While traffic appeared light, as expected, at last week’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, hearts were heavy given the show’s exit from Salt Lake City for the first time in 22 years.
At least for the next five years, the show will be held in Denver, starting in January 2018. Many reminisced about their time in Salt Lake, seemed rejuvenated by the stand the industry took over public lands, and appeared eager to try Denver as a new home for the show
The Denver move seemed to distract attendees from the ongoing retail turmoil, marked by the transformative shift to online selling led by Amazon as well as a numerous bankruptcies in the active lifestyle space.
Here, a few comments from show veterans:
Greg Thomsen, Managing Director, Adidas Outdoor USA, “Best show we have experienced so far. The combination of Adidas Terrex and Five Ten gave us a very deep product platform for a wider variety of retailers to experience…The move to Denver was a big topic, but mainly centered on the positive aspects of Colorado as the next location. We are feeling very optimistic from our discussions with our retail partners about 2018. We see continued growth and a new focus on outdoor recreation throughout the country.”
Stephen Barnes, Senior Director, Sierra Designs: “We launched 44 new styles, so we expected solid traffic in our booth and the show lived up to that. It did not appear that there were a vast number of retailers at the show, but the editorial side was well represented and appeared super busy checking out our new products. We won an award (Best New Gear from Gear Institute for the Cloud sleeping bag), and they always generate enthusiasm and traffic….In general, it appeared the show was slower than normal. The aisle ways were certainly easier to navigate, which allowed opportunity for quite a few sidebar chats about Denver, public lands policy and politics, Amazon and myriad topics, which was great. I had several discussions about how the public land conversations are not just about politics, but about the future health of our business and industry, as without access to places to recreate, there is no need for all the cool stuff we all make. We all need to band together to protect public lands in order to protect our businesses!”
Erika Canfield, Head of Marketing, Outdoor Research: “The biggest thing I noticed at this show was an energy and buzz around change, change, change, and the need for nimble adaptation – the show moving to Denver, the massive shift in the retail landscape, large brands trailing behind small start-ups in the world of nimble e-commerce platforms, women and diversity in the industry, the discussion around public lands. The industry feels at a pivot point and people are galvanized. Now we need to turn that energy and conversation into tangible and relevant action.”
Ross Saldarini, President, Mountain Khakis: “The final SLC OR show was a tremendous going away show and positive ‘Thank you Salt Lake’ from the industry. Yvon got us started Day 0 with a swift boot in the pants only he can deliver. Sally Jewel kicked us off the morning of Day 1 with a perfect balance of hope and challenge for the industry followed by the unveiling of titanic state by state outdoor rec economy data proving how far the industry has come and validating Sally’s hope. Days 1 & 2 were busy traffic-wise with business getting done around the floor. The 3,000 person strong march underscored support for that uniquely American thing, Public Lands, the work left to do at Bears Ears and the passion our industry can rally. It was all on display. Folks left SLC positive and on a high looking forward to showing off innovative products to retailers January 2018 in Denver.”
Sam (Samantha) Killgore, Marketing Manager, SCARPA North America: “The show was really positive and upbeat – a great way to end the years in Salt Lake – especially when countering it against the winter show, where it felt like people were fairly negative. The move to Denver and politics around public land were a major point of discussion. People for the most part are excited about going to Denver, though there are some concerns around the possibility of having two winter shows, one more oriented toward soft-goods and the other toward hard-goods.”
John Connelly, President and Founder, Oboz: “The show was positive and very productive for us, including an excellent experience at the demo at Jordanelle. It felt like attendance was down and we had fewer appointments compared to last year even though we’ve greatly increased our business in that time. Less traffic is no surprise because, in reality, most business is wrapped up by show time. But the show is still a great social event, and it offers the opportunity to follow up on earlier previews and regional shows. Usually something unexpected and good happens at the show. But I don’t know if you could say that the show is cost effective for established brands anymore…The move to Denver was a topic of just about every conversation. Salt Lake has been a great venue for the show, so moving is quite bittersweet.”
Doug Graham, Global Strategic Account Manager, W. L. Gore & Associates: “Moving to Denver was a key discussion topic obviously, but primarily as the jumping off point to the question of the role of trade shows in our rapidly evolving ecosystem. Some answers I heard include: seminars, speakers, networking, face to face with vendors, customers, media, etc. Also larger brands/suppliers working to provide an environment for all to thrive – this is a responsibility, and the diversity and creativity that comes from new brands is one source of energy that drives the overall market that larger brands need. Kind of a symbiosis.”
Vince Mazzuca, Senior Marketing Manager, Osprey Packs: “The show was excellent for Osprey. The move to Denver was not a major topic in our meetings. It came up occasionally but briefly. We kept our meetings focused on the innovative products that we are delivering for Spring 2018 and how we are going to support our retailers in successfully selling these products through. Based on the meetings that we had and the relationships we have with our retail partners, we are very optimistic for the future of Osprey, our retailers and the industry. Coming out of OR, we are reminded of how fortunate we are to work with very talented and creative retailers who are dedicated to positioning themselves as the community hub for all things outdoors. These proactive retailers are the ones overcoming the current head winds that retail is facing right now.”
Erica Rosen, Director of Marketing, BioLite: “It was actually a great show for us but we definitely overheard others saying it felt a bit somber and sleepy. Our experience was quite the opposite. We feel really fortunate to be in the company of a handful of young brands that are really hungry to have an impact on the industry – a cohort born on the Internet, thriving on social platforms, and adapting quickly to omnichannel strategies. There’s a new guard coming, and we all left the show feeling pretty excited about what’s next.”
Jeff Turner, Sales Manager, Kokatat: “It was fair. Between OR’s new timing that can conflict with paddle retailers’ schedule, and the fact that much of the paddle world is gearing up for the new Paddlesports Retailer show at the end of August, we were missing a number of familiar faces at OR.”
