Outdoor Insight

s /UTDOOR )NSIGHT s *ULY outdoorinsightmag.com s /UTDOOR )NSIGHT s *ULY outdoorinsightmag.com into developing and curating our brand via design, connectivity with consumers and overall lifestyle rather than investing the massive time, energy and resources needed to attend windowless gargan- tuan sales events," says Kevin Peacock, founder and owner of micro-brand Luvmother, selling Merino apparel for kids out of Canada. "We'd much rather be in the outdoors product testing and improving our collection then facing the matrix of show logistics." Another not-so-secret reality of the changing trade show landscape is that the consumer is vastly different. "Once upon a time, I read a gear review, saved my dollars, went to a specialty store and asked expert advice, then bought the best tent I could afford," says McGuire, who initially wanted Venture Out to be something off the show floor entirely. "The shift in consumer attitude is that I don't need to buy a tent. I want to acquire an experience that happens to take place in a sleeping structure outside. I am not going to give you $300 for a tent, but I will give you $700 for an experience. And the trade shows and industry as a whole need to figure out how to support and facilitate this shift for their brands and retailers or they risk becoming obsolete. "The biggest retailer has no stores (Amazon), the biggest taxi company has no cars (Uber), and some day in the not- too-distant future, the biggest outdoor brand may not produce any products. Are we prepared for that shift?" "Most of the current trade shows exist to simply hang on to the way things have always been done. I don't know of any that are truly pushing the concept of the retail experience," Allied Feather & Down's Matthew Betcher says. "The entire industry is based on experience and yet we have trade shows that push the old model of components, brand, retailer, consumer. "We recognize that the old business- to-business model is gone. Everyone, whether they like it or not, is consumer facing. Some of the newer trade shows are bringing back what their large advantage is…the curated experience for an end user. Trade shows have become much less about selling and more a marketing and media experience. The new trade show has the potential to be a curated multi-media experience for brands, media and consumers alike. And if there is one industry that could lead the way, it is ours." Retailers across the board seem to agree. "As retail continues to change and evolve, becoming progressively more dynamic to address the quickly shifting needs of the consumer, the trade show landscape is also rapidly adapting to better serve the needs of the vendors, retailers and ultimately the consumer," points out Brian Limoges, direc- tor of merchandising for Evo. "With a concerted focus on experiential brand-retailer-product interactions in new trade show upstarts such as The Outpost and many others, the traditional model is also undergoing changes to better serve its attendees. "The recent merger of Outdoor Retailer and the Snowsports Industries America trade shows will assist retailers by minimizing time out of the office, the costs associated with trade show travel, and provide a holistic opportunity for buyers to com- prehensively review vendor assortments across both the outdoor and snowsports industries in a single event." O ANALYSIS Paddlesports Retailer The inaugural event debuts Aug. 29–Sept. 1, 2017 in Madison, WI, at the Alliant Energy Center. The show is being organized through the lens of a retailer. Paddlesports Retailer is a trade show designed for paddlers, by paddlers. Endorsed by the Paddlesports Industry Coalition as its official trade show. PADDLESPORTSRETAILERCOM Grassroots Outdoor Connect Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, the outdoor specialty retail organization, run by retailer members that represent more than 120 stores nationwide, hosted the Connect event in mid-June. Connect brings brands and retailers together ahead of the traditional summer trade show process to see "how the core influencers in the market are going to approach buying and selling for the next year." GRASSROOTSOUTDOORSCOMGRASSROOTSCONNECT Outdoor PressCamp Haroutunian's Press Camp, piggy backing on the pre- existing Bike Camp concept that has been around for about a half-dozen years, takes the buying component out completely and immerses brands and media in a week-long experiential marketing event. It allows brands to stretch their DTC legs a little bit as well. "PressCamp focuses on build- ing relationships more deeply, which takes time together." PRESSCAMPCOM The Running Event Created by and run by Formula4 Media, the publishers of this magazine, The Running Event is tightly focused on the running specialty market. TRE 2017 takes place Nov. 28–Dec. 1 in Austin, TX. THERUNNINGEVENTCOM The Outpost Outpost Trade Co. events borrow from culturally relevant events such as trade shows and SXSW, "but we set out to create an event that showcases brands' culture through experiences outdoors, much like how we experience products on our own personal weekend adventures," says founder Eric Bach. "We know aspects of this are being done, but The Outpost is a unique and encompassing event for brands, media, influencers and consumers alike." And while Bach says that orders are written at his events, more importantly "it's a chance to intimately connect with other brands for potential collaboration, with an influencer who may represent your products, and with media that might help share your story to a larger audience." THEOUTPOSTUS Camelbak Pursuit Series From the founders of Outessa, the women's-only expe- riential consumer event sponsored by REI last year, the Camelbak Pursuit Series is curated by The Outbound Collective, not necessarily to replace trade shows, but to give brands and consumers just outside the lines of the outdoor industry more exposure to each other. "We see a close connection, but also two different strategies with traditional trade-shows and new consumer-facing events, and we hope that both can continue to bolster each other and help support the engagement with and benefit of the outdoors," says co-founder Julia Stamps Mallon. CAMELBAKCOMPURSUIT Questival Another brand-sponsored consumer activation to watch is Cotapaxi's Questival, where potential customers spend 24 hours camping and recreating outdoors, participat- ing in community service projects and taking selfies with llamas. "The outdoor industry is evolving rapidly as Millennial consumers become a more important segment of the marketplace. As a Millennial brand, Cotopaxi understands the importance of connecting with these consumers beyond traditional channels. Traditional customer acquisition strategies simply won't work long term in a digital world. Outdoor brands need to explore ways to activate and acquire evangelist consumers beyond traditional means," says Cotopaxi co-founder and CEO Davis Smith. COTOPAXICOMPAGESEVENTSQUESTIVALHOME Fall Cyclofest Interbike launched Cyclofest two years ago in an effort to make it easier for East Coast dealers to come into its fold and ended up hitting it out of the park with consumers instead. Like other evolving trade events, they plan to give the people what they want, competing with similar ancillary consumer-facing bike industry events such as OuterBike. And at the end of the day, if they are grow- ing the industry and getting more people outside, then everybody is happy. CYCLOFESTCOM Trade Show Alternatives A look at some of the other players in the changing trade show landscape.

• Cover