Colorado outdoor recreation director shares vision of Outdoor Retailer shows

GRAND JUNCTION — Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry director has a vision for the state’s newly-won five-year stint of hosting the Outdoor Retailer trade shows.

For his vision, it will be more than just equipment manufacturers and those involved with outdoor policy coming to Denver three times a year, but also musicians, artists and more, reports The Denver Post. 

It will be more than a trade show, he said, while speaking to a group at the Governor’s Tourism Conference on Thursday in Grand Junction. Representatives for Colorado destinations will come to the Denver conference and pitch to gearmakers and other businesses why they should move to their city; policymakers will discuss recreational access and public lands. It will be a party built around outdoor recreation and the trade show.

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“It’s Colorado’s job — it’s all of our jobs — to activate around the show,” Benitez said at the conference, according to the Post. “It’s going to be super cool.”

The Outdoor Retailer shows take place in January, June and November, and is expected to bring a large economic and status boost to Colorado. The January Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show is expected to draw 20,000 attendees — who have already booked 6,500 rooms.

But the show is also a chance for Colorado to pitch to outdoor businesses why they should make the move to Colorado and relocate here.

Even Amazon, which is looking for its second headquarters location, could be swayed by the city’s outdoor and natural resource opportunities.

“Yes, there are tax incentives,” Benitez said, reports the Post. “Yes, there’s all these other components, but they want to know what all these natural amenities are in your regions and in your towns and how their employees can potentially utilize them.”