Textile Insight

IN THE MARKET | OUTDOOR RETAILER STRATEGIES No Easy Answers 8 • Textile Insight ~ November/December 2018 textileinsight.com To Show, or Not to Show, that is the Question for Suppliers. he new three-show schedule for Outdoor Retailer has been a conundrum for textile suppliers from the get-go with the new November Winter OR creating the most uncertainty. Despite what seems like good timing for sourcing purposes, the textile community remains puzzled as to whether making a third trip to Denver in 2018 is a smart investment in time, money and overall trade show strategy. Now Winter OR is here and who's in and who's out is split across the textile industry; Polartec, eVent, Microban and FiberVision are not exhibiting, for example. Nor are influential textile supplier brand partners, such as Patagonia, The North Face and Columbia. Even those onboard to exhibit at Winter OR, are antsy about the outcome of the inaugural trade fair. Others feel frustrated by the situation in general. Based on conversations with a dozen textile execs, it appears that going forward representation at OR trade events will likely consist of two strong outings, and perhaps minor involvement in a third. OR Summer Market looks to be the winner garnering uniform support. Here's a snap shot of what we are hearing about how 2019 trade show strategies are shaping up: Either skipping the OR Snow Show in January altogether or making a cameo appearance in Denver then flying directly to ISPO; attending TechTextil NA in Raleigh in February; trying a few small shows like the Kingpins denim fair; making the trek to Munich in the Spring and Fall for Performance Days; exhibiting at the new June Outdoor Retailer; attending the Functional Fabric Fair in New York City in July (an opportunity missed in 2018 due to the direct conflict in with OR dates last summer). Many tell us they will decide what to do about Winter OR 2019 based on this year's event. In the meantime, textile execs note a variety of factors influencing how they close out 2018. High on the list is non-commitment from design people and material teams on whether or not they will make the trip to Denver. This uncertainty gave some textile firms pause about exhibiting this November. Execs were reporting that their appointment books were far from filled just two weeks prior to the Show whereas in the past, they'd be completely booked by this time. DownLite's VP outdoor, Chad Altbaier is walking the November show. "After much thought and internal discussion, it's with sadness and disappointment that we have officially decided to pull out of exhibiting for the upcoming November Winter OR Show," Altbaier confirmed in an email, following an earlier phone conversation when Altbaier and DownLite management were still wrestling with a final decision. "Unfortunately, the individuals/teams that we typically see at past ORs are simply not going to be at this show. Normally, our schedule is booked solid with appointments for three straight days, but for this upcoming November Winter show, our 'dance card' is very open," Altbaier explained. Concept III's Chris Parkes also commented on a lag in appointment scheduling compared to the usual Outdoor Retailer experience. But unlike DownLite, Concept III is going big exhibiting at Winter OR noting the sourcing appeal of the November dates. However, the firm will back off a bit in January due to the conflict with ISPO. HeiQ has recently partnered with Concept III and as such will be attending Winter OR. "In regards to tradeshows, out strategy for 2019 is to reduce our overall tradeshow budget, yet focus on sharing booth space with key partners at the top tradeshows, such as Concept III at ORWM," said Colleen Nipkow, marketing director, North America. Chemours' strategy is to stay the course. Lisa Hardy explained Chemours outlook saying, "We have always participated in Outdoor Retailer so we will stick with exhibiting in November and June, especially if November Winter OR becomes known as the 'sourcing show.'" That falls right into our bucket as a chemical supplier." As for the January OR Snow Show, the company didn't participate when it was the Ski Show, says Hardy, so will opt out as per usual in 2019. Unifi's tradeshow strategy has grown to include more opportunities as market demand for sustainability and performance continues to increase. "We have added our Repreve Mobile Tour to the November ORWM with a focus on sustainability," said Jay Hertwig, Unifi's group VP global branded sales. "Unifi is a longtime exhibitor at Intertextile Shanghai, but it was particularly busy this year with a heightened interest in sustainability." Two new shows for Unifi will be Kingpins, offering sustainable performance options for denim, and Performance Days, also primarily focused on sustainable performance, Hertwig confirmed. Schoeller will exhibit at Winter OR. President Stephen Kerns summed up the situation: "We want to believe there will be an influx in Denver participation. However, to be at OR two weeks on the front side of Thanksgiving, that's a lot of work again. A shift is occurring, and the chase is never ending." l T Appointment books are far from filled whereas usually they'd be completely booked. No one is quite sure what to expect at this November's Outdoor Retailer Show. Pictured here is the Muztag DV jacket from standout outdoor apparel brand Rab.

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