Before we get to the actual event, we might have to break the whole thing down to the beginning of the new Bike Days Willingen. What actually happened?! The former organizers quickly canceled their event for economic reasons because they could no longer inspire enough exhibitors, etc., for the event.
The cancellation was a shocking moment for many!
The cancellation was a shock for many Willingen fans, you have to understand the background to it. The Harley community is a cross-section of society, many work hard and want to enjoy their valuable free time with friends in the community at Harley-Davidson events.
Everything is planned, the dog is placed with grandma, the hotel is booked, the tour is planned and whatever else you want to do during the event is organized. There is always someone who works out nice tours to explore the area and the region's sights.
Exhibitors were hanging in the air!
The exhibitors plan the events they want to go to during the year just as long-term and who had chosen Willingen was suddenly up in the air. Many people can no longer afford that these days; they need good events to make ends meet. It wasn't the case that none of them wanted to come to Willingen anymore.
In any case, many bikers and everyone who had planned something with the event in Willingen suddenly found themselves faced with a canceled event. There was a lot going on at the Harley site. Everyone wanted to know what had happened and why the sudden end happened. It was not the fault of the community, which was emphasized again in a statement. Maybe we'll make a point here now, behind the old story, because it went on.
It continued, new name and new organizers!
Now Beanie and Flo came into play. After initial discussions with responsible Harley-Davidson dealers in the region, they immediately founded an event company to pick up the scepter that had been thrown on the ground. They are both bikers, well-known in Willingen and they have a very large circle of friends and many biker friends who all wanted to get involved.
That's how it happened, I don't know if everyone can imagine what kind of tasks lie behind such an event, because it became something more than just a beer truck and a small stage on the site.
Mütze and Flo – The organizers of the Bike Days Willingen
Everyone pitched in!
With active support from the Harley world, friends, the community and, last but not least, the people of Willingen, the new Bike Days Willingen suddenly took shape. When hotel bookings increased again after the hundreds of cancellations and the encouragement came from the Harley scene with encouraging comments from bikers who promised to definitely be there, you felt more than just the spirit of the community.
A lot of new friendships have been made here, I can say that! Sometimes things are supposed to work out that way in order to create something even better.
Those responsible at Harley-Davidson looked at the new event on site in Willingen in order to be able to assess it for the future. In addition to the Harley-Davidson dealers HD Pfeiffer and HD MotoMaxx, there was also support for the exhibitor area from event colleague Klaus Fröhlich, who organizes the Harley-Davidson Meeting Ruhrpott in Hattingen. Fröhlich will be hosting his own Harley-Davidson meeting on August 4, 2024 in the impressive location of the LWL Museum Henrichshütte.
The future of the event is already at stake, as Harley-Davidson is taking a very close look at who can and cannot hold a Harley-Davidson branded event, especially given what happened before.
Everyone could breathe a sigh of relief on Sunday!
Initial comments say that it was better than in previous years. There are still a few visitors missing to build on the glory days, but that was due to the uncertain weather and because people weren't sure whether the new organizers would be able to pull it off straight away. But they managed it, even Hessenschau TV (from minute 14:35) was there and reported.
The Hooters started on Thursday. An internal exhibitor party was also held to recognize traders for their presence. They presented a great music program on stage, and everything was free, which should be emphasized again.
These were the new Bike Days Willingen 2024 40
The entire city was in the hands of Harley bikers last weekend. The event welcomes all bikers, but 95% of them were the big V2 engines from Milwaukee. There were very cool bikes on display, from old Panheads with rigid frames to the new CVO ST Road Glide 2024, which is really very rare to find in the country.
Florian Goebel estimates that the Bike Days were able to attract over 20,000 visitors this year, which is truly a great success. Even on Sunday it continued until the afternoon, when the last band stopped playing, the event was over. There are a few things that could be improved, but in principle it was a great event that was put together in a very short space of time.
