITRA, noted Tuesday that the winners reflected three overriding trends:
- The integration of bicycles and electronics.
- The use of native materials in bike products, such as bamboo and wood.
- Functional design for the needs of everyday cyclists rather than enthusiasts and racers.
Bambooee won the new Young Enterprise award for its build-it-yourself bamboo bike kit, and multiple-D&I winners this year included Tern and Thule, with three honors each, and WTB, which nabbed two awards.
TAITRA also introduces a new B2B Pavilion this year for companies looking to strengthen their e-commerce presence. The pavilion will be at the TAITRA Lounge on Nangang’s fourth floor, complemented by a series of seminars on Taiwan industry e-commerce trends in Meeting Room 499.
Check back at BicycleRetailer.com the rest of the week for our on-site coverage of Taipei Cycle 2015.
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A crush of media attends Tuesday’s pre-show press conference, where winners of the D&I Awards were honored. -
Exhibitors set up Tuesday at Nangang Exhibition Hall.
