Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums banner

Triumph No Show at Motorcycle Show

5K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  fivehundo 
#1 ·
Yesterday I went to the Seattle Motorcycle show. Not the biggest, but okay. Virtually every two wheel manufacturer was represented except "Triumph." If it we not for the effort of one of the local dealers, there would have been no visibility at all. They had a couple of bikes and some clothes. That's it.
Asked one of the dealer guys. They said Triumph just decided to pull out. No reason given.
This causes me to wonder. Why did they pull out?
1.) Financial issues, simply an expense cutting issue. Are there issues that are being made public? Are further cutbacks coming? Is this the tip of the iceberg? Not a good signal to send.
2.) The market is significant enough. Owners of Triumphs in that market are of little or no concern to the company.
No good.
Having been a factory rep for a couple of different auto manufacturers I have attended and worked car shows in Large markets and small. The factory presence is important.
And to further add to my belief that Triumph is on the road to being infected with arrogance and disdain for the customer is the fact that niether the U.S. or U.K. headquarter have an e-mail address posted for customers to contact them. One must either call or write.
I continue to love my T-Bird. But not seeing your choice represented amongst all the other machines really leaves a bad taste and uneasy feeling.
jr
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I share your concerns, and am unsure why TRIUMPH would not participate in a venue that attracts motorcyclists and future motorcyclists. Especially after introducing some truly unique machines this year.Are the trying to keep the 675 and Scrambler a secret? I am going to the Vancouver Motorcycle Show(Jan 26-29) and have heard that Triumph will be there. But we will see. If there is a reason, any reason, for not showing,it should be shared with the loyal following. Leaving such things to speculation and rumor can't be a good thing.
I also found out the hard way how difficult it is to contact the factory. I was told that there are no email addresses posted because they would be inundated with emails and unable to get to them all. Bu** **it! Many much bigger companies post a customer care email and sift through the mail without too much trouble. It is called Customer Service and it is something that Triumph is desperately lacking!!! If they need someone to do it I will.I have 25+ years in customer service management. The excuses don't wash. POST A CUSTOMER SERVICE EMAIL ADDRESS.

I love my bike and would even buy another. The dealer is great although very far from me. I just feel that Corporately Triumph leaves alot to be desired.
I guess my point is
No service = no customers = no sales = no Triumph
I would hate to see that as I don't think there is a more loyal customer than myself. But come on guys, lets get with it!
Thanks for reading my little rant, Carry on.
John
 
#3 ·
I was talking to a dealer and his slant is that Triumph did a survey and found that 98% of those in attendance at shows already own a bike. Therefore due to the cost Triumph felt it was money better spent by promoting free RAT membership complete with Torque magazine than going to shows and showing bikes to people who already had rides.

Maybe Triumph knows more than we give them credit for. After all they seem to be selling all they can build. Hopefully they won't sell so many that I have a hard time finding mine as one among many. I do like some notoriety. In a crowded parking lot, at times the crowd is around my bike.

[ This message was edited by: flybiker251 on 2005-12-08 07:42 ]
 
#4 ·
I recently helped-out with the Triumph Demo Truck in this area, and the word I got was that it was not cost effective for Triumph to do the shows. They would rather tour their Demo Truck at various dealer"s locations.

Shorty
 
#6 ·
I think it ia very valuable,especially with such a strong new product line, to be at shows. 98% own bikes ? thats good. They are ther to see who is up and coming.What is new etc. If Triumph was there AND advertized the demo program to all these non Triumph owners they would surely reap much more than just demos through local ads or word of mouth. If the masses see the future is in Triumph they will buy Triumph.
IMHO. John
 
#7 ·
You know the old saying, "opinions are like ***holes, everybody's got one"... Let's look at the facts instead:

Triumph did research in this area and decided that it was not money well spent to invest millions of dollars in the IMS shows when their impact is only on a very limited portion of the market. The analysis shows that these shows do not contribute greatly to overall motorcycle sales outside of the immediate market where the show is held.

Instead, Triumph are offering more promotional money to local dealers this year, who can use it directly to help sell more bikes.

I'd much rather RIDE a demo bike than to see one at a glitzy show, behind a rail where I can't even sit on it (like last year). The real faux pas for me is that if I walk into a Kawazukihammer dealer, or even a Harley "boutique", and ask to test ride a bike, they are going to say "no". Triumph demos are readily available however... BRILLIANT!!

Triumph production and sales numbers have been growing very well, they are not in financial trouble. Perhaps they are just SMARTER than the other guys??? (as if we didn't already know this...) ;-)



[ This message was edited by: cafetbird on 2005-12-08 19:08 ]
 
G
#8 ·
I would have liked to have seen Triumph at the Seattle show. That been said I have seen Ads for the 675 Daytona popping up on a lot of websites lately. It is more important to have your name in view on a consistent basis then to blow your wad on several isolated events. Hopefully Triumph will use the money to become more of a presense in the motorcycle comunity. They have already reached out via this site in terms of free RAT membership for people who own Triumphs and to ask for suggestions for their website. Both very good signs. I think that they know what their doing. More and better RAT events and better relations with the Triumph buying public are a better benefit for the rider than the once yearly ego massage of seeing your brand at the Bike show. Still I would have liked to sit on a 675 Daytona if I could have waited in line that long. What a bike!
 
#9 ·
I go to the NYC show every year just to ease my withdrawal symptoms. Its as good an excuse as any .And since i already have 2 bikes and no budget for a 3rd it's a day out with my pals that i havent seen in a while. So I get to sit on a lot of bikes and ask a 1000 questions of dealer reps .Maybe meet a famous (to us) author or something. all in all not a bad way to spend a winters day.
 
#10 ·
Well, it makes sense that it's too expensive for Triumph to visit the bike shows and also that it's more cost effective to have the Triumph truck visit dealers for special 'dealer days.'

It seems to me though, that Triumph should throw some bux at local dealers for the shows and let the dealers show the bikes. That would still be cheaper than bringing in the truck and could work well with a loaner set of factory banners, displays, etc.

Jim
 
#11 ·
On 2005-12-10 10:30, jimmyj900 wrote:
It seems to me though, that Triumph should throw some bux at local dealers for the shows and let the dealers show the bikes. That would still be cheaper than bringing in the truck and could work well with a loaner set of factory banners, displays, etc.

Jim
They DID do this, Jimmy - dealers get "Co-op" funds from Triumph for local promotion. As I understand it, they dumped the show, and upped the co-op dollars as a result.

So, we should still see a few Triumph at the shows, if the local dealers are worth their salt, but just no fancy displays, or mock ups of next year's models.
 
#13 ·
Jimmyj900...here at the Dallas /Ft.Worth show the dealer had a booth with a Rocket III and (2) nice looking young ladies with a banner telling folks to go to the dealership for the Demo truck rides.
Problem was, no new 675 Daytona's or Scrambler's ...just 2005 Models to my recollection and no 2006's at all. However,the turn-out at the Demo Rides was huge with riders coming in on their BMW's, various Japanese bikes and HD's with most interest being shown in the Rocket III's, Tigers and Speed triples.
In my opinion, I think Triumph figured-out that they can attract more business that way as opposed to handing out catalogs, most of which will probably not result in any sales anyway and wind up at the land fill eventually.

Shorty
 
#14 ·
I travel to a number of consumer and industry trade shows every year both as an attendee and an exhibitor, and I can attest to the fact that it is a HUGE investment to exhibit at these shows. The displays, or “booths” as we call them, are custom built and cost a fortune. The price per square foot of exhibit space, shipping expenses, travel, etc. is outrageous. A lot of big companies in various industries are making the same decision as Triumph – they are sitting out the big, expensive shows and doing smaller local promotions that reach more people. The price of doing a single major show could pay for an entire sales staff to travel nationwide doing promotions for a year.

The question is: will they put up what they promise? Will we see them in our towns and at our dealerships hosting events? If so, we ALL win! If not, we all have the right to heave the rotten tomatoes at them.

