The much anticipated Gulf Bike Expo officially opened today (Thursday, Feb 4), welcoming bike and non-bike enthusiasts to the region’s biggest urban bike festival.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA Vice President and President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), led the opening ceremony along with Ibrahim Saleh, Coordinator General, Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), organisers of the Dubai Shopping Festival and partners of the bike festival.
“I said last year that we were witnessing yet another giant leap in the motoring sector with a gradual growth in the Middle East motorcycle market. The overwhelming response to the Expo from exhibitors this year is indeed a statement that the industry is ready to embrace this growth,” said Sulayem.
From his side, Ibrahim Saleh commented, “We are very pleased to be associated with the second edition of Gulf Bike Festival this year. Our support for this colourful event comes in line with our strategy of diversifying our calendar of events to cater for all nationalities and ages. We are certain that the GBF would achieve its main objective and position itself as one of the major crowd pullers happening in Dubai”.
The opening included a tour of the exhibition where the latest models from the biggest brands in the biking industry - Honda, BMW and Kawasaki - are being launched for the very first time in the Middle East. After the exciting tour, the VVIP guests and the media were treated to fantastic demonstrations of driving skills by the Red Bull FMX athletes and the KTM Super Moto Live team in the Rage Extreme Zone.
The second Gulf Bike Show takes place over three days from today until February 6th. The festival includes music from LiveNation with both Nickelback and Status Quo playing sets, Bikes from Gulf Bike Expo and the Middle East’s largest temporary exhibition build showcasing the latest in Bikes, Custom Bikes, All Terrain Vehicles, Clothing, Accessories and Lifestyle products featuring special sale offers to festival goers.
An exciting part of the festival is the Piazza arena which houses a smaller music stage where local bands can be seen performing over three days, the Red Bull FMX/KTM Super Moto stunt circuits, the Rage Extreme Zone and a range of food and beverage outlets.
“Following the overwhelming success of the First Gulf Bike Expo last year, we decided to go ahead with a bigger exhibition this year and we are confident that this will be a great triumph,” said Chris Hudson, Managing Director of MECOM, organisers of the event.
For more information, please visit: www.gulfbikefestival.com
