In a move that’s sad, but expected, the Motorcycle & Moped Industry Council has announced both the Toronto and Montreal mid-winter industry moto shows are canceled.
It’s no surprise; the MMIC show schedule was already shortened to four shows this year, and then the western events (Vancouver and Calgary) were canceled. Then, the early-winter Supershow was canceled a couple of days ago. The MMIC shows were the next obvious victims on the chopping block.
You can see the official announcement below, taken from the MMIC’s website.
Wednesday December 22, 2021: Today, the Board of Directors of Power Sport Services announced that the 2022 Toronto and Montreal Motorcycle Shows, will not be moving forward as originally planned. The return of these shows – previously scheduled for February 18 – 20, 2022 and February 25 – 27, 2022 respectively – has now been postponed to 2023.
Earlier this fall, Power Sport Services announced the cancellation of the 2022 Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Quebec City Motorcycle Shows, due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, as well as global supply-chain challenges affecting the motorcycle industry.
Today’s decision, to cancel the 2022 Toronto and Montreal Motorcycle Shows, comes on the heels of recently announced provincial measures, in both Ontario and Quebec, to take action to limit the spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.
In Ontario, meeting and event spaces must now limit patron admissions to 50% of fire code capacity, significantly impacting Power Sport Services’ ability to deliver the dynamic experience that exhibitors and visitors have come to expect from the Motorcycle Shows. In Quebec, all non-essential public activities, including trade shows, consumer shows and exhibitions are suspended until further notice.
Michelle O’Hara, President of Power Sport Services stated that despite the industry’s best intentions and efforts to re-unite the riding community at the Toronto and Montreal Motorcycle Shows in February 2022, the rapid advancement of the Omicron variant, coupled with the reinstatement of restrictions with no determined sunset date, means we have to put our plans on hold until 2023.
O’Hara went on to say that this was an incredibly difficult decision to make, especially since show planning for the 2022 Toronto and Montreal Shows was advancing well, with strong manufacturer and exhibitor support, as well as solid visitor interest and enthusiasm. But despite this recent setback, we remain optimistic about a return to our live events in 2023.
Power Sport Services is extremely grateful for the determination and commitment demonstrated by the shows’ exhibitors and partners in order to fuel the return of the 2022 Motorcycle Shows. This solidarity and ambition will serve as a strong foundation to actively steer the resilient return of the Motorcycle Shows in 2023.
