The European Outdoor Group (EOG) has shared the first details of the return of the European outdoor industry’s flagship trade show in 2026, to be held in Italy.
Following the EOG, trade show organizer Messe München, along with the event’s organizers, jointly decided in February to cancel the OutDoor 2025 show, scheduled for May. The issues surrounding the show were not unlike those of the struggling Outdoor Retailer show, which relocated its event from a popular location to address the needs of its constituency, only to find that the show lacked the expected support in its new, larger urban format.
The new “Outdoor” show will take place May 17-18, 2026, in Riva del Garda, Italy, and will form part of a new initiative called European Outdoor Week, which will also incorporate the Outdoor Impact Summit, an EOG Assembly, an outdoor awards ceremony and networking event, and a festival-style activation for trade and consumer visitors.
Riva del Garda is in the Trentino region of Italy on the southern-most edge of the Italian Alps and the northernmost point of Lake Garda. The town is said to be “nestled between the clear waters of the lake and the towering mountains of the Dolomites.”
“When it announced a pause for Outdoor this year, the EOG reaffirmed its commitment to staging a trade show for the European outdoor industry, with a fresh approach for 2026,” the trade association said in a media release. “The association has worked on plans for next year in extensive collaboration involving its board members, executive team and external stakeholders and partners. When Outdoor returns, the EOG will align it with the regional show Outdoor and Running Business Days (ORBD), sharing infrastructure and cooperating on marketing. The association is working closely with MagNet Srl SB, which owns and organizes ORBD.”
Outdoor 2026 is expected to be the centerpiece of the new European Outdoor Week, which will take place from May 15-20, 2026, in Riva del Garda.
“The EOG has long been the voice of the outdoor sector, and one of our core roles is to deliver a vibrant platform that supports collaboration that in turn facilitates profitable, responsible business,” offered EOG Director Christian Schneidermeier. “Hosting a major international trade show has been at the heart of that work for many years, and when we paused Outdoor this year, we made it clear that the show would return.
Following the success of the inaugural Outdoor Impact Summit, the second staging of the event will take place from May 15-16 and will conclude with the EOG Assembly, a refreshed Outdoor Awards ceremony, and a networking dinner.
Outdoor will take place alongside Outdoor and Running Business Days from May 17-18, and the week will conclude with a new outdoor festival concept, providing trade and consumer visitors with the opportunity to test equipment during a range of activities featuring key participating brands and leading outdoor athletes.
“We’ve worked hard during this year to develop a concept that enables our sector to join together in a place that really speaks to why we all love the outdoors,” Schneidermeier continued. “Riva del Garda clearly achieves that, but this alone is not enough. Each event during the week has to be compelling in its own right, and we have created a lineup that we believe delivers that, but we’ve gone further. Our new family of events will complement and support each other and appeal to a much broader audience than they do individually. Not only will European Outdoor Week have a much higher profile and greater reach, it will represent a better value for money proposition than previous trade events for those businesses that choose to get involved.”
The EOG announced the first details of plans for Outdoor and European Outdoor Week, now encouraging brands, retailers and other organizations in the value chain to get in touch and explore the numerous opportunities that the week presents. In other words, they understand annual budgeting and are working to get this show on the books for 2026.
The EOG said it listened to feedback and ideas from its members and other colleagues and has built a line-up that meets the requirements of all parts of the industry, in a format that enables businesses to maximize the value of getting involved, and the return on any investment in one or all of the events.
“Most importantly, Outdoor will be at the heart of a concept that unites and activates our whole community in one place,” Schneidermeier added. “We have been using the phrase ‘no excuses’ in our discussions and this applies to many aspects of the project – ultimately, we want to ensure that there are no excuses for any organization in the outdoor sector to consider missing out. At the European Outdoor Group, we recognize that these are challenging times, and the best way to tackle the biggest challenges is to take the initiative with positive, constructive action. This is what we’re doing, and I urge colleagues to join us in Riva del Garda in 2026.”
The EOG, which has fewer than 150 members, said in February that it is embracing transformation in 2025, including preparing for board member and presidential elections. Schneidermeier formally joined the EOG in March 2025.
Image courtesy Kayak.com
