While many thanked Salt Lake City for hosting the show for the past 22 years and commiserated with their loss, most of the Outdoor Retailer show veterans reached out to by SGB Executive were thrilled with the decision to move the event to Denver for the next five years.
Some were proud the industry took a stand for the protection of public lands. Facing pressure from prominent executives from Patagonia, Black Diamond and others, Outdoor Retailer officials in February said they were ending their run in Utah as a consequence for politicians in the state pushing to rescind national monument designations at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
Patagonia, which is boycotting the last Summer Show later this month due to the state’s stance over public lands, declined to publicly comment on Denver’s win but plans to return to the show in January 2018.
Many industry veterans are big fans of Denver and the state of Colorado’s commitment to the outdoors. Some had feared the show would move to Las Vegas, where Emerald Expositions, Outdoor Retailer’s owner, holds many other shows. Some are ready for a new venue after more than two decades in Utah. Although not directly asked, a few praised the combined winter shows and the shift of dates to better support buying patterns.
While hopeful, the bigger concerns were whether Denver would be ready to handle the housing and exhibitor space issues that had long plagued Salt Lake City. The three shows – Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show in January, Summer Market in July and an Outdoor Retailer-only Winter Market in November – are expected to bring more than 85,000 attendees to the Mile High City each year.
The following are a few comments:
Marily Melis, marketing maven, Slumberjack and Wenzel: “Yes we are excited about the show moving to Denver as it will be right in our backyard. The Rocky Mountains inspire the gear we make and now we get to showcase it here too. We’re also looking forward to inviting buyers to stay a little longer so we can go camp, overland and show off the neighborhood to them. The only downside is we’ll have to clean up our office a bit more for tours – LOL!...Tradeshow booth storage and other logistics will have to be assessed but all in all we don’t foresee too many hiccups.…We’ll miss places like Toasters and Squatters, of course, but look forward to showing the industry all the great spots for food and drink in Denver.”
Gordon Seabury, Toad&Co CEO: “Given that I have been intimately involved in the process for the last two plus years as OIA Chair and in partnership with Grassroots and Emerald, I think this is a very positive outcome for the industry and the future of the outdoor recreation economy. The goal was to find a solution that maintained our industry cohesiveness, allowed broader participation from the coasts and international attendees, streamline the number and timing of tradeshows to improve economic return on investment for retailers and vendors and support a home that is aligned with our industry values. Denver solidly addresses all of these goals and will be a tremendous and enthusiastic partner to the industry as an advocate for public lands, sustainable business practices and outdoor recreation participation…As Toad&Co’s CEO, the team and I look forward to making Denver our new tradeshow home, benefiting from the colocation partnership and timing with Grassroots Connect and coming home to our Colorado brand roots. It is a new and exciting chapter in the outdoor industry adventure.”
Ann Krcik, senior director, communications, The North Face: ”We’re looking forward to joining Outdoor Retailer at its new home in Denver next year. Colorado is a fantastic place to explore and has a deep connection with the outdoor industry. We appreciate the dedication of everyone involved, the OIA, Emerald, and Colorado city and state leaders, in making it happen.”
George Curleigh, VP, Vasque: “We want to say thanks to all the people in SLC and Utah who supported the outdoor industry and Vasque…Colorado is a great state and shows how the outdoor industry can be a huge contributor to the economy and jobs in a way that is sustainable for the indefinite future. We are excited about the move to Denver and spending time in the surrounding areas of Colorado.”
Jim Frank, owner, Ozark Outdoor Supply, Little Rock, AR: “I am excited about the change. We got put off totally with the housing problems at Salt Lake City and just quit going. Too much hassle. Hopefully Denver will not have the same issues. As far as travel it is about the same for us to get to Denver, maybe easier. Also glad the SIA and Winter OR are together again – just like the old days.”
Greg Thomsen, managing director, Adidas Outdoor U.S.: “We are excited to see the show move to Denver and I feel the change of scenery will do us all some good! DIA is easy to get in and out of and Colorado is excited to have us there! My main concern is the size of the venue but I put my trust in the Outdoor Retailer team to solve any of those logistics. Change is good!”
Rich Hill, president, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance: “Denver will be a great backdrop for both the show and the outdoor industry culture. But from a pure business perspective, the selection of a new venue wasn’t as critical of a concern to our membership as the potential shift in dates. Throughout this process, we’ve been working closely with Emerald Expositions and OIA to keep everyone’s eye on those dates as they are the key to our shared goal of co-locating the Grassroots Connect buying show with Outdoor Retailer — an alignment that will enable retailers to use their travel offset provided by Grassroots Outdoor Alliance to attend both shows and will also provide significant benefits all around. Ultimately though, the process has worked. We’ve ended up in a great position where we can hold Connect in the same timeframe as before, and we’ll get to enjoy everything that Denver has to offer during the Outdoor Retailer shows.”
