UK-based National Running Show owner Raccoon Events has made its first acquisition.
Raccoon has acquired the Snowbound festivals from Snowsports Industries America (SIA), a not-for-profit member-owned association for the USA winter outdoor industry.
Raccoon and Snowsports Industries America (SIA) announced 16 March they would be entering into a long-term partnership in conjunction with the B2C event Snowbound. The partnership aims to use Raccoon’s proven success as a consumer show organiser with SIA’s knowledge of the winter outdoor industry.
Set to take place at the Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Massachusetts, on 18–20 November 2022, The Snowbound Expo will be an oasis for winter outdoor enthusiasts providing a comprehensive retail experience, a first-class speaker line-up and a plethora of impressive interactive features, they said.
Raccoon Events CEO Mike Seaman said: ““This is an exciting development for our US business and is a sign of our continued ambition to deliver exciting and engaging B2C events for specialist self-identifying consumers passionate about health and well-being.
“SIA is the perfect partner in this venture and shares our vision to create an inclusive event that is environmentally sensitive and built around a premium start-of-season retail experience.”
The three-day event is set across 10,405sqm of space and expected to play host to 10,000 winter outdoor consumers and more than140 exhibitors, will provide brands and retailers with the opportunity to speak directly to consumers and kit them out with the right gear for the winter season ahead. It will play host to some of the snow scene’s biggest names, including six-time Olympic medallist Bode Miller, ski legend Dan Egan, alpinist Philip Henderson, ice climber Lindsay Fixmer, mountain athlete and storyteller Dani Reyes-Acosta, downhill World Cup racer Douglas Lewis and backcountry adaptive skier Vasu Sojitra, who will lead a packed schedule of talks on the Seirus Inspiration Stage. There will also be a series of workshops in the Snow Skills Theatre, providing new and experienced winter enthusiasts with an armoury of information and advice to get started or advance in their chosen winter sport.
Exhibitors already confirmed include Burton Snowboards, Salomon, Blizzard, Nordica and Tecnica.
While SIA members will still have access to preferential pricing, all exhibitors will benefit from Raccoon’s consumer-oriented approach to winter outdoor shows both in the US and in the UK.
SIA President Nick Sargent said: “Consumers are a major initiative for SIA. This partnership allows us to serve our members with best-in-class consumer show opportunities both here and abroad and offer a premium experience for the consumer and the entire winter outdoor community. We are excited to partner with Raccoon to grow and evolve the Snowbound experience.”
For more information about The Snowbound Expo, please visit snowboundexpo.com.
