The German Motorcycle Industry Association (IVM) and Koelnmesse GmbH has decided to suspend Intermot 2020. The decision comes following extensive consultations, and in coordination with the conceptual sponsor.
The event was originally scheduled for October 6-11, 2020 in the city of Cologne in Germany. Instead, the organizers are preparing a digital format and will be implemented by year’s end.
Intermot organizers explained that the event draws tens of thousands of private visitors on all days of the trade fair. Spatial proximity and the shared experience of the trade fair form an integral part of the character of this event. However, due to the specifications currently in effect by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), policy-makers and the public authorities, the organizers feel that the goal of the event cannot be met with these restrictions in place. In addition, they noted that their exhibitors’ resources for 2021 are already under heavy strain as a result of the SARS/COVIC-19 crisis.
After conferring with key players from the industry, and with a view to the health of exhibitors and visitors, the organizers have decided not to host this trade fair in 2020.
“An event that depends on its appeal as an experience and event cannot be held in this form at this point in time,” the organizers said in an official statement.
Intermot is already working on a digital platform to continue to feature its exhibitors’ products. It plans to incorporate more hybrid elements to supplement the on-site experience with added digital reach. All of the digital Intermot events are scheduled for the end of 2020 and will be broadcast as news streams to the global motorcycle community. Some of these broadcasts will include world premières for the 2021 model year. Further information will be published in the weeks ahead.
In the past, Intermot has served as the venue for a number of world premieres and new model unveilings, particularly for European motorcycle manufacturers.
