Outdoor Next:
Ideas That Move Us Forward.
A Forum for the Future of Our Industry
The outdoor industry faces its most consequential moment in a generation. Industry Day: Outdoor Next brings together the brands, retailers, athletes, founders, and executives shaping what comes next — for a single afternoon of rapid-fire panels, honest debates, and the conversations this industry has been waiting to have.
Wednesday, August 19
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Minneapolis Convention Center
Open to all Attendees | Free with Registration.
A show badge is required for entry to the Industry Day conference sessions and keynote.
FOUR PANELS. ONE KEYNOTE. NO FILLER.
Industry Day: Outdoor Next is the outdoor industry’s annual forum for the ideas that matter — held on the Wednesday afternoon before the show floor opens, free for every registered attendee.
Each session is built around a specific challenge or opportunity facing our industry right now. The format is rapid-fire and debate-driven — leaders share sharp perspectives, push back on conventional wisdom, and leave the room with more questions answered than they arrived with.
This isn’t a keynote series. It’s a working session for the people who are actually building this industry’s future.
1:30 PM (45 min) |
PANEL 1 · THE BIG DEBATE
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Moderator: Mike Massey, founder, Locally.com Panelists include: |
The most provocative question in specialty retail — put to the people best positioned to answer it. This GOA-led debate arms the room with data and hard truths about why indie retail is the critical engine for this industry’s innovation, community, and future growth. Or is it? Four perspectives. No easy answers. |
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2:15 PM (45 min)
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PANEL 2 · THE NEW CUSTOMER CODEGetting Gen Z & Winning with Women
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Moderator: Kristin Hostetter, journalist & co-founder |
Two of the most influential and misunderstood customer segments in the outdoor industry — and the brands and retailers who crack the code will define the next decade. This data-driven panel unpacks why women’s outdoor spending has stalled, how Gen Z’s values are fundamentally reshaping retail expectations, and what the industry must actually do to meet the moment. |
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3:00 PM (45 min)
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PANEL 3 · THE GEAR OF TOMORROWWearables, Smart Tech & the Next Frontier of Performance |
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Moderator: Peter Sachs, LOWA Boots |
The next generation of outdoor performance gear isn’t just lighter and more durable — it’s smarter, more connected, and more intentional than anything that came before it. Innovators from materials science, product design, and wearable technology join this forward-looking conversation to show what’s coming and what it means for the brands and retailers who sell it. |
3:45 PM (45 min)
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PANEL 4 · THE TOOLS OF TOMORROWAI & the Circular Economy Will Transform Our Business Models |
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Moderator: Peter Whitcomb, Tersus Panelists include: |
Artificial intelligence and circularity are no longer future-state concepts — they’re actively reshaping how outdoor companies design products, manage supply chains, engage customers, and measure success. This high-level strategy session brings together the leaders implementing these tools right now to share what works, what doesn’t, and what every business in this room needs to understand. |
| 4:15 PM (15 Minutues) |
Industry Break & Happy Hour |
4:30 PM (30 min)
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CLOSING KEYNOTE
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Mirna Valerio |
The outdoor industry exists because of the places and people it serves. This closing keynote brings Industry Day to its conclusion with a powerful, personal statement from one of the most compelling voices in the outdoor community — a reminder of what we’re really building toward, and who we’re building it for. Mirna Valerio is an ultra-runner, author, and outdoor educator whose work challenges the assumptions this industry holds about who belongs in the outdoors. She won’t leave the room comfortable. She will leave it inspired. |
WHY INDUSTRY DAY:
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Real Conversations. Not Polished Panels. |
Industry Day is rapid-fire and debate-driven by design. No 20-minute keynotes that say nothing. Four sessions, four real questions, four groups of people who are actually living the answers. You’ll hear things in this room that you won’t hear anywhere else. |
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The Decisions Made Here Affect Your Business Next Year. |
The independent retail debate, the Gen Z and women’s market opportunity, the next wave of performance technology, the shift to AI and circularity — these forces are determining which brands and retailers will be winning in 2027 and which won’t. Industry Day is where you get ahead of them. |
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Access to the Executives and Innovators Shaping What’s Next. |
Industry Day brings brand CEOs, retail leaders, product innovators, and industry educators into one room for an afternoon. The conversations that start on the panel continue during the Happy Hour and carry into the show floor over the next two days. This is where relationships that matter get built. |
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Free. Open to Every Registered Attendee. |
Industry Day is included in your complimentary retail buyer registration. No additional ticket. No premium access tier. Register for Outdoor Retailer 2026 and you’re in the room. The only cost is the trip to Minneapolis — and August is worth it. |
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Held the Wednesday Before the Floor Opens. |
Industry Day runs 1:30–5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 19 — before the show floor opens Thursday morning. You arrive Tuesday, attend Industry Day Wednesday afternoon, and walk the floor Thursday and Friday with 36 hours of industry context that most buyers don’t have. |
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A Community That Chose This Work. |
The outdoor industry isn’t a market. It’s a community of people who believe the outdoors makes people better. Industry Day is where that community comes together to ask hard questions and build honest answers. You didn’t end up in this industry. You chose it. This room is for you. |