OutDoor 2015, Europe's primary trade show for the human-powered outdoor industry, is accepting nominations for the 10th OutDoor Industry Award.
All manufacturers, designers, developers, importers, sales organizations and dealers can submit their new products for the 10th OutDoor Industry Award. Anyone can take part, regardless of whether the company or designer exhibits at OutDoor 2015 from July 15 to 18 or not. This aspect underscores the neutrality of both the award and the judges on the panel who are not part of the trade-fair organization.
The vast degree of transparency and high caliber of the judges play an important role in ensuring that the OutDoor Industry Award isn’t just an accolade given to particularly innovative, market-driven and cutting-edge products, but also an effective and credible marketing tool for any award winner.
Each OutDoor Industry Award sends out a clear message to dealers and consumers. It indicates a genuine pledge of quality to the market.
“We place top priority on credibility, transparency and fairness,” stresses Dirk Heidrich, project manager of the trade fair on Lake Constance. “These characteristics are particularly true of this internationally renowned award.”
The award is presented in ten categories: apparel, shoes, backpacks/travel luggage, mountain-climbing equipment, camping equipment, sleeping bags, water sports, accessories, innovative materials and sustainable innovation.
The closing date for applications is June 16 and any product can be entered that hasn’t been on the market for more than two years.
The award is organized by Messe Friedrichshafen, with the Deutsche Designer Club (DDC) on board too as another partner. After the positive experience gained the previous year, the DDC will chair the judges’ panel this year too. Six international judges with outdoor experience from the worlds of retail, media, industry and design will decide who is given the award. The six judges will spend two days looking at all the products and ideas submitted in detail, discussing their merits and then making their decisions.
The sought-after Awards and Gold Awards will be presented in Friedrichshafen based on nine criteria: Level of innovation, functionality, design, selection of materials, quality of the craftsmanship, sustainability, value, weight/pack size and added value.
All the prize-winners will receive awards in a special ceremony. Furthermore, the winners of the OutDoor Industry Award will benefit hugely from a wide range of multi- channel communications activities that Messe Friedrichhafen is initiating to draw the attention of retail, industry and consumers to the award-winning products. These activities and the logos given to the winners for communications purposes will both help boost sales. And this is definitely the case for products given one of the coveted Gold Awards.
Companies from the outdoor industry can register their new products from immediate effect until 16 June 2015 at www.outdoor-industry-award.com.
