Resurrecting this thread.
What have people heard?
Expectations?
Predictions?
Wildest fantasies?
New Shiv?
I'm guessing it's going to be pretty quiet on that front.
Reason: It's been a but of a tough last few years for the bike/tri business in North America. This is most often when brands as a default cut back on marketing spend and R & D spend - as a result new product releases get either buried, or pushed back!
I'm always interested to see what I see in Kona, during race week - not the micro things but the macro - IRONMAN of course is going big with the 40th Anniversary stuff, and rightly so. That is something to celebrate, and they want to throw a party, but as I mentioned, brands in the business have been struggling the past couple of years, so it will be interesting to see, what they do when they come to the party. Even in the last few years, leading up to this year, I've noticed a BIG cut-back in what some of the brands are doing in Kona during race week. For the past few years, I've been selling a significant media property, associated with the event, and the selling of that, property has become harder, and harder every year! This year it was like it dropped off a cliff!! Again - tell-tale signs of not the best times in a business at the macro level!
It's still going to be a great week and a great time for those who are there. The big things about Kona Race Week will all be there - The Ho'Ala Training Swim/Race, The Path 5K/10K Races, The Expo, The Kids Splash & Dash, The Under Pants Run, The Slowtwitch Party, The Bike/Gear Counts, and of course the big race itself! I'm looking forward to it!
Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
What have people heard?
Expectations?
Predictions?
Wildest fantasies?
New Shiv?
I'm guessing it's going to be pretty quiet on that front.
Reason: It's been a but of a tough last few years for the bike/tri business in North America. This is most often when brands as a default cut back on marketing spend and R & D spend - as a result new product releases get either buried, or pushed back!
I'm always interested to see what I see in Kona, during race week - not the micro things but the macro - IRONMAN of course is going big with the 40th Anniversary stuff, and rightly so. That is something to celebrate, and they want to throw a party, but as I mentioned, brands in the business have been struggling the past couple of years, so it will be interesting to see, what they do when they come to the party. Even in the last few years, leading up to this year, I've noticed a BIG cut-back in what some of the brands are doing in Kona during race week. For the past few years, I've been selling a significant media property, associated with the event, and the selling of that, property has become harder, and harder every year! This year it was like it dropped off a cliff!! Again - tell-tale signs of not the best times in a business at the macro level!
It's still going to be a great week and a great time for those who are there. The big things about Kona Race Week will all be there - The Ho'Ala Training Swim/Race, The Path 5K/10K Races, The Expo, The Kids Splash & Dash, The Under Pants Run, The Slowtwitch Party, The Bike/Gear Counts, and of course the big race itself! I'm looking forward to it!
Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
