Even before the V-Twin Expo opened there were comments from some people about the changes scheduled for first weekend in February, 2013. You’re not going to please everyone all the time, so in my opinion I would please the vendors, as they are the ones the show was designed for. Actually it was concocted because no show ever gave the V-Twin market the respect they deserved. Hell, we were just a bunch of bikers building choppers. The key to this show is the number of dealers who come to do business. If shops are represented then it’s well worth the price of booth space.
“In fact we have more H-D dealers than ever before registered and have received many calls from exhibitors that want to ‘Come back,’” said Darcy Betlach. The show is looking great!”
I noticed something happening in the industry weeks prior to the actual show. Every new product press release I received mentioned unveilings scheduled for the Cincinnati V-Twin Expo by Easyriders. The industry put money, time and efforts on the line to promote the show. Even beyond new products, Zippers advertised tech seminars scheduled exclusively for the Expo.
I would also note that this is a Trade Show for the V-Twin Industry and not intended for the general riding public. There are numerous other events around the country where riders can talk to company representatives. According to Joe Teresi, the president of Paisano Publications, the Expo staff interviewed numerous vendors and the consensus was to maintain the business-to- business atmosphere and not open the show to the public.
The event was shortened to two (2) days, Saturday and Sunday. Some of that decision came also from the vendors themselves requesting it. Actually a lot of the changes were made with vendor company input.
Yes, there were fewer vendors there this year and I would suspect it had a great deal to do with the economy. All major, well-established companies were well represented, and I did notice some new ones as well.
“Whole day Saturday was a smash hit, “said Darcy,” BUT the welcome party Saturday night was off the hook Jasmine Cain killed it. The crowds were largest to date. In fact, we served 115 pizzas and 7 kegs in 21 minutes!”
I did stop and talk to the people I know as well as introduced myself to some. I asked all how they felt the show was going for them and all said very well. The traffic wasn’t harsh or jammed, so vendors could actually take the time to talk and discuss their products with interested folks.
When I stopped at the BAKER DRIVETRAIN booth I was told they had already run out of their catalogs.
Special THANKS needs to be given to Jim Betlach and his crew for the hard work they do to make this the Great Event it is.
I don’t have anything to report on the social portion, because I caught a nasty bug and did not want to pass it on to others. So I found a girl, a bottle of whiskey and a room key. It worked out fine.
–Rogue