The following comes directly from the Triumph corporate website:

"TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLE TO SIT-OUT 2005/2006 INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOWS

Triumph Motorcycles has announced that they will not be attending the 2005-2006 Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows. According to company spokesman, Todd Andersen, Triumph feels that the shows are a great opportunity to connect with a good portion of the motorcycle buying public. But, after attending for 10 years in a row, Triumph has decided to take a break this year to free up resources for some new marketing initiatives. “There are a number of exciting new programs we want to try out this year including expanded advertising, promotion and public relations.” said Andersen. “By skipping the shows this year, we’ve freed up a lot of our marketing and sales resources to pursue these new ideas.”

Triumph has increasingly focused on events where new consumers can experience their products first-hand on demonstration rides. Andersen stated: “We’re upped the ante with our demo truck and improved incentives to our dealers to give demo rides. We encourage anyone who’s interested in Triumph’s bikes to visit their local dealer or attend one of our demo events to try a Triumph first-hand”.

For information and locations of Triumph’s dealers or to see their schedule of demo events, please visit our Demo Events calendar.


[ This message was edited by: KingBear on 2005-12-14 06:42 ]
 
#15 ·
I can agree about demo rides vs. shows, but Triumph was also conspicuosly absent last July at Mid-Ohio for the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days demo rides given by Harley Davidson, BMW, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, and Ducati. This is a big event with lots of riders lined up to demo the new bikes. I did ride a Triumph Rocket III back in 2004 at the local dealer demo. That was a real rush!
 
#16 ·
On 2005-12-15 14:43, kingpindog wrote:
I can agree about demo rides vs. shows, but Triumph was also conspicuosly absent last July at Mid-Ohio for the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days demo rides given by Harley Davidson, BMW, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, and Ducati. This is a big event with lots of riders lined up to demo the new bikes.
They will be absent again this year, because it is a long haul to Laguna Seca for the MotoGP, they are small, and they only have one truck! The price the AMA pays for poor planning, I guess... and the price we pay for the uniqueness of our brand. Triumph WAS there however - in the form of the Thuxton Challenge.

[ This message was edited by: cafetbird on 2005-12-15 19:36 ]
 
#17 ·
I think Triumph are being very sensible.They are a relatively small company and we have to be realistic about the reources and money required to do the big shows.For comparison,the big national show in the UK was at the NEC Birmingham.Triumph were there of course,but the only Italian manufacturer was Ducati.No Aprilia,MV or Moto Guzzi.It's all about cost.I belive it's about £500,000 just to hire the space - that's a lot of cash for one show.Triumph dealers are the best place to see the bikes and my experience is that it is much easier to get a testride on a Triumph than other makes.
 
#18 ·
On 2005-12-17 10:05, JohnRimmer wrote:
For comparison,the big national show in the UK was at the NEC Birmingham.Triumph were there of course,but the only Italian manufacturer was Ducati.No Aprilia,MV or Moto Guzzi.
And guess what? Ducati is in financial distress - getting bought out, and they have not made a profit in years.

I agree with John - Triumph is being fiscally responsible - unlike some other motorcycle companies that think with their heart instead of their head. Thanks to John Bloor's sensibilities, Triumph will most likely be around for a long time into the future!

[ This message was edited by: cafetbird on 2005-12-17 12:32 ]
 
#19 ·
It seems a lot like the big motorcycle show venues are busy cutting their own throats. If they keep the site prices high for the prime spaces they're only going to have the little guys show up in the cheap spots.

That doesn't do much for us motorcyclists.

The folks at the shows have to add the show cost into their products and that jacks the price up.

Jim
 
#20 ·
The price of a booth in a show, let's say one the European show, in Germany for example. I use this one because I know the prices. A booth that is 9 meter x 4 meter or roughly 400 square feet is about 7000 $

That is a bit small for motorcycle so you would need to double that at least. This is basically the cheapest expense of the show, bringing the product there, the staff and so on and you end up with a nice invoice. A rough total, give or take 5000 $ will be about 40,000 $ for a three days show. Now you have to multiply by the amount of shows they are doing.

