- New date: February 19 to 21, 2027, instead of the originally announced February 12 to 14
- Expansion to four halls while shortening the event to three days
- No INTERMOT will take place in 2026
INTERMOT cannot seem to find its footing. Just in early February 2026, the German Motorcycle Industry Association (IVM) and Koelnmesse announced that the motorcycle show would move from December to February. The dates of February 12 to 14, 2027 had been communicated as a fresh start, backed by broad industry support. Now it turns out that those dates are already obsolete. INTERMOT is instead scheduled for February 19 to 21, 2027 in Cologne, as confirmed on the show’s official website.
From World Premiere Stage to a Scheduling Carousel
The recent history of INTERMOT reads like a constant search for the right slot on the calendar. Until 2019, the show took place every two years in October and served the motorcycle industry as a platform for world premieres. But that role was increasingly taken over by EICMA in Milan, which opens its doors annually in November. New models were unveiled there instead, and Cologne lost its relevance.
The attempt to re-establish itself as a premiere event in 2022 fell short of expectations. In 2024 and 2025, INTERMOT moved to December and shrank to two halls and four show days. High hotel prices during Cologne’s Advent season, an already bustling city, and rising booth costs meant that smaller exhibitors in particular stayed away.
An extraordinary general meeting of the IVM on February 10, 2026 then resolved to move the show to February going forward. At the same time, it was announced that no INTERMOT would take place in 2026 at all.
Four Halls, Three Days, One Question Mark
In terms of floor space, INTERMOT 2027 is set to grow again. Four halls are planned instead of the most recent two. At the same time, however, the event will be shorter: just three days instead of four, as was the case most recently. In earlier years, the show had even lasted six days including press and trade visitor days.
The industry had generally welcomed the originally announced fresh start in February. Mike Sommer, head of BMW Motorrad Germany and IVM president, said that Germany needs a strong, nationwide motorcycle show. He expressed confidence that by moving to the start of the season and expanding to four halls, INTERMOT could once again become the leading trade fair. BMW Motorrad would naturally be part of it.
Honda, Yamaha Motor Europe, and Royal Enfield also affirmed their support. Albert Erlacher of Honda said that the motorcycle industry needs a strong, unified presence now more than ever. Marcel Driessen of Yamaha emphasized that the decision in favor of a central industry fair in spring was fully supported. Edgar Kleinbergen of Royal Enfield described INTERMOT as a compass and catalyst for the motorcycle world.
Uwe Seitz, the new managing director of the IVM, characterized the decision as a clear signal. The strong backing from manufacturers and accessory suppliers showed that the industry understood how important a central trade fair is for the German motorcycle market. Additional support came from Zero Motorcycles, Pirelli, Motul, and Horex, among others.
Whether these commitments still hold to the same degree after the latest schedule change remains to be seen.
Competition in North Rhine-Westphalia Intensifies
With the shift by another week, INTERMOT moves even closer to the Motorräder Dortmund show. The Dortmund event traditionally takes place in early March and has been one of Germany’s most popular and largest spring motorcycle fairs for years. Both events are comparable in terms of floor space and visitor numbers, and both are located in North Rhine-Westphalia, less than 100 kilometers apart.
No coordination or scheduling agreement between the two venues is in place. Messe Dortmund has confirmed it will stick to its usual dates. For exhibitors, this means two nearly equally sized motorcycle shows in the same federal state within a few weeks, with the corresponding organizational and financial effort.
February is already densely packed on the German trade fair calendar. In 2026, for example, the Motorrad Messe Leipzig and the Moto Austria took place in early February, while the IMOT Munich was held in late February, all in close succession. INTERMOT is positioning itself with its new dates right in the middle of this crowded field.
Losing Germany Premieres as a Risk
By moving from December to February, INTERMOT gives up one argument that still spoke in favor of visiting the Cologne show: the chance to see new models in Germany relatively soon after EICMA. Going forward, roughly two and a half months will pass between the premieres in Milan and the dates in Cologne. Many of the new models are likely to already be at dealerships by then.
The organizers are instead banking on the function as a so-called season opener. Oliver Frese, managing director of Koelnmesse, describes INTERMOT as the emotional center and economic platform of the motorcycle industry in Germany. With the new scheduling, they aim to deliberately send a strategic signal and create visibility, orientation, and market momentum.
What Is Happening Behind the Scenes
The fact that the dates were shifted again so shortly after the initial announcement raises questions. No official reason for the one-week postponement has been given so far. It is conceivable that organizational or logistical reasons on the part of Koelnmesse played a role, or that the proximity to IMOT Munich on February 20 to 22 had caused scheduling conflicts in the original plan.
For the IVM as the conceptual sponsor of INTERMOT, a great deal is at stake. The association was founded in 1990, represents around 50 member companies, and claims to cover more than 95 percent of the German motorcycle market. INTERMOT is meant to function as a central platform for the industry, trade, media, and politics. Whether this goal can be achieved with yet another date change and an already overcrowded trade fair calendar remains to be seen.
What This Means for Motorcyclists
Anyone looking to prepare for the 2027 season with fresh impressions, purchase decisions, or simply a trade fair visit now faces a new situation. While INTERMOT takes place closer to the actual start of the season, the new models shown there will no longer be surprises after EICMA in November. At the same time, the question arises whether a visit to Cologne is worthwhile when a comparable offering awaits in Dortmund just a few weeks later. The answer largely depends on which manufacturers actually exhibit in Cologne and whether INTERMOT offers enough content to set itself apart from the other spring fairs. One thing is certain: two shows of this size in such close temporal and geographical proximity are unlikely to sustain themselves at full capacity in the long run.
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