Joe Peters, Head of Global Marketing, Vasque: ”While it was bittersweet, we felt an upbeat vibe around the industry coming together for the final show in Utah. The general topic around the move mainly centered around our ‘Thank you Utah’ campaign launched at the Outsiders Ball and extended into our booth on the floor, through which Vasque was able to fund more than 250 Utah Youth the opportunity in getting outside in their home state in the upcoming year. We’re very optimistic about the future of the industry coming out of Summer OR, and feel the industry has never been stronger or more unified in helping people discover the outdoors.”
Dennis Randall, Global VP of Marketing, Mountain Hardwear: “The show surprised our entire team at Mountain Hardwear with strong energy and attendance. We had been hearing beforehand that a number of companies may not attend for political reasons and because of the impending transition to Denver, but we were pleasantly surprised to see the halls filled…The show move to Denver and the challenges within the specialty market seemed to dominate the majority of conversations. People seemed to be both excited by the change in cities but also a bit saddened by the impact to the local SLC community. Our team had several conversations with locals in the service industry about the move and you could feel the weight of the financial impact that is looming.”
David Ludd, VP of Global Marketing, Coolcore: “Regardless of the overall traffic clearly being down from previous shows, this show was very positive and re-affirming for Coolcore with a non-stop flow of people and very busy booth. Despite multiple brand cooling stories, our innovation, point of difference (chemical-free cooling) and product offering resonates with what current and future brand partners are looking for. The vibe of the show seemed to skew towards less energy and a lot of chatter inevitably turned to the political focus. It’s always tough to part with something so familiar, and it was impossible to ignore the impending move to Denver regardless of your point of view. Everyone seems to be cautiously optimistic about Denver and excited about the access to skiing and outdoor activities. Coming out of the show, the level of innovation, passion and commitment seem stronger than ever!”
David Newey, Director of Global Marketing, PrimaLoft: “Despite the move to Denver looming over the show, Outdoor Retailer was business as usual at the PrimaLoft booth. As always, the show provided PrimaLoft with the opportunity to showcase our latest product offerings, and to conduct productive meetings with retailers, brand partners and journalists. Salt Lake City has been an exceptional host for Outdoor Retailer and we are excited to see what Denver has to offer; however, the upcoming shift in dates for the Winter show, from January to the preceding November, is another adjustment we are looking forward to. We believe this shift will be beneficial to retailers, as the new timing will better coincide with the retail buying season.”
Eric Greene, President, Kelty: “Although there was a bittersweet feeling as we said goodbye to Salt Lake City, the energy was high and the momentum strong. The industry continues to be relevant regardless of the show venue, especially as the definition of the outdoor experience becomes more inclusive. Brands leveraged the show to celebrate industry unity, with the This Land is Your Land March going off without a hitch. The show remains a gathering place for brands and retailers to conduct business, introduce new products and network with friends. From a product perspective, trends were consistent, especially with brands like ours debuting gear that provides a seamless outdoor experience. We look forward to Denver with a new energy, combined communities and a new chapter.”
Marily Melis, Marketing Director, Wenzel: The show went great for Wenzel this year. We had a whole new and energized booth layout and got the opportunity to really show off our new for Spring 2018 Tribute Collection, including our Shenanigan Teepee…Overall, the show seemed super nostalgic. We found ourselves reminiscing about our 1st shows and how many years we’d all been coming to Salt Lake. A common topic of conversation was consolidations and mergers. Learning more about the Camping World strategy for Gander Mtn and hearing what the Moosejaw and Walmart merger is going to look like was great for future planning. Change is inevitable and having to pivot to more of an online focus is more crucial than ever before. We were busier than ever but the focus was mainly PR and Marketing.”
Ricardo Bottome, CEO of Canaima Outdoors, parent company of TreePod Hanging Treehouses and Slackline Industries: “The show was a bit polarized for us – light traffic, but great success. We gained two very good international distributors (France and Korea), so I’m stoked! Most people I spoke to were optimistic about the outdoor industry making the transition east. We can’t complain being based in Boulder – if the outdoor industry blossoms half as much as it did here when OR came, we’ll be happy.”
Jason McGibbon, VP of Sales, Yakima Products: “In general, I was pleasantly surprised by the traffic within the Yakima booth on days one and two. Yakima has continued to benefit from not only brand momentum, but the innovative new products we are bringing to market. In particular, our focus on the expansion into camp with Roof Top Tents is resonating with our trade partners, and generating tremendous excitement…The vibe at the last show in Salt Lake City was “interesting.” It was clear that levels of uncertainty persist within our industry. What the future holds for both brands and retailers remains somewhat elusive, as the industry is facing one of its most dynamic chapters. The current retail landscape and demands of the consumer is changing so rapidly, it is forcing organizations to evolve quickly, or face a significant headwind…Departing Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City for the last time, I was struck by productive and constructive dialogue, with more questions than answers. The result is no doubt a need to focus on the core, strengthen the partnerships and create meaningful solutions for the cons.”
Molly Cuffe, Global Communications Director, Smartwool: “For Smartwool, the show was great. Our traffic remained steady and the overall vibe seemed incredibly positive. Everyone seemed excited to be moving the show to Denver. Change, although hard at times, is good and I think it’s breathed a little fresh life into the show.”
Graeme Esarey, President, Industrial Revolution: “The show went a lot better than we expected. We had concerns about reduced traffic, unexpected hotel availability, and retailers ‘passing this year,’ but our booth was busy and our customers all showed up and were really engaged. It’ll take until 2018 to know for sure, but the vibe and the energy around our new products was actually better than the last few years, in spite of some pretty depressing political and industry news. Go figure!”
Photo courtesy Outdoor Retailer
