Are the dominos beginning to fall?  It seems they may be.  A KTM press release says that the Austrian manufacturer will not be attending either INTERMOT or EICMA.  KTM becomes the second major manufacturer in as many days to say that they will not attend the shows in 2020.

KTM AG have assessed their overall strategy for the rest of 2020 and have decided to make several key decisions in the wake of COVID-19 impacting public health, communities, the motorcycle industry and business on a global scale. In the best interest of their employees and customers, the company will withdraw from global trade shows for the rest of the year, including INTERMOT in Cologne, Germany and the EICMA exhibition in Milan, Italy.

The proper planning of such events is currently at risk due to the uncertainty surrounding public gathering restrictions in most countries. The annual success of these indoor shows also sees hundreds of thousands of visitors gathering in enclosed spaces for a period lasting days and even weeks. For these reasons, KTM AG have identified their exclusion as way to contribute towards a safe and strong return to normal activity.

Trunkenpolz statement

Interestingly, along with its statement that it would not be attending INTERMOT and EICMA in 2020, KTM is asking EICMA organizers to cancel the 2020 show altogether.   Hubert Trunkenpolz, KTM AG’s CMO had this to say about the move:

Trade shows are key business milestones for the entire motorcycle industry but given the situation, public health and the welfare of our staff are higher priorities over the coming months. We have taken this course of action with a great deal of thought and, as a company, KTM AG would be pleased and interested if show promoters, EICMA in particular, would simply consider moving dates to 2021, where we hope and expect the situation to be settled and back to normal.”

Trunkenpolz’s statement didn’t make the same early cancellation recommendation to INTERMOT organizers.  Why is that?

KTM went on to say:

In typical KTM style, the firm will push ahead with current and future projects in order to provide the motorcycling market with exciting and innovative models and look for the best ways to show-off these developments. The KTM AG board of directors wish to communicate that the coming months represent a small squeeze on the brake, but hands are very much poised on the throttle for the rest of 2020.

So how will KTM show off their motorcycles and innovations?  They didn’t say.  But you can bet that they will also try to make use of their digital media channels to get the word out.

Who else will pull the plug on INTERMOT and EICMA remains to be seen.

INTERMOT and EICMA logos are the property of their respective owners.

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