It has been certain since February that the OutDoor trade fair will move from Friedrichshafen to Munich starting next year. Now the concept for the new OutDoor by Ispo to be held June 30 - July 3, 2019 has been announced for the first time.
Around 250 brands, retailers and media representatives came to Munich to attend the presentation of the new concept, which was hosted by Mark Held, general secretary of the European Outdoor Group (EOG), and Tobias Gröber and Markus Hefter of Messe München. The fact that nothing had yet been said about the new OutDoor by Ispo trade fair was out of respect for Messe Friedrichshafen, where the final OutDoor was held just a few days ago. "Clearly," said Held, "we don't want an old trade fair at a new location, it's about developing the outdoor segment further, and Messe München has provided the best concept for this.”
Overall, the aim is to interpret the term “outdoor” in a more contemporary way. "Consumers have long defined outdoor in a much more versatile way than the outdoor industry and trade have done so far," said Hefter, project manager of OutDoor by Ispo. Of course, running, e-bikes, mountain bikes, yoga and urban outdoor are also clearly part of the outdoor theme. But the core segment of the annual trade fair will continue to be mountaineering and climbing. Other segments include travel, surfing and water sports, outdoor digital with wearables and an area for textile innovations and start-ups. "Outdoor is not a category, but a mindset," added Gröber, director of the business unit of consumer goods at Messe München.
While the trade fair will be open to trade visitors only, end consumers will be integrated into the event at the parallel OutDays Munich. Numerous events are planned in the city center during the fair–a concept that is already welcomed and supported by the Munich dealers, Hefter added. In general, the consumer and his views and needs should be placed at the center of attention. "It simply makes little sense for a trade fair, industry or trade to tell consumers what outdoor is," Hefter explained. "As long as an industry grows automatically, that may be a good thing, but these times are over."
In addition, the fair aims to establish itself as a relevant platform for the industry throughout the year. It has already established further analog and digital products and services for Ispo, which can also be transferred to OutDoor by Ispo. These include communities for product tests that operate worldwide, an online magazine with an average of 400,000 readers per month including consumers, a job market, etc.
The trade fair also wants to open up to completely new industries that could be of interest for the further development of the outdoor sector. Exhibitors from other trade fairs at Messe München, which specialize in electronics, for example, will also be able to exhibit at OutDoor by Ispo.
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