Schedule-At-A Glance

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026 | EDUCATION DAY

8:00 – 8:30 AM

Retailer Playbook Lab – Opening Remarks by Lightspeed | NuOrder

Kick off your morning before workshops begin with networking and introductions led by our partners at Lightspeed | NuORDER. Connect with fellow attendees, build new relationships, and set the stage for a meaningful day of collaboration. This coffee session includes Opening Remarks to launch Education Day with intention, inspiring a day of learning, connection, and shared success.

Minneapolis Convention Center |
2nd Floor Landing

8:30 – 9:30 AM

Retailer Playbook Lab – The Inclusive Storefront

Tactical guide to merchandising, marketing, and staffing to win the women’s market and authentically serve a more diverse customer base.

Speaker: Ken Bernard.
Track: Customer Growth.

8:30 – 9:30 AM

Retailer Playbook Lab – Setting Up Recommerce

Ready to turn resale into revenue? Learn the practical building blocks for launching a re-commerce program to capture second-life value from your inventory.

Speaker: Natasha Franck

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Ascent Summit 

In partnership with Outdoor Retailer, Garage Grown Gear and Founded Outdoors will host the inaugural Ascent Summit, bringing together community founders of independent and specialty outdoor brands for a half-day of education and collaboration. Designed to inspire progress across the outdoor industry, the Summit will feature thought-provoking panels, hands-on learning sessions, intentional group discussions, and a tour of Garage Grown Gear’s St. Paul headquarters, all focused on driving the next generation of outdoor brand leadership.

9:45 – 10:45 AM

Retailer Playbook Lab – The Living Wage Model

A finance-first clinic on P&L strategies and benefit models (the ‘Starbucks’ approach) to support a $15–$25/hour career-focused retail team.

Speaker: Marc Sherman.
Track: People & Culture.

9:45 – 10:45 AM

Retailer Playbook Lab – The Digital Fortress

A non-technical guide to cybersecurity essentials: protecting your customer data, preventing e-commerce fraud, and securing your POS system.

Speaker: Jen Lotze.
Track: Resilient Operations.

9:45 – 10:45 AM

Retailer Playbook Lab – The Social Media Flywheel & E-Commerce

A practical, low-cost guide to developing a social media program that builds community, measurably drives sales, and integrates with your shop’s website.

Speaker: Benje Williams.
Track: Customer Growth.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Retailer Playbook Lab – The Small Business Shield

A focused session on the essentials of risk management and the specific insurance coverage outdoor retailers can’t afford to skip.

Speaker: Jim Moss.
Track: Resilient Operations.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Retailer Playbook Lab – The Event Engine

How to plan and execute in-store events (film nights, clinics, clubs) and leverage local partnerships to create a loyal community hub.

Speaker: Mandela Echefu.
Track: Customer Growth.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Retailer Playbook Lab – The AI Co-pilot

Bring your laptop. A live demo of 3–5 affordable AI tools to automate marketing copy, manage inventory, and save 10 hours a week.

Speaker: Darryl Hunter.
Track: Future-Proofing.

12:15 PM

Retailer Playbook Lab Keynote Luncheon
The Importance of New Brand Discovery

Why emerging brands are essential to the growth and evolution of outdoor retailers, with guidance on collaborating with new market entrants, best practices for merchandising and storytelling, and the key elements brands must bring to succeed in today’s competitive landscape.

Speaker: Eoin Comerford.

1:30 PM

Speakers: Mike Massey, Neil Fiske, Brendan Madigan, Dana Caraway.

2:15 PM

Industry Day: The New Customer Code — Getting Gen Z & Winning with Women

A data-driven examination of two of the most influential and misunderstood customer segments. Leaders explore why women’s spending has plateaued, how Gen Z’s values are reshaping retail expectations, and what brands and retailers must do to meet the moment.

Speakers: Krstin Hostetter, Sara Lawhead, Jamie Kvamme, Nadah Feteih.

3:00 PM

A forward-looking conversation with innovators defining the next frontier of performance gear, with a deep dive into upcoming product breakthroughs.

