What works? Do we really know anything apart from not one thing for everyone? I too well remember how everyone-all-in did work and used to turn up to Harrogate for the British trade show COLA (Cotswold Outdoors even brought a coach of shop staff one time); I also remember the 18th Hall at Messe München being finished and ISPO occupying the whole site. They were great shows for a whole number of reasons. They also sewed the threads of the end. Those at Mammut saying how they could not reduce the size of their stand as it would signal that they were not so much the dominant force they were. Going back to ISPO’s old site, where Adidas had the whole of the first hall (and when it transferred to the current site, they had half of Hall B1). The only option has been to drop out completely.
This all contrasts with the events that are now getting increasing footfall. The Blue Earth Summit in London is a consumer show for those focused on less-impact futures; Performance Days in Munich is ingredient sourcing; whilst last week was the first Outdoor Connections as part of the Kendal Mountain Festival (KMF). The main conclusion is that the more focused the event – the best chance it has for success. Just like the apparel design from the 1990s when the garment shapes and features meant one item for a range of activities. Now, people want excellence, and for that you have to specialize. The gear we wear has become more defined, allowing better. I know there is a cyclic nature to so much and am not writing off the multi-approach to shows (or clothing!), but that is not the current vogue. As more data has become available, so has the need to interpret it more accurately.
There are other factors that have a big influence. The big brands’ growth has become central to this, as what makes events work is the bottom line. Those brands have developed their own showrooms and have dedicated sales teams that would much rather host their chosen retail buyers at these locations for a longer session than have them wander off to the rival’s stand a quarter of an hour later to see their other option of what else to stock (which is what happens at shows). We have also seen the growth of direct-to-consumer channels as brands take the role of retailer too.
Added to this, this past year has seen the US trade show switch to be alongside Switchback – essentially a regional running show. The growth of the Outdoor Trade Show in the UK continues: are the smaller events becoming the must-attend gatherings again? This time next year will see everyone here reflecting on how ISPO is now in Amsterdam as part of the International Running Expo. I get regularly asked what I think of the biggest trade show moving out of Bavaria – my reaction is one of respect for the team at Raccoon Media led by Mike Seaman: anyone who wants to put the buzz back into the show should be congratulated for investing the time and effort to revitalize the gathering. Colleagues point out that a meeting in the Netherlands will not encourage the return of the ski and snow brands; I reply that these marques have already left ISPO so they can host their own events in snow locations, allowing the product to be trialed.
Previous columns have pointed out that the two growth areas of the sports market are both Athleisure and Running Crew. This is what the new ISPO should target. The former is the popularity of mountain apparel for everyday use; the latter is the fun side of exercising in a community. Where brands switch to mainstream profit is when they can expand beyond their origins (hopefully whilst retaining their signature of authentic ethics). It is always easy to knock those that are big and successful, but without them, the tipping point of bringing in new users will not exist, and it is that which determines the success for the rest of the brands.
Blue Earth Summit has become an event for those focused on brands’ CSR: essentially, how we can lessen our impact whilst still making a profit. For as long as selling something new and shiny creates the easiest way to do this, the channel will be hard to achieve. The whole of the service economy of business is trying new iterations to see whether new business applications can replace the main sales channel as the profit center. Personally, this area fascinates me as ever since subscribing to Jason Hickel’s Less Is More lines of thought, to me it is Rab that is leading the progress in this field in Europe. However, you cannot deny that it is Patagonia that created the focus in this field, and its recent 2025 Impact Report should be a read for every brand that thinks it wants to be positive in this field. The main prompt for the Work in Progress report is not the outdoor Industry, but in the US, the brand sits as a general apparel brand. What outdoor does best is develop new thinking that can then be adopted by the broader fashion and textiles industry. It is the latter where most of the impact associated with clothing is, so full respect to the Ventura company for taking the leadership drive to a broader set of listeners.
Blue Earth Summit creates a gathering for those in CSR (who often work alone) to be inspired (by some of the best speakers) and see that there is a whole movement in support of them. Performance Days is laser-focused on allowing only exhibitors who either produce higher performance or lower impact to have a stand, so that every booth is worth talking to. Outdoor Connections successfully brought together the KMF audience who specialize in the communication channels to think around the bigger issues.
Performance Days continues to attract growing footfall in its 18th year of operation. Extra activations happen at each show. Blue Earth Summit has moved to London to accommodate a larger audience. Outdoor Connections has moved from a suggestion to reality by staging the event the day before KMF kicked off. Lots of interested parties attended, but the sessions were designed to open up the thinking of how effective both the direction and content of the marketing channels used by the outdoor industry. I do not go to presentations to have it confirmed that I am doing the right thing – I go to be challenged/ to learn new perspectives / to hear how the target has progressed onto something else. I want to feel uncomfortable, so I need to pay closer attention to the details, but it is more important to consider a change in strategy as the market has evolved. To quote a colleague: you need to pass the ball to where the player is going, not where they are standing. This involves stepping over the line and making mistakes every so often – it is how you recover from the latter that determines how productive you are.
The program in Kendal worked because it was unlike a traditional event found at a trade exhibition. People from outside the industry were presenting to open minds. The debate around AI (was it a benefit or responsible for dumbing down excellence) was well pitched. The short sessions creating awareness on everything from EOCA to the Outdoor Industries Association Women’s Network via OUTO. Perhaps the standout session (in my opinion) was Matt Barr (who hosts one of the best podcasts) delving into brand purpose and effective storytelling with a filmmaker, a brand and an NGO: full credit to Katie Moore, Bronwen Foster-Butler and Gav Fernie-Jones. So much talk around authentic culture, which fitted into the theme of the whole KMF festival’s Hope.
My takeaways were endshittification, fighting the Algorithm of the Mediocre, innovation is what comes from the arts, credibility cannot be bought, brands lack moral ambition, and how talented the doodles of the assembled crowd were.
Shows work – if you get the content right for the audience. You will not make everyone happy, so why not just excel for those who are interested in your particular focus?
