Recreation  February 7, 2017

Outdoor Retailer trade show seeks new home in protest of Utah outdoor policies

Organizers of Outdoor Retailer are seeking a new home for the industry trade show, and Denver could be a viable option.

Three groups that run the show, which has been held in Salt Lake City, issued a statement Monday that blasted Utah state and federal policies supportive of sale of public lands — something opposed by many supporters of the outdoor industry.

OR is owned by Emerald Expositions Inc., based in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., the nation’s largest operator of business-to-business trade shows. OR is sponsored by the Boulder-based Outdoor Industry Association.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Ways to thank a caregiver

If you have a caregiver or know someone who has been serving as a primary caregiver, March 3rd is the day to reach out and show them how much they are valued!

The two groups — along with the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance — yesterday announced that they were soliciting proposals for OR shows and events scheduled for 2019 and beyond, threatening OR’s long history in Salt Lake City.

“Outdoor Retailer has always been about “Right time, right place, right stuff,’” said Marisa Nicholson, show director for Outdoor Retailer, in a prepared statement. “We’ve been listening to the concerns from the industry and agree that it’s time to explore our options. Salt Lake City has been an incredible home to Outdoor Retailer and the outdoor community for the past 20 years, and we aren’t opposed to staying, but we need to do what’s best for the industry and for the business of outdoor retail.”

Outdoor Retailer will maintain its current contract in Salt Lake City through summer 2018.

Denver last bid for the OR show in 2012 and was a finalist. The city is expanding the Colorado Convention Center and is embarking on a $1.1 billion expansion of the National Western Complex, which could help it in the latest request for proposals.

Amy Roberts, executive director of the OIA, said she supported the new RFP.

“OIA encouraged and supports Outdoor Retailer’s decision to explore a range of host cities for the gathering of our community,” Roberts said in the statement. “The appropriate location of Outdoor Retailer should be determined by factors ranging from business economics for vendors and attendees to a location that upholds our industry’s core values around the importance of America’s public lands system. We will continue to educate policymakers on the economic contribution of our industry as well as our support of preserving places to recreate.”

Organizers of Outdoor Retailer are seeking a new home for the industry trade show, and Denver could be a viable option.

Three groups that run the show, which has been held in Salt Lake City, issued a statement Monday that blasted Utah state and federal policies supportive of sale of public lands — something opposed by many supporters of the outdoor industry.

OR is owned by Emerald Expositions Inc., based in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., the nation’s largest operator of business-to-business trade shows. OR is sponsored by the Boulder-based Outdoor Industry Association.

The two groups — along with the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance —…

Christopher Wood
Christopher Wood is editor and publisher of BizWest, a regional business journal covering Boulder, Broomfield, Larimer and Weld counties. Wood co-founded the Northern Colorado Business Report in 1995 and served as publisher of the Boulder County Business Report until the two publications were merged to form BizWest in 2014. From 1990 to 1995, Wood served as reporter and managing editor of the Denver Business Journal. He is a Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder. He has won numerous awards from the Colorado Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and the Alliance of Area Business Publishers.
Sign up for BizWest Daily Alerts