Kim Miller, CEO, SCARPA North America: “The announcement that OR is moving to Denver solidifies a critically important transition and evolution for the outdoor and snow-sports industry and the greater outdoor recreation community. This decision is a statement and an action that confirms Colorado as an epicenter for outdoor recreation and the related industries. Besides being a state that has one of the most diverse and richest outdoor recreation communities in the country, the state’s leadership and greater economic community recognize the outdoor recreation industry as a real contributor and economic driver for our state. There is a real spirit of collaboration, balance and coexistence between all the stakeholders and that is the real key to so much of what makes Colorado such a perfect choice for the trade shows.”
Gary Smith, Polartec’s CEO: “Polartec is very pleased with Outdoor Retailer’s move to Denver. It sends a clear message that the industry will not support a political agenda aimed at weakening or rolling back the protection of vital public lands. From a business perspective, the consolidation of the Winter OR Show and the SIA Snow Show combines two events that overlapped in many ways and therefore competed for resources. Denver is a terrific city with great infrastructure and is a gateway to outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities. We will miss Salt Lake City and feel for the many local businesses who served us well and benefited from our presence.”
Katherine Smith, creative director, Half-Moon Outfitters, North Charleston, SC: “Half-Moon Outfitters is pleased with the decision to move OR to Denver. We are hoping that travel and accommodation becomes easier due to lower costs and more resources, now that the show is moving to Colorado. The seasonal timing change also makes the show more relevant to our entire team.”
Mike Massey, president, Massey’s Outfitters, New Orleans, LA: “I wouldn’t really say I’m pleased with Denver as much as I’m happy the outdoor industry made a choice to put its money behind its business model. If Colorado changed its tune and actively looked for ways to remove environmental designations of protections, I’d be just as happy that we were moving away too. I do look forward though to a change of venues just purely from a personal level. I’m looking forward to extending some travel days to take advantage of Colorado recreation.”
An REI spokesperson: “We are deeply grateful to the people of Utah and Salt Lake City who have welcomed us and looked after us in recent years. And we are deeply disappointed that the reason the show is moving is that niche interests in Utah are attacking our public lands. But we congratulate Denver for winning the bid and are very much looking forward to spending time as an industry in Colorado, talking about the issues that we care most about, acting in the interests of the outdoors community and keeping our $886 billion industry healthy and united.”
Eric Greene, division VP, GM, Exxel Outdoors: Outdoor Performance Group (Kelty, Sierra Designs, Ultimate Direction): “I am 100 percent pleased! At Kelty, we work, play, conduct business and call Colorado home for a reason: Colorado represents the perfect blend of land protection and commerce working hand in hand. Meaning that Colorado blends commerce and responsible land stewardship and they create synergy to everyone’s benefit. The people win. Recreation wins. The economy wins. Conservation wins. I can’t wait for Colorado to model to the world how it is to do this right! The fact that OIA is working hard to sync timing shifts and cooperation with other shows (Snow Sports, GOA) will also make the show stronger and more business relevant again. Overall this is a major win for the outdoor industry…My only concern is for the great people of Utah who are now missing out. While the legislators may not get it, it’s the fine folks who are workers and run businesses in SLC that suffer. The Uber drivers….the restaurant and bar workers….the folks at the resorts. It’s too bad that they take the brunt.”
Chad Altbaier, VP outdoor, Downlite: “We think that the decision to move Outdoor Retailer to Denver will be positive for the industry overall. Although Salt Lake City was a geographically convenient and outdoor-friendly venue, moving the show should bring new energy and freshness. Additionally, sufficient housing, good restaurants, and access to plenty of greenspace and outdoor activities in and around Denver should make for a very welcoming environment to show attendees. We just wish the show organizers kept the convenient Wednesday – Friday ORWM schedule, and Thursday – Saturday ORSM schedule that they introduced last year. Three full show days seems to be sufficient and ending on a weekend typically makes for a very slow day for the exhibitors!”
Graham Gephart, marketing director, evo, Seattle: “Moving the show doesn’t have a huge business impact for us, but we’re very glad to see different sides of the outdoor and action sports industry actively working together on evolving the trade show presence – particularly given how rapidly the retail environment is changing. Bringing the two winter shows together will be the biggest change for us, as we’ll be able to see more vendors in one location and potentially see some new brands that we had missed in not attending OR previously. Having opened our third store just last year in Denver, we had the opportunity to showcase our new retail store for the SIA attendees, and look forward to doing the same for a summer audience in future seasons.”
Joe Peters, head of global marketing, Vasque: “While we’ve enjoyed our years in Utah, we’re excited to see how Denver can support this great event. The location really doesn’t affect the business from our perspective. The beauty of the OR Show is that it brings inspiring people within the industry together, and we’re glad that we’ll continue to have this opportunity twice a year…[As far as concerns], we’ll have to really research restaurants and morning run routes as we’ve built up some really great traditions at our favorite locations in SLC.”
Photo courtesy Colorado Convention Center
