Nope, this isn’t a gimmick – we wish it was.
In a shocking turn of events, this year’s iteration of the Progressive IMS Outdoors has been officially suspended, with next year (and the ones after that) in the category of ‘indefinite’.
Considering that Yahoo! Published the official 2022 schedule for the event a mere handful of months ago, the cancellation is out of the blue…and it’s not a good hue for the traditional shows we know and love.
“After 40 years of producing IMS, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the IMS events in 2022,” states the announcement on IMS’s social media page.
“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.”
With the pandemic causing brands to rethink how to reach their audiences, attendance at big shows like IMS are purportedly now in the same category as the generic Joe deciding whether to continue to pay overhead or have everybody work from home.
Do you adapt or continue with tradition?
In this economy, it’s a serious question – one that has apparently already caused manufacturers to start scaling back from other (national and international) shows such as EICMA and INTERMOT.
“With manufacturers turning to virtual presentations in a world that still has to deal with a pandemic, consumer shows may not make sense anymore,” admits a report from Revzilla.
“…but consumers can’t test ride a motorcycle virtually.”
While they’re right, it seems that the future of motorcycle shows will continue blazing forward in the bid to evolve with the times. Stay tuned for updates, drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties.