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Details of new OutDoor by ISPO trade show revealed
The year 2019 will have a different flavour for the European outdoor industry. For the first time in 25 years, the industry’s benchmark trade show, OutDoor, will not be held on the shores of the Bodensee in Germany. The industry’s association, the European Outdoor Group (EOG), issued a call for tender for a new version of the show, and Messe Muenchen’s was the winning bid. However, the organisers of the long-standing Friedrichshafen event weren’t happy with the EOG’s decision to change venue, and announced they will also hold a trade show in the summer.
On June 27, a week after the end of OutDoor 2018, the EOG and Messe Muenchen held a launch conference outlining their project for the show’s 2019 edition. Due to the controversy surrounding the venue change, the conference was eagerly awaited.
“The essential questions were: ‘In which direction do we want to go, and how?’ In recent times, the borders between outdoor, lifestyle and fashion have blurred. It wasn’t simply a question of changing venue. There are expectations about a new show concept,” said Mark Held, General Secretary of the EOG.
The new OutDoor by ISPO show will be held from June 30 to July 3 2019, and the organisers’ idea is to create a business platform that will engage the outdoor community throughout the year. “We will focus on what we know how to do well with ISPO,” said Markus Hefter, the Exhibition Group Director for ISPO Munich & OutDoor by ISPO. “The project will be based on our website, but we will also apply some of the ideas we tested last winter, when we organised events targeted to retailers involving the general public too, something that will take place from Saturday to Saturday around the time of the show.”
OutDoor by ISPO will occupy five or six exhibition halls, as well as an exterior area for demonstrations and a camping site, and it will also have access to the artificial basin adjoining the Munich exhibition centre.
OutDoor by ISPO exhibitors will be grouped in three segments. The Core Outdoor section will comprise outdoor brands specialised in mountain activities, trekking, camping and trail running. The Outdoor + section will link up with travel-related activities, as well as with yoga, MTB and Stand-up paddleboarding. The third section will instead be called X-industry. “We organise several different shows at the Munich exhibition centre. Companies operating in sectors like electronics, the environment or the automotive industry may well be able to open up new perspectives for outdoor brands.”
This is clearly the new project’s distinctive element. Confronted with fast fashion, outdoor brands need to offer new solutions that go beyond mere products. “We are looking to forge new relationships,” said Tobias Gröber, head of the ISPO group, adding that “brands can no longer simply supply products, their mission is to create memorable experiences.” An approach that will enable brands to establish durable relationships with consumers.
The show organisers would not be pinned down to a forecast of the number of exhibitors. They are planning to offer a complete package which would give those who are interested the opportunity to exhibit at the group’s four events. The package includes ISPO Munich’s summer and winter editions, and two Chinese events too.
Cost-wise, OutDoor by ISPO will propose solutions ranging from €130 to €164 per square metre. In the near future, the organisers are also planning to test prices calculated by cubic metre, an approach designed to stimulate investment not simply in a certain size of stand, but also in the experience it offers.
In this way, OutDoor by ISPO seeks to convince the outdoor industry to flock to Munich from next summer.
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