OR 2026 Changed the Conversation.

OR 2027 Keeps It Going.

Outdoor Retailer has been connecting the outdoor industry since 1982. What changed in Minneapolis in 2026 wasn’t the mission, it was the execution.

After years of hearing from independent specialty retailers that the show’s timing wasn’t working for them, the OR team moved the show to August. After years of watching the show drift away from brand discovery, the team rebuilt the floor around finding what’s next, something our buyers truly value. After years of shrinking traditional media coverage, we decided to build Wild Reach: a creator program that reached a combined audience of 21.2 million outdoor consumers across the show.

The result was a show that felt, in the words of one industry observer who has covered Outdoor Retailer for more than a decade, like “a genuine reset.”

What Made It Work

• A new home. Minneapolis is an outdoor city filled with trails, lakes, parks, and a community that showed up. Mayor Jacob Frey opened the event with a ceremonial ribbon cutting alongside the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, sovereign tribal nation and longtime steward of the land.
• A rebuilt floor. Seven themed neighborhoods. The GGG + Founded Outdoors Campsite Pavilion was packed from the first morning. The inaugural Ascent Summit brought together 75 emerging founders for workshops and peer-led sessions. A sold-out show floor.
• A new education model. 573 people attended Industry Day, and the Retailer Playbook Lab launched eight hands-on workshops for specialty retailers. The Camp brought keynotes directly onto the show floor.
• Wild Reach. 150+ creators. 850+ connections across the show. 21.2 million combined audience reach, and 46,000+ direct product engagements. 
• Retailers who came to buy. 400+ verified retail buyers on the floor by the end of Day One. New brands in the GGG Pavilion left with promised orders before the day was half over.

OR 2027 builds on all of it. August 18–20 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The show is growing. The retailer base is growing. The creator program is growing.

 Outdoor Retailer – August 18-20, 2027

SHOW DAYS & HOURS:
Education Symposium – Wednesday, August 18:    8 AM – 5 PM
Expo Hall Open – Thursday, August 19:                     10 AM – 6 PM
Expo Hall Open – Friday, August 20:                            10 AM – 3 PM

Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 2^nd Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55404