When Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental arrived at the international scene in 2017, it did so with the aim of becoming a major celebration of cycling. It positioned itself as a global flagship festival in record time, and this positive momentum has turned it into a centre of attraction for numerous forms of cycling. From the most recreational to the most commercial.
From a cycling enthusiast’s point of view, Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental is an event on the calendar that’s not to be missed. Its primary aim was to serve as a popular fair that could attract all kinds of cyclists, and that goal was rapidly achieved.
The fair’s location largely contributed to its appeal. Girona is an internationally-renowned cycling destination. It’s a city that’s succeeded in attracting professional athletes in search of the best possible place to train and enthusiasts from all over the world seeking a unique cycling environment.
Its greatest advantage lies in the diversity of terrains on offer, making Girona an international hub for practically all cycling disciplines. Its network of quiet and well-maintained secondary roads, which can take you to the beach on the Costa Brava and then, just a few kilometres away, on challenging climbs in the Pyrenees, is made up of differing terrains and landscapes that are hard to match.
The off-road version doesn’t lag far behind. An exceptional number of trails have made Girona one of the world’s major gravel venues. Bicycle presentations, shoots for catalogues and events such as those organised by Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental have further established it as one of the fastest-growing forms of cycling in recent years.
And when it comes to MTB, Sea Otter Europe provides amazing trails starting at the very gateway to the fair.
Even urban cycling has joined forces with this bicycle festival, as year after year Girona has proven to be a city that’s particularly friendly to bikes and urban journeys on wheels.
Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental and its success in attracting thousands of visitors
This is the playing field on which the 15 sporting events organised during the last Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental took place, attracting thousands of active cyclists.
But it isn’t just sporting events that attract the final public. The bike testing programme at Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental makes hundreds of bikes available to visitors, many of them available for testing for the very first time. Once again, circuits suitable for each discipline and an ideal setting do the rest to ensure that the demobike programme is one of the highlights of the festival.
With such a strong visitor base (more than 57,000 people came to last year’s event), the brands are highly committed to the fair, in the knowledge that they’ll find a large number of visitors and that they’ll also be dealing with a specialised public.
An exhibition area that’s become a meeting point for professionals
Although the exhibition area of Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental has increased in size year by year, its stands sell out every season and not only does the number of exhibitors increase, but the trend in terms of the amount of space hired by the key companies in the sector is also an upward one. It’s not just a matter of coming to Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental, it’s also about standing out among the wide range of brands at the fair. In 2022 more than 220 exhibitors occupied the largest exhibition area in the history of Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental.
At Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental it’s customary for many innovations in the sector to be seen live for the first time. Together with the presence of the brands’ personnel, this has turned the festival into a must-visit event for stores, which can view the brands’ latest products in person and establish direct relationships with their employees.
The attendance of all kinds of brands also creates an opportunity for relationships between suppliers within the bicycle sector, as the fair is one of the few places where you can meet hundreds of companies from the sector in an area covering just a few square metres. The international importance of Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental has turned it into an ideal meeting point for the industry.
Major media coverage to close the circle
With visitors directly interested in the world of cycling, sporting events in all the categories, the chance to test hundreds of bikes, a world-class benchmark exhibition and an exceptional environment for cycling, all that’s needed is lots of media coverage. And Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental gets it. The presence of the international media has increased year after year, attracted by the large number of new products and the launches that take place at the fair, but also by its commercial nature and the direct relationship with the brands that can only be found at an event like Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental. Hours of broadcasts, videos, articles, millions of impacts on social media… during Sea Otter Europe Costa Brava Girona by Continental week, Girona is the global epicentre of cycling.