Outdoor Industry Association is offering early-bird registration for OIA Rendezvous only through the end of this week. Companies wanting to take advantage of discounted pricing for the premier education conference for outdoor industry executives should register by June 30.


The line-up for this year’s OIA Rendezvous, which takes place Oct. 3-5 in Boston, is nearly finalized – including four dedicated knowledge tracks, and a host of insightful speakers and activities that guarantee valuable guidance for today’s business leaders. With a theme of business evolution, this year’s OIA Rendezvous will explore the rapid pace of change in today’s business world and how companies can better poise themselves to adapt and succeed. The conference will focus on technologies, retail strategies and supply chain trends that are impacting the future of outdoor recreation businesses.


“The pace of change is accelerating, and it’s not easy to take time away from the day-to-day to focus on the future,” said LaRae Marsik, vice president of Business Intelligence for Outdoor Industry Association (OIA). “We’re assembling some of the brightest and boldest business leaders to share insights that attendees can put to use immediately, making the three-day investment well worth it.”


OIA Rendezvous will feature four knowledge tracks, for:



  • Retailers – with breakout sessions on how consumer technology and the Internet are changing retail, new retail business models, retail training to engage consumers in new ways, and smaller specialty retail success strategies

  • Manufacturers – focusing on disruptive technologies like 3D printing and custom production, close-to-consumer manufacturing and how it’s changing the supply chain, the digital future of the back office, and more

  • Executive Leaders – discussing the “shift index” and how economic and market forces are changing business everywhere, efficiencies and managing in the “new now,” the recreation economy and where you fit in it, and how advocacy and business voices work together to create change

  • Marketers – delving deeper into direct-to-consumer strategies, e-commerce, millennial consumer trends and the implications for outdoor industry companies, and the ROI behind social media/social commerce platforms

Keynote speakers include Max McKeown, a strategy, innovation and leadership coach who has written six books; Ken Rudin, National Public Radio’s political junkie, who will forecast the upcoming presidential election’s impact on the outdoor industry; Clark Scheffy, a human-centered design expert with the award-winning firm IDEO; and Gabe Zichermann, a gamification guru.


In addition, Rendezvous attendees will hear from top retailers who are pushing the boundaries of experiential retail, and will learn about disruptive manufacturing trends that are changing supply chains everywhere.


Rendezvous also includes an afternoon of service, featuring four great projects sponsored by Timberland. This is a valuable component of the conference, giving attendees an opportunity to give back to the host community while bonding with fellow executives. This year’s projects include building and expanding structures at the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center, creating an outdoor play area at the Franklin Park Zoo, re-energizing an urban community farm program through the Trustees of the Reservations, and helping maintain facilities at Middlesex Fells, a popular outdoor recreation site.


The conference is also once again hosting a “Retail Trail” excursion, where small teams of attendees will participate in a retail scavenger hunt to several Boston outdoor retailers, including Eastern Mountain Sports, Vibram, The Tannery, Timberland and others. The evening is capped off with an urban campground party unlike any other, hosted by KOA.


To learn more and register for OIA Rendezvous, visit www.outdoorindustry.org/rendezvous.


About the Outdoor Industry Association
Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry and the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer. OIA supports the growth and success of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives, and retailers of outdoor recreation apparel, footwear, equipment and services. For more information, go to outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.