By all accounts this year’s ispo winter 05 trade fair proved to be the most successful trade and consumer sporting goods show in the world, with a strong U.S. retail and vendor contingency in attendance, a strong showing from Asia, and even greater participation by neighbors in France and elsewhere.

More than 55,000 trade visitors attended ispo this year with foreign visitors increasing to 64% of the total compared to 59% last year. The top attending foreign countries were Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, Great Britain, Spain, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Russia, and South Korea. The U.S. had 79 companies exhibiting.

Among the U.S. manufacturers in attendance was Montrail, whose climbing shoe designer, Scott Franklin, was awarded the Volvo SportsDesign Award for women’s footwear. Montrail’s ‘Grommet’ climbing shoe is a girl’s specific shoe inspired by Franklin’s daughter.

Other winners of note include Burton’s ‘Troop Group’ for board equipment; Dynafit 5.0 ST Women’s Ski for outdoor equipment; Rossignol Attraction for ski equipment; Salomon Siam Helmet for accessories and components; and Homesick Sports Net for women’s concepts.


The U.S. retailers in attendance were given the opportunity to see first hand how business is done across the pond. ispo show management brought 20 retailers from across the U.S. to attend. The buzz retailers like Chick’s Sporting Goods (SoCal), Willi’s Ski Shop (Pittsburgh), and Ski Market (Boston) are expected to create back home has ISPO management hoping for more attendance from both U.S. retailers and manufacturers.

A release from ispo said that the contingent of American retailers was “collectively impressed, overwhelmed, and inspired” by ispo, and vowed to return. “From the minute you walk through the door, ispo is exciting and inspiring,” said Central Coast Surfboards president Steve Carlson. “From the fashion shows to the BrandNew awards, everything is well organized and is presented exceptionally well.”

Ski retailers were said to be “overwhelmed” by the enormity of the trade show and were impressed by the organization of the show. “It’s a show that is easy to navigate and find what you want,” said Bill Quigley of Danzeisen & Quigley in Cherry Hill, NJ in an ispo release.

ISPO’s BrandNew pavilion received many compliments for drawing attention to new companies and products. By bringing innovative offerings from several manufacturers into one place, the trade show allowed retailers and journalists alike to focus on finding “the next big thing.”