Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February 2010 Amsterdam - RAI
This year's Cycling and Rambling Fair, which took place at the end of February, exceeded all expectations. The number of square metres sold, the number of exhibitors, and the number of visitors had risen considerably. The walkways along the exhibitors' stands were sometimes so full of people that some visitors left early due to the crowds. Cycling and rambling seems to be just as popular as ever. Despite all the gloomy economic reports, the Cycling and Rambling Fair's popularity has retained its steady growth. Thus it is inevitable that the 2010 fair will continue to grow. A third exhibition hall will be added, and the number of lecture rooms will be increased to meet the demands of the interested public.
In 2010, the surface area of the exhibition halls will increase from the current 13,000 m2 to 17,000 m2. The total surface area of the Cycling and Rambling Fair 2010 will be 21,000 m2. Despite the increase in size, the compact feel of the fair will remain because the exhibition halls, lecture rooms and lounges all border one another. The additional hall has already been used for the fair in 2006, but a larger hall was used the following year instead. Using all three halls next year will facilitate movement around the fair, thereby allowing visitors to see all aspects of the fair in a convenient way. The new 4,000 m2 exhibition hall will be devoted to cycling. Here the visiting public will find out all about the latest bikes and accessories. The cycle track will once again be increased considerably in size. The layout of the track was favourably received according to feedback from our most recent show. At our next show there will be an outer track for tandems and electric bikes, and a track in the middle for regular bikes and for those who would like to try out bicycles on the bends of the track. The second 4,000 m2 hall will be devoted to exhibiting outdoor sports and rambling. There will be a specially laid course with different surfaces in order for visitors to try out walking shoes, Nordic walking and barefoot rambling amongst other things. The largest hall, 9,000 m2, will be the Europahal (European hall). Here you will find the ever-growing Beneluxplein (Benelux Square), and all the other European countries that will be exhibiting at the fair. More and more countries are realising the extent of the demand for cycling and rambling in the tourist sector. Due to the intricate patterns and small-scale nature of cycling and rambling, the impact on the environment and local culture is minimal, while the touristic capacity of a country or area can be used to its full extent thereby benefitting the local economy. A good example of this is the Danube cycle route, which has become an important economic catalyst for the local area. The Cycling and Rambling Fair would like to provide a platform for this increasing phenomenon of countries that are starting to recognise cycling and rambling as a staple tourist activity. This will be supported by having a Theme country presentation. The more adventurous faraway destinations will be given a central place in the hall. In addition, information from the more popular markets for cyclists and ramblers will be given a prominent place at the exhibition, and again there will be a number of themed pavilions and collective pavilions.
As usual registration will start on 1st September. However, you can already find information about exhibiting and prizes on our website (www.fietsenwandelbeurs.nl). Registration forms are also available here.
With kindest regards,
Theo Jorna
Amsterdam, September 2009
New revamped Brochure
We take great pleasure in sending you the new revamped brochure for the Cycling and Rambling Fair 2010. The holiday season is now over and preparations for next season are underway. The brochure, the website as well as the Cycling and Rambling Fair itself have all been updated and reconfigured. So bring on 2010; we are fully prepared for it.
You can find all of the information you need in the new style brochure arranged in a convenient and accessible way. If you keep it to hand you will have all the information you need at your fingertips. The finer details of a number of items such as electricity and furnishings have yet to be finalized. These will be provided on our website shortly. The website will also be revamped. Not so much the design itself, but the sub-division and functions. The exhibitors’ site is largely complete; the visitors’ site will follow later this year.
The Fair itself has been enlarged to cope with the large number of visitors (17,700 people in two days) and because we could not offer all the exhibitors the amount of space they would have liked in 2009. The Fair will now be held in three halls, which along with part of the congress centre means that we will have 21,000 square metres in 2010. Thanks to this expansion we will literally be able to offer the electric bicycles plenty of room to be put through their paces. We can now also say in advance how the halls will be sub-divided: a Bicycle hall, an Outdoors Pursuits hall and a Europe hall. You can find more details in the brochure. The ‘Far away destinations’ will be spread across the entrance zones of the three halls, so that these too will be easy for the visitors to locate.
The organisation and design of the C&RF is based on a specific target audience, namely people looking for information about cycling and rambling; for holidays, recreation and general leisure purposes. The C&RF is the largest Fair of its kind in The Netherlands. It is also a meeting place and forum for cycling and rambling enthusiasts. Cyclists and Ramblers constitute the most important target group for the tourist sector in the Netherlands. More than half of all Dutch people’s holidays either involve these pursuits or are actually dedicated to cycling and rambling. A fact that is by no means appreciated by every national and regional tourist boards or those in the holiday business. Over the last few years we have been privileged to welcome various representatives of different countries who were amazed at the immense scope and potential which their homelands actually offered for cycling and rambling holidays. The C&RF does all it can to acquaint these countries with the opportunities which cycling and rambling tourism offers. The ‘Theme Country’ showcase is an exceptionally effective way to showcase what a country has to offer to a targeted audience of keen cyclists and ramblers. More detailed information about this can be found in the brochure. However, if you are interested in participating in this, please contact us soon, because organising it takes times. You can also book now for 2011 and 2012.
More comprehensive and updated information for exhibitors can be found on our website. As in previous years we will keep you posted on developments and progress regarding the next Fair via newsletters.
We look forward to giving you a warm welcome on the 27th. and 28th. of February 2010 at the Amsterdam RAI exhibition centre.