Speakers: Peter Sachs, Lucy Dunne, Dustin English, Kristoffer Stokes.

3:45 PM

Industry Day: AI & The Circular Economy

A high-level strategy session exploring how artificial intelligence and circularity will transform business models within the outdoor industry.

Speakers: Peter Whitcomb, Barruch Ben-Zekry, Aaron Provine, Ramiro Gomez.

4:15 PM

Industry Day Break – provided by FINN Partners

Take a moment to recharge with FINN Partners.

Enjoy a light refreshment, stretch your legs, and connect with fellow attendees before the closing keynote. This nourishment station is provided to help keep you energized as you reflect on the day’s insights, exchange ideas, and prepare for the final session of Industry Day.

4:45 PM

Industry Day Closing Keynote:
Mirna Valerio on Belonging

What can real, authentic inclusion look like in the outdoor industry? Mirna Valerio (The Mirnavator) shares her stories and her hopes for what being outside can and should be for anyone and everyone, as a person who inhabits many disenfranchised identities frequently forgotten in the outdoor industry ecosystem.

Speaker: Mirna Valerio.

5:15 PM

Industry Day Happy Hour, provided by Lightspeed

5:15 PM

Save the Boundary Waters Town Hall

Join the leaders of Save the Boundary Waters for an informative Town Hall focused on the future of America’s most-visited wilderness. Learn about the challenges facing the Boundary Waters today, why they matter, and how you can take action to help protect this treasured landscape for generations to come.

6:00 PM

SLOW ROLL Minneapolis

Ready to explore the city? Connect with the community and take part in the Slow Roll experience just a short walk away from the convention center. A guided bike ride with several stopping points to learn about key art and educational moments in Minneapolis, ending with a chef prepared community meal.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026 | EXPO HALL OPENS

7:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Urban Experiences:
Hiking, Trail Running, Canoeing

 Attendees are invited to launch Thursday morning with one of three guided urban outdoor experiences at Theodore Wirth Park: hiking, trail running, or canoeing. Round-trip shuttle service between the Minneapolis Convention Center and Theodore Wirth Park will be provided.

Please select your preferred activity and RSVP during Show Registration.

10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Expo Hall Opens

200+ retail-ready brands across the show floor, over 7 expo neighborhoods including Camp & Hike, Lifestyle, Ascent, Water, Run & Cycle, GGG & Founded Outdoors Pavilion, and Stewardship.

A Show Badge is required for entry.

10:00 AM 

The Camp
KEYNOTE: Retail and Consumer Trends in the Outdoor Marketplace

What’s actually selling, who’s buying, and where the outdoor market is headed next? Matt Tucker of Circana cuts through the noise with hard numbers on retail performance and consumer behavior across the outdoor industry.

Speaker: Matt Tucker, Circana.

The Camp
The Novice Economy: Why Accessibility Is the Industry’s Greatest Growth Engine
The largest untapped audience is the one standing at the trailhead for the first time — unsure, underserved, and ready to spend if someone meets them there. Mandela Echefu makes the case for designing products, storefronts, and marketing around the beginner and lays out what it takes to convert first-time participants into lifelong customers.

Speaker: Mandela Echefu.

Forecasting the Unpredictable: Building an Inventory Strategy for a Volatile Outdoor Market

Unpredictable weather, shifting demand and market uncertainty are reshaping inventory planning. Learn practical strategies to build a more agile inventory strategy using data, AI and continuous forecasting.

Speakers: Grant Buckland, Director of Sales Development, Lightspeed | Inge Erickson, Enterprise Account Manager, NuORDER | Carson Searcy, Co-Owner, CBS Sports

The Camp

Stronger Together: Rethinking Brand-Retailer Partnerships in Specialty Retail

Join Lightspeed with ENDVR and Quivers to explore how stronger brand–retailer partnerships can boost sell-through, elevate the customer experience and drive sustainable growth for both sides.

