A massive shockwave ran through the European trade show world last month, as the German Intermot show, held in Cologne, announced the cancellation of the 2026 event, moving to a new date in February 2027. Despite organisers putting a positive spin on the decision, it seems clear that the German show is giving up the fight for the ‘big autumn Euro trade show’ to EICMA in Milan, which has surged ahead in size and popularity since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Koelnmesse owners, along with the German trade body IVM (Industrie-Verband Motorrad), says the Intermot show will now be on 12-14 Feb 2027, down to three days from four, but will take over four show halls instead of two. The IVM represents more than 95% of the German motorcycle market, with over 50 member companies in the association.
German bike magazine Motorrad was damning in its coverage, stating that “Cologne has lost to Milan” after flopping as a show in 2022. Motorrad magazine also says the new Intermot date will clash with another local bike show – Motorräder Dortmund. This is the current traditional spring-season-opening show, which takes place 50 miles away and just three weeks later. Motorrad says the change is a “declaration of war” on the Dortmund show, which takes place in the same German state, North Rhine-Westphalia. It’s a sad situation for a show which, in the glory days of Munich and Cologne in the 1990s and 2000s, was genuinely world-class in its scope.
“For us, the Intermot is much more than a trade fair,” said Oliver Frese (right), COO at Koelnmesse. “It is a conviction. It is the emotional heart and the economic platform of the motorcycle industry in Germany. For precisely this reason, we, together with the IVM, are broadcasting a deliberate, strategic signal with the new scheduling. We are consistently developing Intermot into a leading event with a new international charisma. Here is where innovation, passion, and the scene come together tangibly.”
Frese was backed up in an official press release with supporting comments from German importers of Honda, Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Zero and Horex, as well as from Pirelli Germany and Motul.
Time will tell how the changes will pan out for Intermot, but no doubt,they’ll be cracking open the prosecco at EICMA in Milan!