On day two of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, Jim Marsh, the publisher of Canoe and Kayak magazine, announced his company would be launching an independent outdoor and paddlesports tradeshow to be held in Minneapolis in early September of 2010.  This announcement comes after several paddlesports vendors and retailers decided not to attend ORSM due to the shift in timing.

 

While the show is being organized and sold by the business development team at Canoe and Kayak magazine, the Trade Association of PaddleSports (TAPS) came out in support of the show.


“Let’s face it, OR messed up,” Jim Moss, a board member of TAPS told SEW. “There are very few retailers that specialize in paddlesports at this show, and many key brands are no longer exhibiting. Retailers just can’t leave their shops during the month of July. It’s the only time they can do business.”


However, the vendors at the show don’t quite understand why the paddlesports retailers are taking such issue with show timing.  “This show is in the middle of the week when most of the dealers would be slow anyway,” said one paddlesports vendor that wished to remain anonymous.  “We expect fully that we won’t write orders until September, but at least they would see the new product early.”


The announcement and the advertisement of the new show on the ORSM show floor set off a bit of a melee on Wednesday as dozens gathered in the aisles of the paddlesports venue at the show to voice their opposition to the action by TAPS and Canoe & Kayak.


Both OIA and the management team at Outdoor Retailer voiced serious concern about the new show. “Both Outdoor Industry Association and Outdoor Retailer feel that a separate trade show at this time will split the industry when together we should concentrate more on growing the market,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president and CEO of OIA. 

 

“Segmented trade shows are a failing model. To introduce one while paddlesports sales are declining is detrimental to the paddlesports segment and the overall health of the industry. We are committed to working through these challenges and will be searching for a mutually beneficial solution.”


Moss also told SEW that TAPS, Outdoor Retailer, and Canoe and Kayak Magazine are currently in discussions to try and resolve the dispute by shifting show dates to August again. He said that if this and other concessions are made, Canoe and Kayak magazine will cancel their show.