After the unusual duration of ten days for a bicycle trade fair in 2011, the organizer is responding to the wishes of the exhibitors: The duration of the trade fair will be shortened and Twoo 2012 will take place over two weekends in April. The event will move from February to spring, which means that it will no longer take place at a time that exhibitors consider suitable for an early start to the cycling season. The previous trade fair date in February had to be abandoned, as construction activities at Messe Schweiz in Basel meant that sufficient exhibitor space would not be available until spring 2012. For the numerous local retailers represented in previous years, the April date is on the unfavorable side, as this is when the spring daytime business is in full swing.

2012: Twoo is on the sidelines
For the first time, Twoo can be held in Hall 1.0, thanks to the later date and the fact that it no longer clashes with the prestigious Baselworld event. However, the modern and bright ambience of the new venue degenerates into a visitor trap. Due to the construction activities for a new exhibition hall, the route to the entrance of the Twoo Hall becomes a spit-and-polish route and even those familiar with the area have to be shown or explained the way to the bicycle fair. Recognizing this shortcoming, the organizer subsequently adapted the signage to the hall. However, visitor guidance on the exhibition site was so chaotic due to the large construction site that anyone interested in cycling still had to reliably miss the route to Twoo.

For the first time, the Basel Bike Show had to assert itself without the backing of the popular Muba trade fair due to this offside position. While tens of thousands of visitors had flocked to the halls during Muba in previous years, Twoo 2012 left behind a bleak picture, with an extremely sharp decline in footfall.

Exhibitors express dissatisfaction
As exhibitors were lured to the fifth Twoo by the good visitor numbers of previous years, there was a great deal of dissatisfaction at the exhibitors' stands about this year's extremely low visitor numbers. Several exhibitors said that the high stand fees were not justified given the low number of visitors. The organizer then accepted this argument and credited the exhibitors for the stand fees.

After the trade fair, the organizer Fairmeetings AG let it be known that it had not proved successful in responding to the exhibitors' wishes. With the new trade fair location in Hall 1, the desired large test course was possible, but the immediate proximity to the crowd-puller Muba was lost and with it the numerous walk-in customers.

Full focus on electromobility cannot save the event
In order to provide broad support for the continued existence of Twoo, project manager Raphael Oerer formulated plans for a leading role for the trade fair in the electromobility market in the run-up to the event. The organizer intended to establish an interest group to network the Twoo participants and other market players in the electric bike sector. During an e-bike symposium held as part of the supporting program of this year's Twoo, Oerer explained this concept once again, but it fell through with the conference participants.

The idea of appointing an advisory board for the Basel bike fair from the ranks of the e-bike industry was, however, discussed. This advisory board, consisting of industry representatives and exhibitors, was intended to steer the fortunes of the trade fair in a new direction and ensure its continued existence. However, after the end of the trade fair, it became quiet about the composition of the advisory board and Twoo project manager Oerer left his employer Fairmeetings AG shortly after Twoo 2012.

Little interest from the industry
In order to discuss the future of the Basel bike fair, the organizer invited exhibitors and media representatives to a Twoo workshop in Winterthur on 23 August 2012. However, this meeting had to be canceled because, according to Yasmine von Hassler, who is now responsible for the bike fair at Fairmeetings AG, there was very little interest. In a letter to those interested in the Twoo workshop, von Hassler reports: "Some of the companies that confirmed their commitment to Twoo at the debriefing in Basel in June are no longer prepared to continue their involvement and have withdrawn at short notice. Telephone inquiries in the industry have revealed that there is little general interest in continuing the trade fair."

For the organizer, there is only one option and von Hassler reports on 17 August 2012, four months after the fifth Twoo trade fair: "Unfortunately, there is only one consequence: we are abandoning the Twoo project".

Von Hassler emphasized to Ride that there were no disagreements between Swiss Exhibition and Fairmeetings AG and that both sides regretted that the event could not be continued in the future. Von Hassler also emphasized that Muba in Basel continues to be an interesting platform for the two-wheeler industry.

Swiss bike fair landscape
Although Twoo 2012 failed with the public, Muba, which took place at the same time, was able to maintain visitor numbers at the previous year's level with around 300,000 admissions. With the abandonment of the Twoo project, Swiss Exhibition has not lost any significant contribution to the number of visitors during Muba.

The cycling-enthusiastic public from Switzerland and neighboring countries will probably continue to attend the Bike Days in Solothurn in large numbers. The proven concept of the organizer FAF AG and the backing of the industry association Velosuisse will undoubtedly once again contribute to making this a must-attend event for both the industry and the cycling-affine public. For its main event freestyle.ch in 2012, FAF AG also senses an opportunity to attract a bike-savvy audience and exhibitors from the Swiss bike industry to the Landwiese for the first time with dirt jump competitions.

In addition to the Bike Days in Solothurn, the Testride in Lenzerheide and the Bike Test in Gryon are further events where bikes from all sectors can be admired and tested. With the end of Twoo in 2012, the plan to make a trade fair that focuses entirely on electromobility a success has now failed. And this despite the fact that electric bikes continue to be a strong sales driver and are considered the innovation engine of the industry.

www.twoo.ch

(The author of this article was responsible for organizing side events such as BMX and trial shows, dirt jump competitions and mountain bike team presentations for the Twoo editions in 2008, 2009 and 2010 as a freelancer on behalf of Messe Schweiz. As managing director of a specialist bike store, the author was also present as an exhibitor with a stand at the Twoo trade fairs in 2008, 2009 and 2010)

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