Balance of the Sea Otter Europe by its promoter Albert Balcells
With us Albert Balcells and we begin by asking him: Six years have passed since the launch of Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental. Obviously that was interrupted by Covid, but are you happy with your progress so far? It seemed to be a pretty instant hit in 2017?
The truth is that when it started in 2017 we were uncertain about how the European market would accept the idea of transferring a success story as big as the Sea Otter Classic in the United States, a world reference for many years. Actually, it was better than expected and the acceptance by the market was far beyond what we thought. It was clear that the European cycling sector needed and had been looking for a festival of this style for a long time and this was demonstrated in its rapid growth and consolidation. Obviously, the Covid affected us hard, but with great effort on the part of all of us, we overcame it, as in so many other sectors and aspects of life, and all of this has made us even stronger, as we can see in the current figures. We are happy with the progress, but we still have a lot to do.
In this review Albert Balcells takes us down the path of Sea Otter Europe to the present and looks at where it can go in the future.
How do you see the progress of the number of visitors? And how have they changed?
Progress has been very rapid year by year, We have only had 6 editions counting that 2 have been greatly affected by the Covidnow we do not think so much about the quantity that, about the quality, we do not want to overcrowd the festival and make it uncomfortable for visitors and exhibitors, we prefer to find that visitor profile that is very interested and knowledgeable about what they want, that adds a lot of value to the exhibiting brands, to participate in sporting events and in the end have a great time at Sea Otter Europe.
While 2023 isn’t the first year that shows have returned post-Covid, there seems to be a bit more confidence around festivals and events this year; we certainly saw a fair amount of noise around the Sea Otter Classic this year. . What are your expectations for Sea Otter Europe this year? Are things really “back to normal” now?
Yes, that’s right, people were very shocked with the closures during Covid, the limitations to travel and do activities and participate in events, after that, in 2022 we already saw a much faster recovery than we expected and it was said, Fortunately. On the other hand, cycling in general is gaining momentum at a very strong international level due to the policies of public institutions and hundreds of associations and initiatives of all kinds to promote the use of bicycles, especially in cities. Electric bicycles in general, urban, cargo bikes, etc. are renewing the potential for growth and diversification of the sector.
What does Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental offer that cannot be found at other festivals?
Sea Otter Europe is one of the most important festivals on the European continent in terms of size, number of brands, activities and events, and visitors, but also, and above all, it has a key differentiating factor, which is its location. Girona and its surroundings are unique, it is a space and a city that for many years they have been working to promote the bicycle, both as a means of transport and for tourism, many runners and professional teams have been based here for many years, the city of Girona is very beautiful, and its surroundings are ideal and varied to practice any type of cycling, the gastronomy, the landscape, the roads and above all the weather, make it exceptional and now Sea Otter Europe is added to all of this, as one more incentive.
The festival bike demobike is key to Sea Otter Europe’s appeal, is it fair to say?
Yes, totally, the Sea Otter Europe demobike is one of the keys to its success. That users or potential buyers can test all the bicycles of more than 40 brands, of all modalities during the festival is something exceptional, and all for free! It’s like a fun theme park in the bike world. But also for brands, it is no longer just seeing a bike on a website, in a magazine or in a store, it is that you can touch it, sit on it and test it on real circuits and enjoy and feel what that bike is like before buying it. Direct contact with the technicians of each brand to ask about technical innovations or new models is also unique, and it is ideal for brands to have this contact with those who may be their buyers and users of their bicycles, especially for those brands that only sell online. Everyone wins.
Leaving Sea Otter Europe aside for a moment, we took Albert Balcells to the Euro Mobility Festival, which is organized together with Sea Otter Europe this year.
For those new to that show, can you tell us a bit more about it? It is interesting to see a festival geared towards cycling sports that also accommodates a cycling/mobility sector: was it in response to industry trends?
Yes, in line with the great momentum that the bicycle is acquiring as a mode of urban transport, no longer as a sporting or recreational element, it made us decide in the last edition that it was necessary to separate these two great blocks of the bicycle world, and not only of the bicycle but of any individual sustainable transport element that is emerging. The needs are different, sometimes the brands, the elements themselves, etc. It is a new model and a new field that has just begun and that will have a long and extensive journey.
Although it is true that the Euro Mobility Festival (EMF) was born under the umbrella of Sea Otter Europe to take advantage of the pull of the brand and the visitors of the cycling festival, in the medium term the EMF is called to have its own space, its own personality and generally being a festival in its own right, separate from Sea Otter Europe. In fact, this year, although it is held on the same dates and venue, it has its own space, its own image and communication, its own program, differentiated demobike with different circuits, etc.
In previous editions of Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental, he realized the growth of the cycle tourism market, with cycle tourism spaces at the fair that grow in number year after year. Is this expansion expected to continue? Will you look for new ways to do more for bike tour visitors?
Yes that’s how it is, Cycling tourism is a segment within the cycling market that has been growing for many years and since the pandemic that has multiplied the use of the bicycle even for vacations. It is no longer just an element to practice sports on a day-to-day basis or on weekends or an element of daily transport in cities, it is already one of the most important and fastest growing tourism subsegments. There are many territories and destinations that are specializing and enhancing their attractions and resources to adapt to the bicycle tourist in all its modalities. Cycling tourism moves more and more money in the territories, it is a calm customer, respectful of the destination, demanding and who is interested in many things such as culture, gastronomy, etc. It is highly appreciated by the territories and an alternative to create wealth for areas that have lost industry or other means of subsistence.
We are increasingly expanding the space dedicated to this type of exhibitors such as national tourism agencies, territories, receptive and agencies, routes, etc..
If someone hasn’t visited or exhibited at Sea Otter Europe yet and is considering it this year, what would you tell them?
Well, we would say the same thing that we say to any brand or professional in any European or extra-European market, that Sea Otter Europe is one of the most important cycling festivals on the continentfully consolidated, which is growing more and more in international exhibitors, space and brands and also in visitors, which is a great opportunity to present yourself in the market both at a professional level and as an end user, an option to make yourself known, to promote the brand, to get new contacts, new distributors, do product tests, be a partner of the festival or one of the many sporting events, etc., Sea Otter Europe is a great communication and marketing tool in the European cycling market.
Anything else to add?
Simply, to thank the Cycling Industry for the opportunity to communicate with its followers and readers and to invite all of them to visit us, try us and surely they will be very positively surprised by Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental.
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2023-07-06 06:34:17
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