I think Triumph is smart in cutting some of the shows they are doing. The reason I am saying this is simply because, there are too many shows and the direct result of a show are very limited.

One thing that the consumer does not see is that the show making is a business, they are in the business of selling floor space. The amount of shows available is multiplying every year. At the moment if you talk to any companies doing show most of them will tell you that exhibitors and visitors are showed out. A lot of people are looking for alternative.

It is sad for some that they will not see the new products at this year show but if Triumph really does spend the money at the dealers, they have a much better chance of selling a bike there than at a show. One would be much more incline to sign papers after a test ride instead of looking at the bike in a show.

Reality of a show is that most consumers go there to collect a pile of catalogue that they will put in a drawer when they get home and will put the same pile of catalogue in the garbage the following year.

Triumph is still doing many shows but it could be that they became more selective in which one they will do.

For one I wish they spend the advertisement dollars at the dealer. This way I could have a test ride on the 675.

Let's make a quick poll here. We are all Triumph owners. How many of us bought there bike as a direct result of a show. Meaning that at the show the decision was made to buy it.
 
#21 ·
Some good points Saigon5.I have bought 5 Triumphs todate and none of them as a result of the shows.Magazines tend to give plenty of exposure to new models,although in the UK there is a massive journalistic bias towards GS1200s and Ducatis.Nothing aginst these bikes but in my opinion Triumph offers just as good a riding experience and is much better value for money.Plus it's a British company.I think the journos must be influenced by advertising budgets and lavish hospitality.
On the show front the people I know who go to the NEC show are getting more disappointed each year.The prices for admission,parking and refreshments are high and the show itself is less interesting and is smaller each year.I ride with various groups,Triumph and most other makes,and nobody has made a purchasing decision based on a visit to the show.
In my opinion it is all about finding a good dealer who will give test rides,provide good service and is looking to establish a long-term relationship with his customers.
 
#23 ·
Well Jim,

I am not sure if we can count you. You do your maintenance, your tweaking your bike, chances are you know more about your bike than a mechanic.

Basically said, you are not the customer Triumph is looking for, they make no money on service with you and this is where the dealer is making his money.

I hope you realized that I am just joking :cool:

Of course we need the exception that confirm the rule. Let's see if there are many more.
 
#24 ·
Jimmy, I hate to tell you this but your $40,000 price tag is missing a zero or two. Floor space, carpeting, designing and constructing a big display, shipping it to each show, drayage, storage, construction and electrician labor for set-up and tear-down, bikes for display, catalogs, give-aways, show advertising, and that's before you even start on staff travel, lodging, meals, salaries... and you do it all over again week after week. The only thing that you re-use is the booth display itself, and it is only good for so many shows, so you can amortize that. The motorcycles may come from local dealers to save them the huge expense of shipping them from show to show. Everything else is an expense repeated over and over again at each city.

The convention and exhibit industry is a lot bigger than the motorcycle industry. As a thirteen-year veteran of this sort of thing in the firearms industry, I've played all of the biggest venues in the country – Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and too many small ones to count. I've done Germany (Nurnberg) myself, and I’ve seen the price tag there. It’s no bargain. I'm telling you guys that even though we'd all like to see Triumph flying their colors at a major show, I won't hold their decision not to spend that kind of cash against them. But I do expect them to make it up to us with smaller local promotions, customer support, and special financing packages. That’s what sells product, motorcycles and otherwise.
 
#25 ·
Reality of a show is that most consumers go there to collect a pile of catalogue that they will put in a drawer when they get home and will put the same pile of catalogue in the garbage the following year.
Nah, I go there to check out the latest gadgets, and buy discounted Pakistani leather ;-)
 
#26 ·
Don't feel bad, man. We just had the Long Beach bike show and the only Triumphs that we there were the ones that were brought by South Bay Triumph.

No factory representation. I was not happy...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top