VELOBerlin 2018: Bicycle festival of superlatives

Mar 15, 2018

Great response from all sides to the bicycle trade fair in Germany's capital

VELOBerlin (April 14 and 15, 2018) at Tempelhof Airport promises to become a bicycle festival of superlatives. The exhibition areas in the two hangars are already almost fully booked with 250 exhibitors and brands; the extensive program of “Testival” and side events ensures maximum cycling enjoyment.

“As a sister fair of Eurobike, VELOBerlin and its B2C orientation perfectly complement the industry event on Lake Constance,” says Director Stefan Reisinger from Messe Friedrichshafen, which organizes the fair together with the Berlin agency Velokonzept. “We are receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback on the revised concept and its planned implementation on the new premises, not only from bicycle industry and cycling fans but also from policymakers and the media."

With the relocation of the bicycle festival to the former Tempelhof Airport, the organizing team of Messe Friedrichshafen and the Berlin agency Velokonzept also announced a revised event concept. Veloconzept Director Robert Burkhardt explains: “The expansion of the festival to more urban and sporting topics and the integration of racing formats on the former airport apron have been extremely well received by the exhibitors: There are only a few exhibition spaces available in the hangers, which have 10,000 square meters of floorspace, and all the adjacent showrooms are hosting special exhibitions. We will do our utmost to make VELOBerlin 2018 a great experience for all participants.” Cycling world trends will be presented in four theme areas in Germany’s capital at the beginning of the cycling season.

#hangarfive: Urban lifestyle & cargo bikes

Hangar 5, with its rough-hewn industrial charm, will be home to the VELO areas Urban & Lifestyle as well as Performance & Sports. Curated together with Urban Cycles, the Berlin lifestyle experts and former bicycle show makers, the focus is on the beauty of the bike. The International Cargo Bike Festival, which has been taking place as the most important cargo bicycle event in the world for the past seven years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, will be held within the framework of VELOBerlin in 2018 with more than 40 cargo bike brands, 20 non-profit initiatives, and a colorful supporting program.

#hangarsix: Adventure, e-bikes & VELOWomen

The success story of the bicycle industry continues to be the pedelec. Susanne Brüsch, who coined the term pedelec, will be providing information in Berlin about e-bike travel. Infotainment is also promised by vacation destinations and travel providers as well as bikepacking outfitters. Travel presentations and arrival of bikepacking tour Candy B. Graveller will complete the VELOBerlin adventure. In the AOK VELOWOMEN area, MTB professional Kerstin Köglerwill also be exhibiting great examples of women’s bicycles, from city bicycles to bikes suitable for extreme sports, along with clothing and accessories.

Testival and VELORaces

Visitors will have the opportunity to thoroughly test nearly all the bicycles of the VELOBerlin on the “Testival” area, which is covered by a roof. And those who like things a bit more intense will be able to ride a few training rounds on the Modular Pump Track, ride for a good cause with Olympic champion Guido Fulst on the Minidrome course, take test rides on the mountain bike course, or take part in bicycle trial training with World Champion Nina Reichenbach and the Berlin Trials Cup. The fastest women and men will be competing in the “8bar Crit,” Germany’s largest fixed-gear race. The program will also include the International Cargo Bike Spring Race as well as the international racing bike junior race “VELOBerlin Airfield Race.”

Specialist program and bicycle policy

In VELOBerlin tradition, specialist topics are also on the agenda, despite the exhibition focus on the general public. Together with the Zweirad-Einkaufs-Genossenschaft ZEG, the Berlin Senate Department for the Environment, Transport, and Climate Protection, visitBerlin and the European Cycle Logistics Federation, specialist forums on cycling tourism, health, the mobility of tomorrow, and cargo bikes will take place. Just like two years ago, the viva velo congress of the VSF Service and Bicycle Association will take place in Berlin immediately following VELOBerlin 2018. Another highlight will be the aftershow party with star DJ Senay Güler on Saturday evening.

VELOBerlin will take place at Tempelhof Airport on April 14 and 15, 2018, and will be open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Online presales of tickets will start on March 1. More information at: http://veloberlin.com/.