Another #Eurobike in the bag !
This year there was a sense of hype and excitement around this event and one could feel it when talking with the people in the bike industry and especially here on #LinkedIn.
Now that the show and hype is behind us people are analyzing it, sharing what they saw as a highlight and offering opinions. I must say that for the first time I failed to grasp what was happening even though I was there all five days. What I am reading here on LinkedIn is really helping me to see what I have missed, keep on sharing please!
What I can offer here is only a part of what I experienced and saw in these amazing five days which were additionally joyful because of presence of my daughter Elena Horvacki who was helping me and hosting guests on the amazing Alfred Thun GmbH booth (would like to hear some opinions on the new look and brand image)
First impression of this edition of EUROBIKE SHOW is OPTIMISM !
Even though many people came on a tight budget, for only two days with a hotel far outside of Frankfurt to save on the costs the meetings felt optimistic. Compared to last year’s edition there was no complaining about our situation but rather a look into future plans and business topics frosted with lot of laughs. That felt GOOD !
Second impression was how many of my LinkedIn people stopped by to shake hands and say hello even though they don’t have any personal or business interests. Some even shared their business plans and we discussed them together. Really good to meet the community!
Third impression was how many new projects and inventions are rolling behind the hill. I see that the general consensus is that there were not too many significant new innovative products which were presented at the show and that some were doing presentations behind closed doors. I must say that I am really excited about 2025 and 2026 because I got many requests connected to new products, components and software projects. Some are just starting, some are already finished and others are those “behind closed doors” still confidential projects. Be patient and ready for change because it will come !
Fourth impression was the recovery status. By now we are all aware that the overstock and full recovery won’t happen in 2024 and possibly not even 2025. So now it is expected that 2025 will be one step better than 2023 and 2024 but not on the levels we are used to. This is actually a good thing because the suppliers will be able to keep up with the demand and slowly build up capacity so that we don’t face the situation we were in a few years ago which, in return, caused the situation we are in. Overstock we saw on the books and warehouses was only one part of the actual overstock. There were stocks at suppliers warehouses which weren’t shipped and also in the order books of some non understanding suppliers. This is actually what tricked us all !
Fifth impression was THE INVESTORS ARE BACK ! Now is a good time to buy again, values are quite low, money is tight and development is fast. They see it very clearly and looking for opportunities. But there is a small note to this, Chinese investors are the most active and asserting them selves on the market with the old traditional brands and traditional production. A lot of this is happening behind the scenes and I am not sure what to make of it. They are certainly more effective when we see the track record of some companies.
Sixth impression, and only negative one, is the amount of meetings in the background on various topics. It seems that politics has taken on the industry and bureaucracy just keeps mounting on the producers. On one point some topics are really important to be handled but I see more and more “laptop carriers” just running around and proving their worth by adding unnecessary paperwork which adds cost to our production, which also reflects a lot on the retail prices towards consumers which again in return makes us less competitive. Again the problem is that this only applies to the companies who do honest business while others are just passing around and having a wonderful time being competitive. On top of that starting a new business is becoming nearly impossible stopping the innovation dead in its tracks. I heard so many great stories of ridiculous situations about these regulations in real life, it would be too long for just one article.
The #Eurocup game was a perfect ironic comparison where Germany lost against the Spain in the last minute of overtime. Both teams were very good but when it is equal game and overtime a smallest edge decides the winner. Let’s not lose that edge with bureaucracy !
We need concrete action plans and doing rather than accounting of metrics that we can’t actually count. We have a saying here : Accounting is the exact sum of non exact data 🙂
Special personal note:
The best personal impression for me at #Eurobike was EOVOLT who gave us 11 of their old model bikes to commute to the show. On the last day of the show I met with one of the co founders Luca and gave him feedback on the bikes, some things I liked and others that were bothering me. Then he invited me for a personal presentation of their new model of this bike and shown me that they have addressed all of my suggestions and went beyond. This impressed me so much ! EOVOLT is the kind of company I like, they listen and improve and result is one damn amazing product… Hats off Luca !
Two additional quotes :
1. For those of my friends who are currently struggling to arrive to 2025 I heard one good song while driving back from Eurobike : ” … any day above the ground is a good day ! “
2. Bike industry is similar to Eagles song ” Hotel California” which goes like this : “…you can check out any time you like but you can never leave..”
So see you all next year again !!!
