In a statement released on Saturday on the last day of the show, Outdoor Retailer said Winter Market attracted an estimated 22,000 overall attendees with more than 1,036 exhibiting brands. Of the exhibitors, 14 percent were new to Winter Market. While preliminary, the attendee and exhibitor totals are fairly close to last year’s figures.
According to Outdoor Retailer’s Winter Market 2014 Post Show Report, the prior year’s Winter Market totaled 22,576 total expo attendance (up 3 percent from 2013) with 1,027 exhibiting brands. Outdoor Retailer is produced by Emerald Expositions.
"It’s an honor to be in the position to provide a platform that allows the industry to gather and conduct its business for the year ahead. It’s even more gratifying to know that we were able to help retailers discover new products and provide them with the education and information they need to attract new customers and drive product sell through,” said Marisa Nicholson, Vice President and Outdoor Retailer Show Director, in the press release. “Each year the Outdoor Retailer team strives to develop content and business opportunities that supports overall growth of the industry. With new areas like Venture Out, the re-fashioned Trend and Design Center, and the new Media Preview we are able to shine the light on innovation in gear, accessories and design and provide our core audience value added resources to help grow their business.” Winter Market launched at Solitude, for the All Mountain Demo. This event provides an opportunity for retailers and media to gather on the snowy mountain to get hands-on and demo product from more than 130 backcountry core brands. Activities including MSR Snow Park, Avalaunch Transceiver Park, the Can You Dig It competition, Gore-Tex Wasatch Ski Mountaineering Race and Backcountry Tours, made the day both memorable and informative. The industry met in the Salt Palace Convention Center for an additional four full days of product launches, events, business education, buying and networking. “The show is going great! I like that there is a lot of energy around the show. It feels like there are a lot of buyers here and there’s business being done, which I like better than having people just looking around. The organization of the events was really great. The Inspiration Awards and the show party were really well attended and had great energy,” remarked Paul Fish, President of Mountain Gear. Highlights from the expo include: Media Preview: Outdoor Retailer Winter Market launched an all new Media Preview event. Journalists, including Backpacker, USA Today, Fitness Magazine, ESPN, Fox News, Inside Outdoor, and more, attended to preview some of the latest products and new exhibitors in the outdoor industry. In addition to the product preview, Outdoor Retailer partnered with the Outdoor Industry Association to provide market data and outdoor consumer insights to the journalists in attendance. Venture Out made its Winter Market premier: This area was home to like-minded brands that represent the growing urban and lifestyle trend that has influenced and invigorated the modern outdoor movement.Venture Out was designed to help brands validate the fact that outdoor function does exist in a fashionable solution, while expanding their brand reach to new market segments. Brands like Poler, Topo Designs, Duckworth, Seavees, Tentree, Iron and Resin, Parks Project, Penfield and more, enjoyed a steady audience of media and retailers.Fashion Show: Themed, "Conquering the Elements," brought the trends for Winter 2015/2016 to life with the latest technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories the outdoor industry has to offer. The fashion show was sponsored by DuPont and Bench. Industry Party: This year the Fashion Show was followed by the Industry Party. This premier event brought the industry together to network and have a bit of fun at the close of a long business day one. The OIA welcomed new attendees at a “Member Love” sponsored area. Mountain Khakis had their mechanical bull and some liquid courage. And Sierra Nevada made it a real party as the official beer sponsor. Outdoor Inspiration Awards: A true outdoor community event, the Outdoor Inspiration Awards celebrated those whose efforts go above and beyond in inspiring and encouraging others in their communities to enjoy, participate in and support outdoor activities. This year’s categories included retailers, non-profits and youth as well as manufacturers and individuals. The 2015 Inspiration Award winners were; Jeremy Collins, Patagonia, National Interscholastic Cycling Association/NICA, The Mountaineer, Matt Moniz, and the Lifetime Achievement award was given to noted mountain climber and author John Roskelley. Look for nominations for next year’s Outdoor Inspiration Awards to open at Summer Market 2015. Presented by title sponsor adidas Outdoors, with support from the Boy Scouts of America and PrimaLoft.
The Trend + Design Center, Presented by Bemis: From trend forecasting with some of the preeminent trend houses in the business, to discussions on industrial design, and materials innovation, to networking events and product launches, the Trend + Design Center, presented by Bemis, was created to serve the design and sourcing audience at Outdoor Retailer by providing relevant, compelling educational and networking events and anchors the supplier story at Outdoor Retailer. With more than 200 raw materials suppliers, Outdoor Retailer hosts the largest collection of suppliers, co-located with the largest selection of outdoor products, all under one roof. The New Product Zone: The New Product Zone continued to occupy its central location on the show floor, providing one easy-to-navigate center where new products could be found. Retailers and journalists were able to interact with the digital product platform, which highlighted brands and featured product introductions. This area was the gathering place for trend sessions, networking, and the filming of Live From OR. Business Forums @ The New Product Zone: Daily sessions were held in the New Product Zone to provide retail attendees with education on the latest trends to emerge in the industry. These sessions are designed to help retailers understand how to bring the trend into their stores to drive new customer acquisitions. These sessions featured topics like Made In America, Business of Backcountry, and Venture Out. Outdoor University: Outdoor Retailer continues to partner with the Outdoor Industry Association to execute more than 40 free educational sessions at Outdoor University. Sessions focused on topics around trends, branding and marketing, retail strategy, leadership, sustainability and more. The education platform provided invaluable educational and leadership training to all attendees. “Retail buyers and exhibitors I encountered during the show expressed a true feeling of optimism and a renewed excitement about the work they accomplished and education they received at this year’s show,” said Marisa. “The team and I are looking forward to rolling this positive momentum into our planning for Summer Market.” Retailers and exhibitors alike indicated that they were able to successfully conduct business and accomplish their goals: “The vibe in Venture Out is good. There are a lot of small vendors and a lot of the people who designed the product, created it, and thought of it, are sitting in and working at the booth and that’s good to see,” commented Brian Mildenstein, Fin & Feather. “Our biggest customer said they can’t get enough. They ordered double last year and it still wasn’t enough, this year they are ordering even more,” said Lindsay Mason, French Knot, owner and designer. “We appeal to a very small niche market here at OR, not everyone is looking for embellished hats. We’re a little on the girly-side, but we definitely catch everyone’s eye and that's what’s important.” Venture Out has been super! The retailers love it. It’s brought a whole new fresh energy to Outdoor Retailer,” said Outi Pulkkinen, Designer, Duckworth, “I think it’s worth every effort and every penny to keep it in a place where people can see it, be drawn to it, and can browse through it to see things they didn’t know exists in the outdoor arena. It’s freshening up a lot of retailer’s attitudes and broadening their vision of how to proceed with retail and how to attract new consumers.
