Behind the Scenes at Eurobike 2024 - Part One: Our Journey to Becoming a Global Brand
By Chris Wolhuter
Ever wondered what it takes for a young brand to make waves at one of the world's largest cycling trade shows? Join us as we share our journey through Eurobike 2024 in this three-part series.
Why Eurobike?
As one of the biggest cycling trade shows globally, Eurobike provides unparalleled exposure and networking opportunities, essential for a brand like ASS MAGIC aiming for international reach. For our ambitions, this show offered the best platform to connect with potential distributors, retail partners, media, and end consumers.
Eurobike also features a ‘Startup Area,’ which allows us to exhibit at a lower price, though still a significant investment when dealing with Randelas. The location is excellent, being one of the first halls visitors see when arriving by public transport. It's also a hotspot for those seeking innovative products. I'll delve deeper into this in the next part of this series.
Chris and the Kiwi's from Perfromance Recreation Velo.
Our Goals at Eurobike
Our primary goal was to secure distributors for ASS MAGIC in key overseas markets, setting the foundation for our global expansion. Over the last three years, we've initiated relationships with partners in the UK, Benelux, Germany, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, and China. Success in each region starts with finding the right distributor, aligning on values (it’s much easier doing business with people that you actually like), and securing an initial purchase order. It’s important to remember that while the first order is crucial, the second and third orders are even more significant. They indicate that our customer, the distributor, has strong sell-through and that the brand is getting out to the new market.
Additionally, we aimed to engage with parties interested in marketing opportunities, collaborations, logistics, warehousing, e-commerce, or any other mutually beneficial relationships.
Meeting Potential Partners
The first three days of the show are all about business-to-business (B2B) interactions. We engaged with existing and potential distributors, often booking meetings in advance. In some cases, we also spoke directly to retail store partners, often based in the EU, and referred them to a distributor in their respective region.
I always exchange business cards with new contacts and jot down notes about them in my black notebook to remember key details and interesting follow-up points. If possible, we take a photo together, which we later share on social media and with them after the show.
Michal our man in Poland from Provelo.
What happens when you get two American's from Pit Viper and a Saffa from ASS MAGIC.
Engaging with Consumers
The final two days of the show focus on business-to-consumer (B2C) interactions. This year was particularly rewarding as returning customers gave positive feedback on our products. With ASS MAGIC still being relatively new, we made a point to sample our chamois cream to anyone willing to chat for a moment. Despite the language barrier, many German visitors were kind enough to engage in English and my very broken German, “Das ist eine Sitzcreme” - this is where a big smile goes a long way! We focused on the chamois cream in these interactions, as it is our ‘hero product’ in this environment.
In part two of this "Behind the Scenes at Eurobike 2024" series, I’ll share more information on the timelines, costs, and logistics involved in being at the show.
In the meantime, if you would like to see more photos and videos from the show, check out the story highlights on my personal Instagram Page titled ‘Eurobike 2024’ here.
