It’s out there. It’s official. There will not be a World of Motorcycles Expo in 2014. The formal announcement follows.
“We wanted you to be among the first to know. We have decided not to produce the 2014 World of Motorcycles Expo or the London Bicycle Show in London.
The bottom line is that the venue presented us with substantial rate increases. At first, they told us the rent was going to double. After some negotiation, their best offer came down to a 20% increase in rent IF we crowded all the time lines and reduced it to a 2-day show.
We simply don’t have enough margin to play that game. For the past 7 years, we have absorbed annual rent and operating cost increases. For the past couple of years, we have reduced booth rates and offered admission discounts to encourage attendance at the show.
We looked at other venue options and decided, ultimately, to pull the plug on the show for this year, rather than raise our rates to line someone else’s pockets. We are not big business. We are a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who enjoy promoting the sport we love.
So, we’ll see what next year brings. We appreciate your support over the past 10 years and look forward to putting on more events when the situation changes!
Thank you, sincerely!”
It’s very sad to hear as I know how you and Derek work so hard to make these shows happen and be successful. Hopefully things will change and we’ll see WOMEX again (my husband is the biker in our house and is looking to upsize again in 2014). I’m sure you and Derek will have 10 other things to do in the time you would’ve spent on the shows, but know that people do appreciate all the time and effort you put in to presenting them.
Aw, that’s a shame. You & Derek work so hard for these shows. I went to 2 of them, and loved them! And I don’t even ride! (yet 😉 )