The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market that got under way Thursday in Salt Lake City will be the largest and best attended ever, said Darrell Denny, SVP/business development for Nieslen Expositions. The show got off to an auspicious start as a much needed snow storm reached Solitude Mountain Resort Wednesday just in time for the Outdoor Retailer All Mountain Demo (AMD), which drew thousands of retailers and members of the media.
The All Mountain Demo provided buyers from around the world an opportunity to test next year's winter gear ranging from skis and snowboards to snowshoes, avalanche safety equipment and Nordic gear.
“We knew a lot of attendees were worried about the snow conditions here, especially after last Winter Market's epic day,” said Kenji Haroutunian, vice president at Nielsen Expositions and OR Show Director. “But what we heard again and again was the snow here was perfect for testing, because retailers tried more equipment and had a level playing field to compare and figure out what's going to work best for their customers.”
Some of the events at AMD included the Nordic Challenge that saw almost 100 buyers compete for bragging rights and a snow safety area challenging retailers to best big mountain skiing legend Dean Cummings' time to locate a buried avalanche beacon.
“It's going really well here today, we have a lot of skis and snowboards out. People are turning skis faster this year. These conditions are making people come in and test more to see what works for them and in these conditions we feel like our product really shines. Everybody looks good in powder.” -John O'Conner, Vice President of Sales, K2 Sports
“The organization at the demo has been great this year and we've seen a lot more media on the mountain to check out skis. Overall, I'd give the demo a solid 'A.'” -Jonathan Lantz, La Sportiva
“This event is the beginning of our launch for 2012/2013 products and the first time they've been out on the snow for people to try. There's been a lot of interest and we've made a lot of good contacts up here today. It's been a bad snow year for skiing, but it's been great for snowshoeing!” -Sarah Rose, Tubbs Marketing Manager
“We're a backcountry-focused shop, and this event is our best opportunity to try things side-by-side and have a few staff members do so, so that when inventory comes later in the year, they can educate the rest of the staff on pros and cons. The conditions are honestly not a bad thing for testing skis. The runs are consistent and you rotate through more skis and see more potential inventory than if it were an epic snow day.” -Brent Zwiers, Feathered Friends, Seattle, Wash.
“I've seen lots of good stuff here today and a lot of new things. It seems like there's some new blood in the water that's challenging the status quo from new brands. It's healthy for the industry and good to see.” -Rod Stojanowski, Rivers Oceans and Mountains, British Columbia, Canada
Attendees now head to the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City for Winter Market 2012, four days of business education, events, networking and finalizing buying decisions. The indoor portion of the show runs January 19-22.
For photos of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market (including All Mountain Demo) and the most recent show happenings, visit www.facebook.com/outdoorretailer or www.twitter.com/outdoorretailer and #orshow.
About Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer (OR) brings together retailers, manufacturers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation through tradeshows, product demo events and web-based business solutions. Produced by Nielsen Expositions and based in San Juan Capistrano, California, Outdoor Retailer also provides and promotes retailer education, advocacy, responsibility and critical face-to-face business initiatives within the outdoor industry.
Now celebrating more than 30 years, Outdoor Retailer (www.outdoorretailer.com) connects approximately 46,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for its Summer and Winter Market shows, and thousands more through its year-round online resources and platforms.
