I think the idea of Cycle 08 being a 'great sucess' is debateable. The Olympics and the upsurge of interest in cycling both helped to generate the extra 2000 visitors and extra trade presence, and this was brilliant. But as an event it left a lot to be desired. The format repeated that of previous years, and as a result was stale. At a time when experiential events are blossoming , there was a very limited package on display at the Cycle Show that had not been seen before, little programme innovation, little in the way of what we might once have called 'wow'. One of the problems lies with the trade who seem to think it is acceptable to go to a show and simply recreate their shop. If I wanted to go to a shop I would. There was also a lot of 'hands-off' displays, just like the old Car/Bike shows. After a while simple staring at another bike, another stem and so on is not very exciting. So what else could they do, the MTB test track we have seen before, but it is a good inclusion but how about a real road test track or TT test area with all the major manufacturers putting their bikes out to ride, and the same could go for components as well. I can see and read \( and ask) all about this stuff elsewehere, what I want to do is try it, simple as that. Instead of being afraid of the public they should embrace us and realise more of us would be turned on by their products if we could actually try them. Without even this limited experiential element, the show leaves the visitor no better off. There could also be a leaf taken out of Confex and other large events were there is a dynamic porgramme of accompanying speakers, forums, etc etc. The Cycle Show offed a tired format Fashion Sow. What about insights into manufacturers approaches to bikes, discussions on trends, style in clothing, the emergence of sportives etc etc. If numbers is the only thing to be counted, then yes it was a success. But I think in the present day event industry we need to see Trade events adopting a more creative and experiential outlook to present truly stimulating \( and successful) shows.
