The Big 2022 Outdoor Retailer Summer Show Recap
By Aaron H. Bible
This summer’s Show, the final one in Denver, was not only the 40th Anniversary of Outdoor Retailer, but also the 75th Outdoor Retailer of all time. And, after a COVID-19-induced hiatus, many of the industry’s long-standing attendees were back, swapping stories in the aisles and in nearby restaurants and hotel lobbies about the days of old.
But walking the show floor and making the effort to meet new people, it was obvious that things are not what they once were. For one thing, cultural and age diversity at the show seemed to be at an all-time high, and for as many familiar faces were just as many first-timers walking the floor and working the booths.
From piñatas promising press trips, to BBQ sliders, t-shirt printmaking, and the usual array of keggers around the show floor, it felt almost like business as usual. Booths seemed to range an even wider gamut than in recent years, from Garmin to Skechers, and from old schoolers like Lowa and Nite Ize, a multitude of van outfitting companies of course, and even several booths full of giant inflatable playhouses and elaborate pool toys.
My badge pick-up line litmus test only held somewhat true this Summer as I made my usual stroll into the Colorado Convention Center the morning of Day 1, my mind swirling with seeing old friends the night before and the anticipation of a back-to-normal show. But despite a mellow start, the crowds were gathering by 10 am and we were off to the races. Once inside, I could hardly go one booth’s length without being engulfed in conversations including COVID (how many times have you had it, worst COVID story, etc.); real estate (no I really can’t believe how crazy it is, I know); more COVID; the supply chain; gas prices; the metaverse (no one knows what an NFT is); the state of U.S. politics; and, oh yeah, the Show moving back to Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake was home to Outdoor Retailer for 22 years, and was a formative time for almost every brand on the floor, many whom are no longer present at the shows. “We look forward to seeing everyone back in Salt Lake next year. We’re also incredibly grateful to Denver for the support and hospitality for the past five years, and for giving our community a place to connect and grow,” said Nicholson.
And while some bemoaned another move back to Salt Lake City this winter, most didn’t seem all too nostalgic about Denver, given its higher costs to attend and the fact that the shows never quite got a winter or summer Demo Day off the ground in the Mile High City. In fact, people seemed way more nostalgic about the old Salt Lake days than anything that’s happened in the last five years in Denver.
IT’S BACK BABY
Given the amount of pre-show hype I was getting from brands, I expected it to be a much bigger and better attended show than we experienced in Winter, and it was. By Day 2, people were even complaining about long waits for coffee in Venture Out, perhaps a sign of the times that things truly were back to, or getting back to, normal. According to Marisa Nicholson, Senior Vice President and Show Director for Outdoor Retailer, “People came to take in the full breadth of what’s happening in the industry, to see new products and brands, to learn about future trends, to listen to others experiences, and to have that face time that really reinforces relationships. It can be just as important to be seen as it is to see things.”
Show organizers are reporting that attendance was 20 percent higher than even they expected after all numbers were counted this week. “One thing we heard a lot around the show floor was that in addition to the meetings exhibitors had planned, many also met with unexpected walk-ins that made the show for them,” said Nicholson. “Retailers were so grateful to talk to people they hadn’t seen in a while and reconnect with heritage brands. They enjoyed being able to chat with many others from across the industry to share ideas and perspectives, and they appreciated being able to see complete lines in-person, versus just a selection.”
“It’s great to be back at the show after a two year hiatus,” said Michael Kadous, head of Adidas Terrex and Adidas Five Ten, North America, one of the busiest booths at the show. “The traffic and excitement at the booth has been energizing and a great reminder how important it is to be visible in order to give someone new the opportunity to discover your brand.”
“Initially, I thought this Outdoor Retailer was going to have the same vibe as your standard workplace that was trying to call people back to the office after the pandemic — sleepy, reluctant, empty except for the ones that ‘had’ to be there,” Drew Simmons, president of Pale Morning Media, told me at the show. “Instead, I saw a show that was pleasantly active and engaged. People were psyched for the opportunity to meet, to have conversations, and even to dance to a pretty sweet yacht-rock band at the 40th anniversary industry party. Sure, it wasn’t what it once was, but I certainly left feeling more glass half full than I expected.”
Over in Venture Out (where design-driven product, style, sustainability, and innovation intersect in what has become a premium booth position), 4Ocean reported record booth activity over three days. 4Ocean sales director Brenton Schulze said the brand has removed more than 23 million pounds of trash from shorelines and oceans since launching in 2017. The brand owns its own fleet of boats and miraculously employ upwards of 350 people. “Day 1 was the strongest day one we’ve ever had,” he told me as I strolled the show floor on Day 3. Will they be coming back? “Oh yeah, we have no intention of changing this strategy. OR is the ideal place to look for brand partnerships and for whale hunting, that is, looking for more national key accounts.”
NEW AND EXCITED
“We saw a lot of first-time attendees and new shop owners, looking to get established and learn the industry landscape,” said Nicholson. “And of the 650-plus exhibitors, more than 25 percent were new. It all demonstrates the value of discovery at Outdoor Retailer, and the opportunity to absorb new ideas and see a variety of new products.”
