Outdoor Retailer announces virtual summer show as industry fights out of COVID slump

DENVER — Outdoor Retailer, the outdoor industry’s premier trade show, said this week it would host a three-day virtual event next month following the COVID-19-related March cancellation of the in-person Summer Market.

Outdoor Retailer Online, which will include networking opportunities, educational events and panels with industry leaders, is set for July 21-23. 

Outdoor Retailer senior vice president and show director Marisa Nicholson told BizWest that the decision to cancel the in-person trade show was a difficult one, but the prudent one. 

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When the virus broke out in earnest in early March, “there were people who understood immediately that this was going to have a major impact on their business … and others hadn’t quite wrapped their heads around it,” she said. “… We made the decision based on the health and safety of our customers. Based on the feedback we were getting, this was the right decision for our community.”

Not only were large events starting to get scrapped across the country, travel — particularly from overseas — was heavily restricted, Nicholson said. Outdoor Retail is a global event with participants coming from more than 50 countries. 

“We’re all in this together, and we’re all here to support each other.”

Continuing to provide that support system for the industry is one of the main reasons why Outdoor Retailer decided to move ahead with a virtual event. 

“One of the biggest challenges our brands are having is connecting with retailers,” Nicholson said. 

The virtual trade show will facilitate those connections with live meetings between buyers and brands. Content will also be saved on OR’s web platform so industry representatives can link up even after the live event. 

“The outdoor industry is at its best when we are able to come together to share ideas and take collective action. While we cannot be together in person this summer, Outdoor Retailer Online will help fill an important void at a challenging time for the industry, our communities and our world,” Outdoor Industry Association Lise Aangeenbrug said. 

While Outdoor Retailer prepares for the virtual event, organizers are already looking forward to the in-person Winter Market in Denver. 

“We’ve got really good adoption for the January show,” Nicholson said. “We actually have twice as many contracts in right now as we did the same time last year.”