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European Bike Week 2023 at Lake Faaker See – When money is the only thing that matters!

Then information is sometimes withheld!

„European Bike Week at Lake Faaker See: Harley-Davidson's European highlight – Who benefits and what are the challenges?“

Contract negotiations for EBW are still ongoing.

There are fixed dates for 2024 and 2025, which suggests that the contracts for the following years from 2026 onwards are currently being negotiated and, according to the latest information, have not yet been finalized. There is noticeable reluctance to discuss this topic. Negotiations between Kärnten Werbung, the Villach region, and Harley-Davidson have been ongoing throughout the year.

SStalled negotiations and lack of communication

There were even rumors that Harley-Davidson was looking for another event location. The parties involved actually wanted to agree on the 120th Anniversary Festival in Budapest, but even there, the new European Bike Week contract was not finally signed.

The negotiations appear to have stalled; it is not that the otherwise highly praised Bike Week there would be no problems.

The latest announcement from Harley-Davidson regarding EBW, To be honest, it's not particularly informative; there's nothing new in it, which some members of the community have already criticized on social media. Normally, you wouldn't skimp on information if you wanted to promote your event.

Why is Arneitz Village being advertised so prominently?

Villach Tourism has prominently placed a link to Arneitz Village on its homepage, and the Arneitz program poster is also prominently displayed in first place. It is actually the counter-event to Harley-Davidson's EBW.

It's all a bit strange. Of course, as a tourism agency, you have to be active on behalf of everyone in the region, but as an event organizer, I wouldn't really like the combination of exclusive information about Harley Village and the conspicuous presentation of the counter-events.

The Arneitz Village

At Arneitz Village, the popularity among bikers has also declined significantly in recent years. In the past, many high-profile customizers exhibited their bikes there. In general, it was and still is more of a gathering place for the old school biker generation. Unfortunately, a lot has changed here. The coming years will reveal how things will develop. In any case, they offer a wide range of activities and are committed to attracting renowned customizers to the event once again.

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Harley-Davidson authorized dealers are pulling out

The problems at Faaker See seem to be somewhat greater than expected. It is known that some exhibitors from Harley-Davidson had considerable bureaucratic problems with the financial police last year. Documents from employees with long service records were requested by the authorities. It seemed somewhat unusual to have to provide proof of training from 19XX, for example.

Others were penalized if they did not adhere to the official language. Anyone who thought they could fill out the form in English encountered difficulties. We are not talking about brief checks here; some of them were very intensive.

What the financial police found during their inspections!

I always think it's better to know exactly what you're talking about, and I have at Federal Ministry of Finance asked what the checks had actually achieved.

The financial police regularly carry out targeted checks at large events, covering the entire event or sometimes only certain areas, sectors, or vendors. In this specific case, the entire event was checked over several days, with vendors being checked for compliance with employment and tax regulations.

The financial police carried out checks on several days during Bike Week 2022 and, with around 35 officers, made the following findings: 125 businesses with 488 employees were inspected and the following violations were found: 3 cases of unauthorized employment of foreigners, 15 cases of illegal employment, 5 cases of unauthorized receipt of unemployment benefits, 61 violations of the Wage and Social Dumping Prevention Act, and 2 offenses under the Trade Regulation Act. In addition, 12 inspection reports were sent to the Austrian tax office, one report was sent to the labor inspectorate, and around 30,000 euros were collected in arrears.

^{Current information from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance upon Harley's request}

Strict controls and the importance of documentation

Of course, they weren't just at Harley Village, but one thing is clear: they don't take any nonsense, and when they show up somewhere, you really need to have all your papers and documentation with you, otherwise you'll get caught up in the system and pay a hefty fine. One of the problems is knowing in advance exactly what they will ask for, but this year many people will be better prepared. However, one might question why they are being so strict when it's only a matter of missing documents.

The authorized dealer Harley-Davidson Hamburg Nord has canceled after 20 years of participation.

Last year, the H-D authorized dealer with stores in Bolzano, Trento, and Innsbruck withdrew, and this year the authorized dealers in St. Pölten, Salzburg, and H-D Hamburg North canceled their participation in Bike Week. The Hamburg-based company had been attending the event at Lake Faaker See for 20 years.

Various retailers cite reasons such as the restriction on music until shortly after midnight and high stand rental fees, which, although they have not increased in the last five years, are still considered high by authorized dealers.

Security and, in general, the high costs for personnel and accommodation and everything else that goes with it. The bureaucracy involved with the authorities, and woe betide you if an important document is missing from the paperwork, plus incomprehensibly high penalties. This makes it no fun for some of those involved, because they want to be there too; for many, it's not just about business.

Where are the top players in the Harley scene?

The major players have not been involved for many years. Rick's Motorcycles and Thunderbike have different reasons for no longer attending Bike Week. For Ricks, it's the cost factor; the personnel and accommodation costs were no longer proportionate. For Thunderbike, it's the costs, and back then they were literally left to drown on the grounds. The wood chips arrived far too late, and when you've got nothing but mud in front of your tent and visitors can't even get to your stand, you don't want to put up with it anymore. The dealers are all very resentful and won't come back if things don't run smoothly.