Best regards on behalf of the organisation team,
Theo Jorna
News Letter November 2009
Fiets en Wandelbeurs 2010 weatherproof
If the credit crisis was like a heavy thunderstorm that was unleashed in September/October of last year, the current economic malaise is like a cold front with persistent rain, which has been sucked along in the tail of the storm. At the very peak of the thunderstorm the Cycling and Rambling Fair (Fiets en Wandelbeurs in Dutch) continues to grow robustly. The last fair was fuller and busier than ever before and bursting at the seams. Even the recent bad weather seems to have had absolutely no effect whatsoever. In comparison with last year there are many more enrolments for participation. Once again we are pleased to be welcoming many more new exhibitors. And what stands out is that none of the previous exhibitors has booked a smaller stand; while a number have opted to have a (significantly) larger surface area for their stand.
The onward march of cycling and rambling as the most important activity for holidays and recreation has been going on for some years now. But despite this growth the saturation point seems further away than ever. In fact the real breakthrough still has to come. In a number of countries developments are taking place rapidly. In countries like Switzerland, Germany and Denmark thousands of kilometres of cycling routes and special cycling paths have been laid out. In France the ‘Voies Vertes’ are flourishing; old railway lines and towpaths alongside canals have been transformed into wonderful car-free cycling routes. In Spain there are marvellous rambling routes along the old sheep drove routes or Cañadas Reales. In the Balkans, Turkey and Eastern Europe cycling and rambling routes are gaining more and more ground.
None of this of course is without reason. Several reports have appeared recently with details of the economic impact of cycling and rambling tourism. For example, in the Netherlands spending by people on cycling tours of several days in 2008 more than doubled with respect to 2003. And in other countries this rising trend can also be seen. The bicycle industry is also doing very well. With a turnover in 2008 of almost 1.4 million new bicycles and spending of 955 million euros, in the Netherlands alone, a new peak has been reached. If all kinds of cycling accessories are included, that comes to almost 1.5 thousand million €uros. One very rapidly growing sector is the market for electric bicycles Many travel organizations have just gone through a difficult year. But remarkably enough the specialists in cycling and rambling holidays have generally done just as well or even better than in previous years. Although there is trend to destinations somewhat nearer home with more people making their own arrangements.
In other words, cycling and rambling have a very bright future. And the best opportunity to meet all of those cyclists and ramblers is the Fiets en Wandelbeurs: Saturday 27th. and Sunday 28th. February 2010 in the Amsterdam RAI. That is the place and the time when the new cycling and walking season begins. For more information please see ‘exhibitors’ on www.fietsenwandelbeurs.nl.
With kind regards,
Theo Jorna
Newsletter March 2010
Cycling and Rambling Fair continues to grow
For the sixth successive year the Cycling and Rambling Fair has proven to be a great success. This is a clear indication that cycling and rambling is now a well- established form of tourism and recreation. The Cycling and Rambling Fair has become the most important platform to reach this target audience. The number of exhibitors has risen from 419 to 466,a growth of 11%. The number of visitors rose from 17,700 to 18,250. Despite the fact that trains from the south were either hindered by the weather or cancelled completely, more visitors still made their way to the RAI in Amsterdam.
In France, a state of emergency was declared, with several coastal areas subsequently classified as disaster zones as a result of breaches in the sea dykes and flooded villages. Belgium and the southern Netherlands were also ravaged by a severe storm on the Sunday. There were no trains running from Maastricht, and train traffic from Utrecht was disrupted for a while. This was noticeable at the Fair by the sudden surge of visitors after 2 pm. One entrance point that had been closed was quickly re-opened. What was already apparent at the 2009 Fair was confirmed in 2010: cycling and rambling holidays are crisis proof. From the very first year, the Cycling and Rambling Fair has grown continuously and vigorously. Despite this rapid growth, the Fair has managed to retain its original character. In a friendly and congenial atmosphere, visitors can find every conceivable kind of information on cycling and rambling at home and abroad. Just as in previous years, the visitors were extremely satisfied about the scope and the quality of information on offer. And an increasing number of people are visiting the Fair because of the friendly informal atmosphere. The contents of the programme and the many options were highly rated once again. Just like last year, many visitors came specially to try out the tandems. Many thanks are due to the volunteers from the tandem club for making this possible. This is another very important characteristic of the Cycling and Rambling Fair: the many volunteers who participate so enthusiastically in the event. This is greatly appreciated by the visitors. Many visitors have also expressed their appreciation about the knowledge and enthusiasm of the exhibitors. The Cycling and Rambling Fair isn’t just any old exhibition. The relaxed atmosphere and the enthusiasm of everyone concerned is contagious. It is more than an event, for many it is a reunion as well. The Cycling and Rambling Fair has become the place to meet other cyclists and ramblers: the Cycling and Rambling Fair in the RAI exhibition centre in Amsterdam.
Just as in previous years there will be an exhibitors’ meeting. Here we will explain our plans for the coming year. We would also like to hear any suggestions you may have for improvements, good subjects for themed presentations and so forth. The participants at this year’s Fair have already received invitations for this exhibitors’ meeting. This will be held this year in Diemen on Monday March 29th. from 10-12 hrs. If you were not an exhibitor, but would like to attend, please contact the Fair organization.
And save the date in your diary now, The Cycling and Rambling Fair will take place on: Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th. February 2011.
