Welcometo The Manchester Bike Show 2012!
The Show - Manchester Bike Show
For many years Manchester hosted a dedicated indoor Motorcycle show at Manchester Central (formerly GMEX) normally in January each year. Had this event not been postponed due to the severe weather conditions in January 2010 and the subsequent financial implications of this cancellation on the organising company, this event would probably still be going strong today. There is no doubt that the unfortunate demise of this show left a sizeable hole in the show calendar and there is an appetite, from both the motorcycle trade and visitors alike, for a show of this type in the north of England as it is now the only significant region in the UK without a major indoor motorcycle show.
The Venue - EventCity
So why not simply return to the old venue? Since the last Manchester Motorcycle Show at GMEX a new venue has opened in the city and has had a major impact on the events industry in the north of England. At last our region has a venue to rival the best Exhibition venues in the UK, EventCity is literally two minutes drive from J9 & J10 of the M60, right next to the Trafford Centre, and is therefore far more accessible by road to all the major conurbations in the north of England than any venue in the centre of Manchester. In addition the EventCity has 3,000 dedicated, FREE, parking spaces and almost unlimited FREE parking at the adjacent Trafford Centre. The ease of access for exhibitors building up and breaking down is a major selling point for the venue and it's location on the outskirts of the city means that the hotels are much more affordable than in the city centre. It really is a no brainer!
Don't just take our word for it, log onto the venue website
www.eventcity.co.uk and you will see that almost every major public show in Manchester has now moved there including Clarion Events Caravan and Motorhome Show, Destinations Holiday and Travel Show not to mention the fact that the Manchester round of X Factor auditions were held at EventCity (and Simon Cowell is not exactly slow on the uptake!). If you are still not convinced that this is the right venue for the Manchester Bike Show there is one additional piece of information of which you should be aware. That is that the organiser of the original GMEX show had meetings with the team at EventCity with a view of taking the Manchester Bike Show there and had the snow not fallen in 2010 the event would probably have been held at EventCity in 2011!
The Date and Concept
Having organised over 700 events since the launch of our company in 1985 we are keenly aware of the key dates in the exhibition calendar that are the best dates for running a successful event. Along with many exhibitors we could never understand why the old show at Gmex was held in January, a month when the post-christmas credit card bills land on all our doormats and the spending power of visitors is traditionally at an all time low. Having made an early booking at EventCity we were able to secure the third weekend in March, which is a key date when hopefully the weather has started to improve and everyone is in better spirits with the lighter nights and the anticipation of a good summer to come, but crucially before the racing and outdoor season of events has begun.
We have booked three halls to run this multi disciplined event:
Hall Four:
The new bike hall including local dealers, clothing and helmets, touring holidays and all the other exhibitors you would expect to see at a new bike show.
Hall One:
The Northern Classic Bike Show - As organisers of the leading enthusiast led events in the north west we have already taken lots of bookings from clubs and private individuals wishing to display their pride and joy. We still have space for more but expect this area to be fully allocated well before the show opens in March.
Hall Two:
The Rainy City Custom Show - Classic Shows organise the number one custom show in the UK, the London International Custom Show, held at Alexandra Palace in London on the last weekend in February each year. In 2012 we are launching this sister show to serve the custom market in the north of England and have already received substantial backing from the leading players in the custom bike market. If you are wondering about the title, when we first started organising events in 1985 there was a club in Manchester called the Rainy City Custom Club that catered for custom cars, bikes and American cars.
We have no idea what happened to the club but we loved the tongue in cheek name and having run events in and around Manchester for over a quarter of a century we have grown to appreciate how accurately this title reflects the default weather setting for the region, which is light drizzle interspersed with heavy showers!
Plus:
adjacent hardstanding space outside for stunt shows and other motorcycle related entertainment, not to mention the extensive programme of special guests, music and indoor entertainment taking place throughout the weekend inside the halls.
In summary the response we have received so far to EventCity has been overwhelmingly positive and the team at ClassicShows are all excited at the prospect of creating a show of which the motorcycle enthusiasts in the north of England can be proud to call their own.
See you at EventCity,
Andrew Greenwood
