In a statement, Outdoor Retailer, which is produced by Emerald Expositions, said brands, retailers and media had expressed positive feedback at the Winter Market show, underscoring “an air of optimism and excitement for the winter season.”
The event in Salt Lake City drew an estimated 22,000 overall attendees, and more than 1,036 exhibiting brands, according to Outdoor Retailer’s statement. Of those exhibitors, 14 percent were new to Winter Market.
While preliminary, the figures were fairly close to last year’s. 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.
“Traffic was strong and made up of quality buyers,” Kate Lowery, director of PR and communications at Outdoor Retailer, told the B.O.S.S. Report. “Summer is typically bigger by nature of the size of the show, but we were very pleased with the attendance and the overall quality of buyers.”
“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,” said Marisa Nicholson, who was promoted to VP and Outdoor Retailer Show Director last November, in a statement. “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.”
Winter Market launched on Tuesday at Solitude, for the All Mountain Demo featuring more than 130 backcountry core brands. Activities included MSR Snow Park, Avalaunch Transceiver Park, the Can You Dig It competition, Gore-Tex Wasatch Ski Mountaineering Race and Backcountry Tours.
Among the newer events receiving a positive response was Venture Out, representing the growing urban and lifestyle trend that has influenced the modern outdoor movement. Brands including Poler, Topo Designs, Duckworth, Seavees, Tentree, Iron and Resin, Parks Project and Penfield saw steady traffic from both the media ad retailers.
“The vibe in Venture Out is good,” commented Brian Mildenstein, co-owner of Fin & Feather, the outdoor store in Iowa City, IA, in the release. “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.”
“Venture Out has been super!,” added Outi Pulkkinen, designer, Duckworth, a outdoor clothing company out of Bozeman, MO specializing in wool. “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.”
Nicholson also heralded the solid reception received for the first Media Preview event, held on Tuesday night. The event drew journalists from Backpacker, USA Today, Fitness Magazine, ESPN, Fox News, Inside Outdoor and others to see some of the latest products from some new and some not-so-new exhibitors.
Themed “Conquering the Elements” and sponsored by DuPont and Bench, the Fashion Show drew a standing-room crowd on Tuesday and showcased some edgier takes on technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories. At the Industry Party following the Fashion Show, OIA welcomed new attendees with a new “Member Love” sponsored area but the star of the party was not so surprisingly Mountain Khakis’ mechanical bull.
A particular highlight for the outdoor community was Thursday’s Outdoor Inspiration Awards, which honored Jeremy Collins, Patagonia, National Interscholastic Cycling Association/NICA, The Mountaineer, and Matt Moniz. The Lifetime Achievement award was given to noted mountain climber and author John Roskelley. The event was presented by title sponsor Adidas Outdoor, with support from the Boy Scouts of America and PrimaLoft.
The show brought back the New Product Zone for the second year with digital technologies enabling both retailers and journalists to sort through new product in an interactive format. Educations sessions were also held New Product Zone with topics like Made In America, Business of Backcountry, and Venture Out. In partnership with OIA, more than 40 free educational sessions were held at the nearby Marriot as part of Outdoor University.
Education also came from the re-fashioned The Trend + Design Center, presented by Bemis, which featured trend forecasting with some of the preeminent trend houses.
“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 Nicholson. “The team and I are looking forward to rolling this positive momentum into our planning for Summer Market.”
