The debut of Asia Outdoor is scheduled for August 23rd to 26th, 2006 in Nanjing, China. Exhibitors will be presenting their products on 10,000 sqm of display space at the first trade show to focus exclusively on the outdoor theme. As of June, 122 brand-name manufacturers were registered for the event. Some 30-50 more companies are expected to sign up before the trade show opens its doors in August. Korea and Taiwan will be present with national displays. Asia Outdoor is a joint trade show project sponsored by Messe Friedrichshafen and the Nanjing exhibition grounds in China.
Chinese manufacturers at Asia Outdoor include Nikko, Kailas, Mobi Garden, ACME, Pitorpan, K2-Summit, Scaler and Back Packer. An equal number of new companies have joined the outdoor bandwagon over the past two years. From central Europe, leading footwear manufacturers Lowa and Meindl will be exhibiting at the event along with Vaude, Northland, Tatonka, Steiner and Zeiss. The Lafuma Group will be at Asia Outdoor with Big Pack and Millet. Swiss bottle manufacturer Sigg (market leader in China) will be exhibiting along with Cerro Torre, Black Yak, Echoroba, Kolomb and A&C from Korea. All of the big names will be in the mountaineering hall: Petzl, Black Diamond (market leader in China), Lucky, Singing Rock, Lanex, Beal, Edelrid and DMM.
An international outdoor fashion show, trade show party, international climbing competitions, climbing courses for dealers and sales representatives, are included in the wide variety of sideline programme events along with a tent city, shoe testing centre, camping area for visitors, retailer village and adventure race.
In its first year, Asia Outdoor is expected to attract nearly 10,000 trade visitors. The outdoor industry’s highest growth rates are in the Chinese market. Around 60 per cent of outdoor products are made in China and national visitor interest in Asia Outdoor is strong. The trade show forum (www.8264.com) with Knut Jaeger has already attracted 579,000 readers. The website 8264.com is China’s leading Internet platform for mountaineering and outdoor activities. Asia Outdoor will be open to the public on August 26 and trade show organisers are expecting more than 20,000 visitors.