Speakers: Alyshah Walji, Director of Retail Partnerships, Lightspeed | Stephen Gendron, CEO & Co-Founder, ENDVR | Ruben Martin, CEO & Co-Founder, Quivers

The Camp
Creators, Communities & the Next Era of Outdoor Media

What does the future of outdoor storytelling look like when creators, legacy media, and passionate communities collide? Exploring how outdoor media is evolving across platforms, audiences, and business models — from independent creators and niche communities to the role of trusted journalism in an algorithm-driven world.

Speakers: Stephen Regenold (Gear Junkie), Mark Baumgarten (Minneapolis Star Tribune), Thruhikers Tim & Renee, Adam Roy (Backpacker).

The OR Playground
Recess Happy Hour

Take a break at the OR Playground to enjoy a midday beer, pingpong and cornhole with Molsoft.io.

The brands pulling ahead in the outdoor space aren’t just making products, they’re building audiences. Marketing and content leaders break down how branded media actually gets made, what separates content that builds loyalty from content that vanishes in the feed, and how any brand can start operating like a media company.

Speakers: Stephen Regenold (Gear Junkie), Mark Baumgarten (Minneapolis Star Tribune), Thruhikers Tim & Renee, Adam Roy (Backpacker).

Top Legal Issues Every Outdoor Retailer Should Know.

The Camp Happy Hour

End the day networking at The Camp with the outdoor industry community, sponsored by Ballard Sparh with support by Paddling Magazine. All registered attendees welcome.

Industry Party

Join Outdoor Retailer and Popfly, along with friends from Visit Minneapolis, Basecamp Outdoors, and Backcountry, to celebrate the 2026 season. This offsite evening reception offers a welcoming space to relax, connect with industry peers, share ideas, and build new relationships.

RSVP and show badge are required for entry.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2026 | LAST DAY

Urban Experiences
Adventure Race Hosted by 57Hours

Test your limits in the Adventure Race hosted by 57Hours at Theodore Wirth Park. RSVP required for the Race.

The Camp
KEYNOTE: Eliminating the Idea of Waste — Circular Innovation for Outdoor Gear and Apparel

Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, unpacks how outdoor brands can rethink waste across the entire lifecycle of their products — from gear and equipment to apparel and accessories. Drawing on more than two decades of circular innovation, he shows how companies can transform waste into design innovation, customer engagement, increased store foot traffic, and sustainability leadership.

Speaker: Tom Szaky, TerraCycle / Loop.

The Camp
Our Shared Asset: Why Nonprofit Partnerships Are a Business Strategy, Not a Line Item

The outdoor industry’s $1.2 trillion economy depends on two things it chronically underinvests in: the public lands that make it possible and the communities it hasn’t yet reached. This panel makes the business case for treating nonprofit partnerships as strategic infrastructure — market access, risk mitigation, and long-term competitive advantage.

Speakers: Tom Vogl, Anthony Taylor, Mark Deming

The Camp
The Gen Z Challenge: What the Next Generation Wants from Outdoor Brands

Graduate students from Western Colorado University’s Outdoor Industry MBA program present research-backed findings: how Gen Z discovers, evaluates, and buys gear; what they expect from brands on sustainability and values; and how they think about building careers in the outdoors. Quick hits, real data, and a direct read on the customers and colleagues the industry is racing to understand.

Speakers: Western Colorado University OIMBA Students & Faculty.

Moderated by Taylor Hoekstra, Founder & CEO (Popfly) with panel: Renee & Tim (@thruhikers), Aaron Lutze (@superridertv), Nadah Feteih (@nadahfeteih), & Xavier Abdullahi (@daddyxclimbs)

Lightning presentations from the University of Minnesota’s Wearable Technology Lab (the same lab that pushes forward design challenges with NASA). UMN undergraduate students present functional solutions built for real outdoor performance problems: apparel that balances thermal comfort and wearable protection for backcountry emergencies. Select projects also appear in OR’s digital Innovation Lookbook.

Speakers: UMN Product Design Faculty & Students.

Minneapolis Convention Center