Oct 22, 2026 | News

Outdoor Retailer Partners with Huginbiz to Launch International Pavilion Program at Outdoor Retailer 2027 next August in Minneapolis

Outdoor Retailer Partners with Huginbiz to Launch International Pavilion Program at Outdoor Retailer 2027 next August in Minneapolis

New regional pavilions will help international finished-goods brands meet US retail buyers at Outdoor Retailer 2027 in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (October 22, 2026) — Outdoor Retailer (OR), produced by Forge, today announced a new partnership with Huginbiz AB to launch an International Pavilion Program at Outdoor Retailer, Aug. 18-20, 2027. Huginbiz will serve as OR’s international advisor and recruiter, working with national and regional pavilion organizers around the world to bring curated groups of international finished-goods brands to the show floor. The program is designed for brands that sell their own products to retailers and is not open to material suppliers or manufacturers.

The program marks OR’s first dedicated international initiative since the show’s relocation to the Minneapolis Convention Center and follows a 2026 debut that exceeded OR’s goals for both exhibitors and retail buyers.

How The Program Works

The International Pavilion Program is modeled on the national and regional pavilion structure long used at ISPO. Pavilion organizers, such as trade associations, export councils and regional industry groups, will contract directly with Outdoor Retailer and recruit exhibiting brands from their home markets. Early regions of interest include Korea, Iberia, the Nordics and Taiwan.

Huginbiz will lead organizer outreach, support each organizer through a direct agreement with OR, and convene a new International Advisory Board. The board will bring together pavilion organizers, brand-side representatives and association leaders to advise OR on international brand development throughout the 2027 show cycle.

Huginbiz® (Helping You Grow International Business AB) is a Sweden-based firm that has advised sport, outdoor and fitness companies on international growth since 2004, working with more than 200 brands, ingredient brands and global start-ups on market entry launch plans. It represents leading international industry trade fairs, including ISPO, Outdoor, FIBO, PGA show and Performance Days and is an experienced organizer of pavilions at those shows.

Founder Martin Kössler has worked on both sides of the business. Once a W.L. Gore key account manager, he later established Haglöfs as a leading international outdoor brand until the takeover of Asics. He founded and led the cooperation between Scandinavian Outdoor brands, Scandinavian Outdoor Group and launched the Scandinavian Village at ISPO in 2001. Kössler serves as chairman of the supervisory board of Europas, a leading premium retail group, works with Sport 2000 International and is one of the co-owners of EDM, publisher of the Sporting Goods Intelligence Europe and Outdoor Industry Compass.

After A Strong 2026 Debut

In August 2026, Outdoor Retailer moved to the Minneapolis Convention Center and rebuilt its format around discovery and emerging brands. The debut edition drew 275+ exhibiting brands against a goal of 200, plus 400+ qualified retail buyers, among roughly 1,800 attendees from 45 states and 20 countries. Independent specialty retailers were the largest buyer segment, and OR is targeting 600+ buyers for 2027.

Brands exhibiting in an International Pavilion will have access to the programs OR introduced in 2026, including:

OR’s hosted buyer program, through which OR will work with pavilion organizers and their brands to identify and invite the retailers they most want to meet
Wild Reach, powered by Popfly, which put 150+ creators, photographers and athletes on the show floor in 2026 and led to 850+ exhibitor-creator connections
The Ascent Program, the Garage Grown Gear + Founded Outdoors Pavilion and the REI Co-op Path Ahead Ventures showcase, which give buyers a dedicated place to find new brands
Urban Outdoor Experiences, a series of early-morning hikes, paddles, climbs and trail runs at Theodore Wirth Regional Park
The Retailer Playbook Lab and Industry Day, with sessions on tariffs, AI, sustainability and other industry issues

What The Partners Are Saying

“We rebuilt Outdoor Retailer around discovery, and the 2026 show proved buyers are hungry for new brands,” said Matthew Mathiasen, group show director, Outdoor Retailer. “International brands have told us for years that entering the US market is expensive and uncertain. With the International Pavilion Program, they can come in as part of a group, with buyers, media and programming already lined up. Huginbiz has spent two decades helping outdoor brands enter new markets, and it already knows the organizers who build pavilions at Europe’s biggest shows. That’s the head start we wanted.”

“Trade shows play an instrumental role for the sports and outdoor industry, far beyond just greasing our wholesale business machinery.” said Kössler. “I experienced the importance of a vital Outdoor Retailer show and how the industry has suffered without it. I look forward together with my colleagues and friends in the European outdoor industry to help bridge our industry across the Atlantic again.

Eligibility

The program is open only to finished-goods brands, meaning companies that design, own and market a completed consumer product under their own name. Raw material and component suppliers, contract manufacturers and OEM/ODM factories, private-label producers and trading intermediaries are not eligible to exhibit within the pavilions. This keeps the pavilions focused on products retail buyers can stock.

Get Involved

Huginbiz will meet with prospective pavilion organizers at ISPO Amsterdam, November 3–5, 2026. National and regional organizations interested in leading a pavilion at Outdoor Retailer 2027 can contact Huginbiz at [email protected]. Outdoor Retailer takes place August 18-20, 2027, at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

About Huginbiz

Huginbiz is a Sweden-based international business development firm specializing in the sport, outdoor and fitness industries. Since 2004, it has worked with more than 100 global brands, ingredient brands, investors and start-ups, helping them build go-to-market strategies for new markets. Huginbiz also represents leading international trade fairs in the Nordic region. Learn more at huginbiz.com.

###

About Outdoor Retailer

Outdoor Retailer, produced by Forge, is the outdoor industry’s flagship discovery event, connecting brands with specialty, mass and e-commerce retail buyers. Since relocating to Minneapolis in 2026, the show has focused on emerging brands through programs including the Ascent Program, Wild Reach, Urban Outdoor Experiences and the Retailer Playbook Lab. Learn more at www.outdoorretailer.com.

Media contact

Jessica Kirchner, Outdoor Retailer, [email protected]