Bikers are increasingly being targeted by the authorities

In addition, bikers are increasingly being targeted by the police, which is causing a lot of dissatisfaction. It should be mentioned that the Bavarian police also carry out special checks on the way to and from Lake Faaker See. Checks are certainly necessary and well known, but perhaps it comes down to the necessary tact and sensitivity with which they are carried out. If they don't carry out checks, thefts increase, which nobody wants. But nevertheless, there was an increasing feeling that it was not just about theft prevention.

Villach Tourism wants to earn money

They want to benefit from all of us. A look at Villach Tourism reveals their strategy. They prefer to process transactions via their own portal, which is why there is only limited information about the event elsewhere. While the trips they offer are subject to a fee, the two chapters I am happy to support offer their tours to you and your friends free of charge. Villach relies on its own tourism map and booking platform, which explains why accommodation offers are scarce on other established booking portals. They want to remain in control, and it seems that hotel operators don't really have a choice.

They use event information as bait for their platform.

Even in the last official Event information by Harley-Davidson, there was hardly any relevant information, which some people have already criticized on Facebook. In addition to information, the Harley website features a booking link to Booking.com, which many people generally prefer, provided that suitable accommodations are displayed. I usually book my own trips through the well-known portals.

Of course, you could call the hotels directly to save money, but we often appreciate the convenience and simplicity, or discounts from the Genius loyalty program, which is generally the success of the portals.

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The Velden Village is returning to Velden am Wörthersee

In Velden, I had discussions with hoteliers who had already been complaining about the overall negative developments in Carinthia last year. The police would be called in from Vienna, and they are probably a little different from the local law enforcement officers. And they didn't like the decision to ban motor events in the town at all.

Velden am Wörthersee is back in the race

But then, who would have thought that after Velden am Wörthersee announced last year that no more motor events would be welcome in the region around Lake Wörthersee, including the GTI meeting and the Harley-Davidson meeting, the Velden Village would be revived in Velden. The hoteliers are the driving force behind this, as they have had consistently positive experiences with their Harley guests. Over the years, this has led to acquaintances and regular customers who are always welcome at the hotel at the end of the season.

Velden am Wörthersee has no objection to booking portals

Then there was the issue with the booking portals!

Velden Tourism does not view Booking.com as a competitor. At Lake Faaker See, they prefer to remain independent of Booking.com * and other platforms. In Velden, the opinion is: It's like not Being listed on Google is important if you decide against using booking portals, as it seems that anything that cannot be found on Google does not really exist. In Velden, it is important that customers can decide for themselves how they want to book their accommodation, in contrast to Lake Faaker See, where the range of options on the portals is very limited.

Velden am Wörthersee would like to participate more in European Bike Week

Months ago, Velden sought to gain a financial stake in the entire event, not as a competitor, but as a partner. This represents a complete turnaround for the town. It is commendable when politicians and decision-makers reconsider their decisions and are open to improved approaches after discussions with those affected.

What alternatives do we have?

You could focus more on Velden, where this year they are even expanding the Velden Village to include the Schlosshotel. There will be live music again, as there will be at Gemonaplatz. More information will follow shortly, but there will definitely be something on offer there again.

Or let's take a look at Prague, because the Prague Harley Days are still hungry, reasonable prices, and a beautiful city that has a lot to offer. I was last in the Prague Harley Days, The event takes place one week before the Harley-Davidson meeting in Carinthia, Austria, from September 1 to 3, 2023 takes place.

Question: What do they do with all that money?

The question of questions is actually, what are they doing with all the money that is currently being negotiated? It would be nice if some of the revenue went back into the event! It can't be right that we are being offered less and less, but they all want to earn more. Normally, an event refinances itself depending on how it is set up. It's true that requirements and safety regulations have increased enormously in recent years, but it's not as if the exhibitors don't pay anything. However, if it's becoming increasingly difficult even for Harley dealers at Europe's largest Harley-Davidson Event To keep going, you have to ask yourself what is actually going on here.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, events often lose their charm over time. EBW has also been experiencing a decline in popularity for years. It seems as if everyone is cashing in, but investing less in the event. At least there is no admission fee at Lake Faaker See, but there is obviously not enough budget for top-class acts.

After the coronavirus pandemic, we miss the big stage, and impressive fireworks and top acts are now only heard of in stories. The event and the bikers generate added value of several million euros in the region. Participants and guests book thousands of overnight stays in the area.

Finally, information about the event is positioned exclusively to guide bikers and maximize profits. If this were reflected in the event, everything would be fine, but currently fewer Harley dealers are participating in the event each year, so the problems with the event may be even greater than currently thought.

The sad thing about it is that Lake Faaker See is beautiful, but what good is that when it's getting smaller every year?.

Text and image credits: Harleysite

^{*Affiliate link. *2 Screenshot from the Villach Tourism website}

FAQs about the Harley-Davidson meetup in Faak am See, Austria

Further information about the Harley-Davidson event in Austria can be found on the Harley website: