No IMS this year

[Freebird]

Wonder what this says, if anything, about the future of our hobby.  Is there no longer enough interest to even have the yearly International Motorcycle Shows?  Just saw this posted online from the IMS.

TO OUR IMS FANS:

After 40 years of producing IMS, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the IMS events in 2022. Our goal is always to provide the best experience possible for fellow motorcycle enthusiasts, and due to circumstances beyond our control, we wouldn’t have been able to produce an event series that would have met your, and our, expectations this year. We hope to bring the tour back at some point in the future, but for now, we say goodbye and thank you for your attendance over the years.

Any tickets or custom bike registrations purchased for 2022 events will be refunded within the next 7 days.

[Red Ryder]

Wow, how Sad for us Motorcycle Enthusiasts.  Unfortunately more and more organizations are having fewer members as our generation ages. 

Really hoping that someday the younger generation will become exited about motorcycles, more than computers.

Later-

[Marcarl]

Shows like that can be very lucrative for the organizers. Maybe just making some money in the process is not good enough anymore. The counts will be down and it may not produce the influx of cash desired, after all, it's not really about the visitors, it's all about the income. On the other hand if it looks like it might loose money, then it's time to pull the plug.

[XV1100SE]

6-9  JAN 2023 North American International Motorcycle Supershow, The International Centre Mississauga

17-19 Jan 2023 Toronto Motorcycle Show. Enercare Centre, Toronto

[saddlebum]

On 5/10/2022 at 7:47 AM, Red Ryder said:

Wow, how Sad for us Motorcycle Enthusiasts.  Unfortunately more and more organizations are having fewer members as our generation ages. 

Really hoping that someday the younger generation will become exited about motorcycles, more than computers.

Later-

It seems a lot of events like this including tool shows, wood working shows and home and garden shows etc. are fading, even before covid. I am thinking things like you tube and online shopping may have a lot to do with it as well as the lack of interest by a younger generation that are more interested in a virtual life than a real one.

[Marcarl]

11 hours ago, saddlebum said:

 that are more interested in a virtual life than a real one.

You can say that again!!

[Mike G in SC]

I saw where Longhaul Paul posted about that. It will affect him.

Me and some STAR friends met at the Atlanta IMS last October. I have been to several in SC, NC then GA. It was always a fun thing and I typically spend a couple hundred at vendors. (Amsoil, gloves, cup holder, Big Skinny wallet, even free trinkets from lawyers.)
Well,,,, last year,,,, NO VENDORS. Or,,, literally only a few. One helmet tent and maybe a Com vendor and earplug guy, maybe a lawyer. Only minor on food vendor at $$$$ prices.

Last year's IMS was only the bike manufacturers. That was it. If you were in the market for a new motorcycle and you came to test ride,,,, then this was for you. I already have a bike (okay, two).
And the Yamaha tent did not have even one Venture, Nada. Okay, British Kim was there! But, yes, several manufacturers were there, with plenty of demo's.

But if you go the the IMS events looking for the side shows,,,, they did NOT exist. (Kind of like going to a state fair and they only have rides, no events or games of vendors.)
This was not because of COVID, which everyone has blamed the last two years on, there were not restrictions. This appeared to be just a manufacturers only event. 
And unfortunately the day I went, Conyers, GA was an all day rain event. Took the SUV 250 miles each way for a non-event.

So, of the dozen folks I ran into that I knew, most were done with the show in an hour.
Sorry to see it go, if that is what they call an IMS,, I'd not go again. 

[BratmanXj]

19 minutes ago, Mike G in SC said:

Well,,,, last year,,,, NO VENDORS. Or,,, literally only a few. One helmet tent and maybe a Com vendor and earplug guy, maybe a lawyer. Only minor on food vendor at $$$$ prices.

Same here in the Chicago area, went to the indoor event in '20 before the shut down and got looked at weird when I was trying to size a helmet for 7yr old son...it was only display models at the few venders there.  I had friends go to the outdoor '21 event and said, like you, it was basically a test drive event and nothing more.  

[etcswjoe]

Okay, am I the only one that thought IMS stood for Integrated Master Schedule??

[Freebird]

Lol.  You may be.