Following OR Summer Market many sales reps from around the country were in a rush to get home and prepare for their regional shows. The Outdoor Reps Associations hosted their 30th annual trade show at the Alliant Center in Madson, WI, while the Eastern Outdoor Reps Association held their southeastern regional trade show at the Palmetto Center in Greenville, SC.
The Midwestern show was reportedly hampered by the heavy rains experienced in the region throughout the summer, which slowed the sale of apparel and camping equipment. Boat sales and water shoes were reportedly up, but the forced close-outs on apparel had many shop owners re-thinking their buying habits.
Attendance at the show was solid with 68 exhibitors showing up and 158 retailers writing orders. While most attendees went to OR Summer Market, they waited for this show to commit to the order.
The reports of a slow regional show coming out of the Midwest did nothing to hamper the energy at the Southeastern EORA show in Greenville. Debbie Motz, Executive Director of the EORA, told BOSS, “The show started out a little slow on Saturday, but it picked up speed on Sunday and Monday we had nearly every rep busy all day with appointments.”
Most of the softgoods reps told BOSS that this is The Show to attend and they do 90% of their seasonal business in Greenville. The hardgoods sales reps were a little less enthusiastic, but maintained that the regional shows make a huge impact on retailers.
Many of the small chain retailers in the region like Great Outdoor Provision Company sent each of their store managers and assistant managers to preview the gear and learn about the hot new items before the reps visit on their clinic schedule. Most other retailers in attendance told BOSS they were there to buy.
In particular, BOSS noticed that the Keen, TimBuk2, and Icebreaker booths were constantly showing the product line, and judging by the smiles on the reps faces, selling quite a bit as well. Most of the footwear companies were staying busy, with retailers waiting in line to see Montrail, Salomon, LaSportiva, Vasque and Five-Ten. Some of the larger footwear companies are using the same sales reps to sell to regional specialty stores and larger chains. These players may need to shift gears to make their presence felt in the outdoor specialty market.
Attendance at the EORA Southeastern Regional show was about the same as last year with 79 sales agencies filling 238 booths, and 227 retail stores attending with 470 buyers. Motz also told BOSS that most of the retailers and buyers in attendance went to the OR Summer Market, making it one of the strongest Southeast contingents in SLC in a long time.
