BMW Motorrad to skip EICMA, Intermot shows this year due to COVID-19 crisis

Here’s another sad bit of news for the motorcycle world. With the prevailing coronavirus crisis, BMW Motorrad has officially announced that it is not taking part in the two leading international motorcycle shows, the Intermot and the Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori (EICMA) aka the Milan Motorcycle Show, scheduled in Europe for the last quarter of this year.

Attended by thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the world, this year’s Intermot and EICMA shows to be held in Cologne (October 7 to 11) and Milan (November 5 to 9), respectively, will not be having the usual spectacular BMW Motorrad booth because of the prevailing COVID-19 crisis.

“This decision was made in order to counteract current planning uncertainty at an early stage, also for all our partners involved in BMW Motorrad appearances, in the interests of the greatest possible security, predictability, and transparency,” BMW Motorrad states in its global news site.

“BMW Motorrad will present the world premieres and product highlights planned for these motorcycle shows on alternative platforms in autumn 2020. In doing so, the company will increasingly rely on its own formats and digital communication channels,” the statement added.

The Intermot and EICMA are the most anticipated motorcycle exhibits in Europe that feature the newest concept designs and production models, and they draw thousands of two-wheeler fans from different countries.

The EICMA, an annual event staged at Fiera Milano, reportedly had more than half a million visitors visit some 1,200 exhibitors in November 2018.

The Intermot show, on the other hand, happens at the Koelnmesse GmbH (Cologne Trade Fair) every other year, and it attracts some 200,000 visitors and around 1,000 exhibitors from different countries. In both prestigious events, BMW Motorrad always attends as a major player.

In the local scene, the Inside Racing Bike Festival, considered the country’s biggest motorcycle event, was moved to July 17 to 19, 2020 from its original dates on March 27 to 29, 2020, due to the prevailing threat of COVID-19. Sensing that the worst is yet to come, BMW Motorrad Philippines, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and KTM decided not to join this year’s IR show a few weeks before the event’s opening day.

What complicates the situation for the IR organizers is the government’s announcement of using the World Trade Center (WTC) in Pasay City as a possible temporary holding center for COVID-19 patients. The WTC has been the home of the IR Bike Festival for the past decade.

This is definitely sad news for motorcycle fans all over the globe. But we believe they will completely understand the situation. We must get rid of this global health menace first so we can all move on and regain our normal lives back.

In the meantime, stay tuned for the latest updates in the motorcycle scene.

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Source: Top Gear