The Interbike International Bicycle Expo is the largest

bicycle industry The bicycle industry or cycling industry can broadly be defined as the industry concerned with bicycles and cycling. It includes at least bicycle manufacturers, part or component manufacturers, and accessory manufacturers. It can also include dis ...

trade show in North America and is held annually in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. Exhibitors consist of companies interested in selling their products and services to bicycle retailers, wholesale distributors, and manufacturers. Because of the many new cycling products and technologies that are launched each year to much fanfare at Interbike, the show is also an important media event for the bicycle industry.

History

Interbike was founded by Steve Ready and Herb Wettenkamp and was first held in Las Vegas in 1982. It has since been held in various years in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

, Long Beach, then

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-mos ...

, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Interbike moved to Las Vegas in the late-1990s. Since its founding, Interbike was sold to Miller-Freeman which was then purchased by its current owner, VNU, which was renamed

The Nielsen Company Nielsen Holdings plc is an American information, data and market measurement firm. Nielsen operates in over 100 countries and employs approximately 44,000 people worldwide. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and used ...

in January 2007. Nielsen later sold its exhibitions business; it was renamed Emerald Expositions. Interbike is produced by Emerald Expositions and has its office in

San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano ( Spanish for " St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St. ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. This office of Nielsen Expositions also produces the OutDoor Retailer and Health+Fitness Business Expo trade shows. When it was created, Interbike's timing was unique among the multiple industry trade shows in existence at the time. Early fall, as opposed to the typical late winter or early spring, allowed manufacturers to better forecast and plan for shipping in time for the next spring's seasonal retail business.

OutDoor Demo

Interbike is currently a five-day event with the first two days being the Interbike OutDoor Demo at

Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park is an internationally renowned venue located in Bootleg Canyon within the northern section of Boulder City, Nevada, in the desert near Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. Consisting of a variety of different types of trails ...

Boulder City Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon. Boulder City is one of on ...

, Nevada. The OutDoor Demo is unique among the industry's trade shows in that it provides an opportunity for retailers and members of the media to ride and demo the products that they will be seeing and talking about on the show floor. Due to the success of the OutDoor Demo concept, Interbike launched OutDoor Demo East in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

in October 2008 to better serve the needs of the northeastern United States bicycle market.

Expo

Immediately following the Outdoor Demo is the Interbike Expo which runs for the final three days of the show indoors, which from 2000 - 2012 had been held at the

Sands Expo and Convention Center The Venetian Convention and Expo Center (formerly the Sands Expo) is a convention center located in Paradise, Nevada, near the Las Vegas Strip. The Venetian Expo is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Apollo Global Management, and is frequ ...

. Starting in 2013, Interbike will be at

Mandalay Bay Convention Center Mandalay Bay Convention Center is attached to the Mandalay Bay resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The facility is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. It is among the largest convention centers in the U.S. It ...

, which allows show organizers to create a new floor plan with product-themed "neighborhoods" and better traffic flow. For 2014 they have added room for more than 200 more exhibitors than in 2013. The space has more loading docks and freight doors than the Sands, allowing easier set up and break down. Interbike-Bike-Valet-2012

Although not officially part of the show, a "Mobile Social" bike ride has been organized for the past few years during one evening of the indoor Expo. Typically, more than one hundred cyclists gather outside the main entrance of the convention center—many riding and showing off custom-built bicycles and gear—to cruise down the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas cit ...

Customer Appreciation Day

In 2013 Interbike introduced a "Customer Appreciation Day" on the last day of the show, allowing the general public to attend. In 2015 Interbike partnered with My City Bikes as the presenting sponsor of Customer Appreciation Day.

Cross Vegas

Cross Vegas, America’s biggest cyclocross race, was held for the eighth time Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at Desert Breeze Soccer Complex in Las Vegas. What has become a spectacle as much as a cross race is held under the lights following the first day of the Interbike Indoor Show.

Stats

According to Interbike, the show has averaged approximately 700 exhibiting companies and between 18,000 - 24,000 total attendees, depending on the year. The show covers a total of more than 300,000 net square feet (28,800 Sq. meters) of exhibit space in the Sands Expo and Convention Center's 660,000 square feet (61,316 Sq. meters) of floor space.

Notes and references

{{reflist

External links

the official Interbike web site

the official Interbike blog
Cycling events in the United States Las Vegas Valley conventions and trade shows