“We joined last minute and we’re glad we did,” said Jeff Popp, Kokopelli general manager and director of product. “It was awesome to see the show start to pick back up again and it felt much more like the pre-COVID days. It was also great to see so many friends from overseas that I haven’t gotten to see in three years!” The Colorado-based creators of lightweight and packable inflatable packrafts is launching its all-new, ultra-durable bikepacking bags for spring 2023 at the Show. This product launch signifies the company’s first steps into the biking world as it sticks to its core values of high-performance gear designed to help people venture further.
Many big booths and stalwart brands of pre-pandemic show days returned. CamelBak said it had a fantastic show and people were stoked to see so many customers and industry friends in-person again. “Our booth traffic the first two days felt like old times as we were busy both days with high-quality and highly engaged appointments,” said Greg Williamson, President of CamelBak. “The positive reaction to our Spring and Summer ‘23 product lineup gives us a lot of confidence for the future. We loved seeing so many great brands together — from older legacy to new startups — doing amazing work to keep people active and enjoying the outdoors.”
Down the way, some learned about a “new” brand that has actually been around for 45 years and is leading a charge to get more people outdoors with its affordable product line ranging from tents to gravel bikes and more. “It’s exciting to finally be exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer,” said Franco Banfi, Chief Operating Officer of Decathlon USA. “This is an opportunity for us to reveal some of our newest innovative products, like the 2-Second Easy Tent, our Ultra-Compact SUP and Easybreath snorkeling mask, in addition to teasing some new products for 2023 like the Grvl 900 titanium gravel bike. We really enjoyed the overall event organization, from daily updates on the app to having the opportunity to connect with our partners, potential retail partners and so many like minded people who are passionate about the outdoors.”
We also spent a lot of time chatting with Brooks Hansen, PR Manager for Camp Chef. Camp Chef supported the shows for years in Salt Lake and continued to do so in Denver, even sponsoring media events and the old outdoor demo a few years back. “We are going to miss coming to the show in Denver,” said Hansen, “but we are also looking forward to going back to SLC. Being a Utah company it sure makes it nice to attend and support a show in your home state. We are looking forward to the future and are excited for next year.”
GOOD TIMES ROLL
Film nights and events were de rigueur as we tried to pack two years worth of socializing into three days and nights. From Outside.io and Five Point Film Festival, to Mountain Hardwear and others offering movie premiers and parties, the outdoor industry still knows how to have a good time, that much is sure.
“We took Denver by storm last night as we blasted our newest film, Donde Los Terremotos, at our favorite watering hole, The High Lonesome, to a frothing crowd of enthusiasts. With a mix of mezcal and Lone Stars, garage rock and billiards, I think we showed a new, unique take on what an adventure film can be. It’s one of the most diverse projects we’ve ever had the pleasure of producing and can’t wait for everyone else to immerse themselves in it,” said Corey Brindley, marketing director for Roark, a run-apparel brand that’s been at OR since Salt Lake City and started in Venture Out but grew into the main floor. This was the first show for its Run Amok line, a performance trail running and active collection and its first Outdoor Retailer since the pandemic. The movie premiere was an opportunity to show its perspective on trail running, through the lens of surfers and skaters, blurring lines and challenging traditional ideas about who a runner is.
Another industry staple, Sawyer, was a friendly core-outdoor face to many at the show. “It was great to see a better showing at Outdoor Retailer in Denver last week,” said Travis Avery, Sawyer’s vice-president of marketing and one of the original family members from the company. “Our booth was buzzing at several points during the show and productive conversations were plenty. Reconnecting again in-person with our retail partners, ambassadors, industry colleagues and outdoor community was super rejuvenating. For these reasons, Outdoor Retailer remains very worth it for Sawyer to attend.”
GET AFTER IT
One thing I do hear a lot of is that sometimes these days there are more people selling things than buying things at the shows, especially the quieter shows and especially on the last day. And while buyer attendance is always somewhat enigmatic (some booths like Sketchers seem packed with sit-down appointments and line presentations the whole show, while others are crickets), it’s not untrue that there are many hawkers of goods such as digital marketing services, agency services, e-commerce and importing services, creative, and even non-profits walking the show with its hand out. Some of these come in under the banner of quasi-media, buy a guest badge or pay to be there as salespeople.
Personally I like having as many different people and elements at the show as possible, but understandably a lot of the sales reps and sales managers are there for one thing—to do business. With the smaller shows they’ve lost some of the big marketing cache that forced them to pivot in the first place, leaving a lot of sales guys standing around staring at their phones in a folding chair in the back of the booth. You know how you’re not going to have a good show? Sitting in the back of your booth on your phone.
“It was great to see folks and reconnect in person, but we paid to set up, exhibit and bring our team to Denver to sell, yet the majority of the traffic at our booth was trying to sell to us—the ratio of specialty outdoor retailers to service providers felt very off. The outdoor industry is absolutely thriving and there’s certainly a need for community and celebration of our shared ethos, and the Outdoor Retailer show used to fill that need but this year I didn’t feel it,” said Azul Couzens, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at industry staple Helinox.
And so, after doing this myself for nearly 30 years, I think I finally figured out the key to tradeshow success. You have to go into the shows asking what you can contribute to the show, not what you can take away from it. It’s not about the size, it’s about the connections.
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