The US’s largest outdoor recreation trade show took place for the first time since the Covid pandemic at Colorado Convention Center. Emerald’s Outdoor Retailer trade show ran 10-12 August and, although visitor number were understandably down due to the pandemic effects, many took the opportunity to capitalise on the renewed interest in the outdoors during this period.
“It was incredible to be back together again and you could feel the energy on the show floor. Our community had not gathered in-person since January 2020, so many were eager to return to the face-to-face business and networking that helps our industry and outdoor business grow,” Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer senior vice-president and show director, told EW. “Many exhibitors have reported meeting new buyers, writing orders, and making more connections, and retailers were glad to find a variety of new products and brands. We knew this show would be different as we’re all in a recovery phase and still navigating the impacts of the pandemic. For those able to be in Denver, it was three days of productive and meaningful conversations. We look forward to welcoming more of the community back next year.”
Final visitor numbers are not yet available, but organisers said that there were 12,000 total attendee registrations and 5,000 registered retail buyers, with nearly 400 exhibiting brands.
Outdoor Retailer Summer hosted a new dedicated Fresh zone for first-time exhibitors and also a Basecamp zone for events, networking and food trucks.
Venture Out provided an area for retailers to discover and explore modern outdoor trends and there were education sessions involving outdoor leaders and subject-matter experts including sessions with panelists from Snowsports Industries America (SIA).
“There’s definitely a buzz about it,” Jon Frederick, US country manager for outdoor apparel companies Rab and Lowe Alpine, told CBS. “It’s exciting to see the outdoor industry injecting some revenue into this economy.”
Frederick said 2020 began with uncertainty and ended with the two best quarters the company had ever reported.
“Like never before in the outdoor industry we saw new users coming in at all levels, like hiking, trail running, backpacking, etc.,” Frederick said.
Photo credit: Scott Martin/Outdoor Retailer
