Grassroots Outdoor Alliance reports a 5.9 percent increase in individual buyers registered to attend its Spring Connect Show in Reno, NV, this summer. The retailer-owned network of 100 independently owned outdoor retailers and 67 vendor partners said the show, scheduled for June 9-12, is expected to see “flat vendor and retail business attendance” this season.
One highlight of the show will be Alpinist Conrad Anker, who will speak on 40 years of transformation in the outdoor industry.
Grassroots indicated in a media release “that the 148 retail businesses and 147 exhibitors are essentially flat versus last year’s Spring Connect Show, but individual buyers increased 5.9 percent year-over-year to 391.”
Connect will provide a forum for “10,874 appointments between retailers and brands, a 7.5 percent increase over its 2024 Spring Connect Show, and 8,229 hours of meetings, OR 2.2 percent year-over-year decrease.”
The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance group has tracked buyer engagement statistics since it began pre-scheduling appointments for retailers and brands in 2016.
“Retailers being able to write well-informed orders for subsequent seasons requires a dedicated chunk of time with their core vendors at the right time of year, and these numbers tell us that Connect is still providing that as its core value proposition,” said Gabe Maier, president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. “Along with that, we have a great lineup of education sessions this spring aimed at helping retailers grow their knowledge base, stay up to date on trends, and deepen their connections with the Grassroots community.”
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance will host 104 outdoor brands at Discovery Marketplace on the afternoon of June 8, the day before the Connect show. While the show focuses on line showings supporting long-established brand-retailer relationships, Discovery Marketplace offers new and emerging brands an opportunity to showcase products to specialty retailers.
Image courtesy Grassroots Outdoor Alliance
