IMS Suspends 2022 Events

Due to continued manufacturing and parts-sourcing woes stemming from the global pandemic, Informa Markets, the organizer of the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows and IMS Outdoors for the past 40 years, says that all 2022 IMS Tour dates are suspended, effective May 9.

The short press release issued by Informa Markets gets directly to the point: “The powersports industry is at a crossroads with where and how brands promote their products amidst the continued manufacturing and sourcing delays associated with the pandemic. These current hurdles that our brand partners are facing would have made it difficult for us to produce an IMS that would meet your, and our, expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with the planned 2022 events, including the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show.”

Although this is sad news for the industry as a whole—especially OEMs and aftermarket parts designers and suppliers that spend ridiculous amounts of marketing dollars to attend these shows—the loss of IMS likely won’t impact the custom scene or the target market for moto advertisers as independent shows become more mainstream.

Take the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show, which has been a star of IMS shows for the past 11 years. The allure for custom builders is cash prizes of up to $10,000 and exposure to a general audience.

Sure, the money is good, but the keyword here is general. The most profitable businesses know to chase smaller niches and capitalize on a dedicated audience that becomes more of a fan base rather than a generalized audience that won’t spread the word of the product and/or services.

This same theme has followed the motorcycle industry over the past decade and has continued to grow stronger every year. Think of the independent shows coast-to-coast that attract ridiculous passionate attendees for what’s currently hip, including custom hill climbers, bar hoppers, choppers, and of course, custom flat trackers.

Think of Portland, Oregon’s One Show, Milwaukee’s Mama Tried, Austin, Texas’ Handbuilt Show held during MotoGP weekend, and New York’s Brooklyn Invitational. These four shows capture more than just an audience; they capture the modern lifestyle of motorcyclists, and are targeted more and more by notable brands, including major sponsorship from the likes of Harley-Davidson, Indian, BMW, and Budweiser, to name a few giants backed by endless flows of marketing dollars.

The crowds present at these shows are a hybrid mix of racers, builders, and hipsters, all drawn to the latest in custom motorcycle culture, the attendees ranging from skateboarders in their 20s to boozers in their 60s. It doesn’t matter what types these shows draw in, the audience is surely there for one reason and one reason only: a taste of modern motorcycle culture.

This is far from the traditional shows like IMS that tend to attract a more generalized audience, a bulk of these riders looking to simply see what’s in luggage or models, though that info is readily available online. Even Daytona and Sturgis bike weeks seemingly have oozed with more and more generalized audiences lately. But visit a Handbuilt Show or a One Show, and a wide array of specific motorcycle cultures is absolutely everywhere.

These scenes thrive with originality, creating an atmosphere where influencing happens naturally and, best for advertisers and marketers, quickly. This is the atmosphere companies are starting to crave more and more; the target buyer is there, and brands simply need exposure to remain top of mind when an audience member is shopping, whether ready to buy that cool handlebar witnessed on a custom Triumph Bonneville, some dirt-looking treaded skins on a custom street tracker, or those moto jeans that one hip designer was donning.

This type of indirect marketing primes potential buyers through exposure before doing any selling. And the household brands are paying close attention to this backdoor marketing effect more as sponsorships for these shows grow yearly, and marketing dollars continually approach more of an indirect way (and who wants to be annoyed by pop-up ads on websites nowadays anyway? It’s just not cool—click back to the search results…).