2022 is a big news year for the Italian Bike Festival, which is about to make its move to the Misano World Circuit official: this new home means it will now also be able to incorporate a large exhibition area and provide its services to both businesses and visitors alike.
The decision will also consolidate its position as a touchstone for the entire bike world by focusing on developing beyond Italy’s borders in the coming years. The 2022 IBF, which takes place from September 9th to 11th 2022, promises to be a fulcrum for also the Italian and European bike industries.
On the cycling-related exhibition scene, the Italian Bike Festival is renowned as the showcase event par excellence, attracting both the attention and participation of the entire cycling movement.
The 2021 edition of the Italian Bike Festival held in Rimini last September attracted over 30,000 visitors who thronged the open-air fair for three days solid, experiencing at first hand over 400 brands exhibited by 230 companies. Impressive numbers continue to grow, underscoring the boom the bike world is currently experiencing.
Italian Bike Festival 2022 will take place at the Misano World Circuit
To meet the spiraling demand for exhibition spaces and to offer services to businesses in the sector and enthusiasts alike, the next edition of the Italian Bike Festival (IBF) will take place at the Misano World Circuit. As an elite international racing circuit, Misano is one of the very few venues in the world to host all of the top motorbike competitions.
In recent years, it has also added new facilities that have turned it into a huge year-round open-air motorsport park. The recent official inauguration of MWC Square added further attractions including leading players in the bike industry with operators on-site with their products. Now MWC will provide the backdrop to Italy’s top bike show on the long weekend of September 9th to 11th 2022.
“It was a decision born of the need to welcome a growing number of exhibitors,” commented Francesco Ferrario, the organizer of the Italian Bike Festival (IBF). “While still offering a programme of side events that will give thousands of visitors what they want”.
The Italian Bike Festival has proven itself capable of gathering together the entire bike sector in all its guises: from road cycling to mountain bikes and urban mobility with its huge variety of specialist products and services.
“It is fantastic news that only serves to confirm the Misano Adriatico Circuit’s status as an international touchstone for bike and car enthusiasts,” commented Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Region of Emilia-Romagna.
“The IBF is yet another very high profile event that is the product of this area’s organizational capacity and will provide an extraordinary opportunity to raise the profile of and promote Emilia-Romagna. We are a real bike-loving region and over the last few years, we have invested strategically in promoting soft mobility based on environmental transition, respect for the environment, and fostering healthy lifestyles. Now, this event slots very naturally into that scenario”.
From an economic perspective, this ecosystem has experienced an unprecedented boom in recent seasons. The bike economy continues to grow in value not just in mere monetary terms but also socially and environmentally. The subject of sustainable and urban mobility is up for discussion by all the leading public and private entities, which are all aware that bikes in their various forms are the ideal way of reducing traffic congestion and streamlining public transportation volumes.
“The Italian Bike Festival is an invaluable date on a journey we began in recent years,” commented Andrea Albani, managing director of Misano World Circuit, “and which has seen us add infrastructure and events to a top-flight racing calendar. We can offer a venue that will help the event develop still further by offering it our experience and huge enthusiasm. The IBF will be fully connected to the local area where the hospitality industry has been offering development opportunities and services for events”.
Everyday life aside, another significant impact on the bike world has come from bike tourism. In fact, according to figures from the Osservatorio della Bikeconomy, of which the Italian Bike Festival is a member, it is worth in the region of 50 billion euro in the European Union alone.
“Businesses, bike-friendly tourist destinations, larger operators and local authorities will all find themselves side by side at the Italian Bike Festival,” underscored Lucrezia Sacchi, organizer of the IBF, “in tackling themes that in recent months have become central to the promotion and enhancement of the area’s value”.
Soft mobility and bike tourism will be two of the main protagonists at the IBF 2022 with products, services, and specialist information all available.
A recent Confindustria survey revealed encouraging developments regarding the rise in popularity of bikes, highlighting 60% growth with over 500,000 bikes sold in Italy in spring 2020, and underscoring unstoppable growth right across the entire segment.
“The numbers are on our side and the event looks set to grow over the coming years. This is why after the extraordinary hospitality we enjoyed in Rimini, we chose to stay in the area that supported us over the years and find a more suitable location here,” concluded Fabrizio Ravasio, organizer of the IBF, “and we are delighted to be hosted at an internationally-renowned venue like the Misano World Circuit, which recognized the IBF as a partner on the up that it could work with”.
For further information: italianbikefestival.net
IBF Italian Bike Festival
The leading fair for the bike market with previews, tests, shows, performances, meetups, and entertainment – all the ingredients necessary for a 360-degree festival of cycling in other words. Dedicated to both enthusiasts and the wider public, the IBF showcases all the latest news and innovations in the bike world. Three days – from September 9th to 11th 2022 – of discovery of the uniquely fascinating world of cycling: a passion for many, a lifestyle for others but fun for all.
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