Outdoor Retailer to Expand Fly Fishing Presence at Summer Market 2013
OutdoorHub 10.18.12
Responding to increased interest and demand from the industry, Outdoor Retailer (OR) Summer Market and Open Air Demo 2013, held in August in Salt Lake City, will feature a variety of new Fly Fishing market-focused exhibit areas, venues and programs.
“OIA Foundation research is showing that active participants in specialty outdoor activities cross over to several other outdoor ‘lifestyle’ experiences,” said Kenji Haroutunian, Nielsen Expo Outdoor Group vice president and OR show director. “Fly shops and the brands that serve them are a relevant group to the outdoor recreation core of the OR show. Dialing in show features to benefit them is a natural fit and is mutually beneficial to the industry ecosystem.”
For Summer Market 2013, Outdoor Retailer will produce a focused ‘Fly Zone’ at the show, clustering relevant brands around a business community center that features the newest products from the Fly Fishing industry. Here attendees will gain valuable business intelligence from focused presentations, driving new programs and technology forward in the business. The area will also include an onsite casting area to facilitate product testing, networking, friendly competition and fun.
Outdoor Retailer Open Air Demo has a long tradition of providing a valuable demo experience in the designed environment and use. Thousands of specialty retailers annually attend Open Air Demo to test canoes, kayaks, paddles, SUP boards, PFD’s, waders, rods and reels and other specialty equipment and apparel intended for use in the outdoors.
For Fly Fishing retailers like Dave Leinweber of Angler’s Covey in Colorado Springs, Colo., this translates to live gear demos in some of the best lake and tailwater in the U.S., including Jordanelle Reservoir, the Upper Provo River and other blue ribbon trout streams.
“We’re really trying to take our fly shop in a direction that’s not so much selling equipment as it is selling fly fishing. Open Air Demo is a great opportunity to come out here and paddle around, check out the stability, see if I can stand up in these kayaks and cast from them,” said Leinweber. “Right now I can learn the difference between types of kayaks because I got to use them and experience the tradeoffs you couldn’t see if you were inside.”
The new show features will directly benefit the growing Fly dealer base at OR that have ranked “fly fishing & fishing” as a major market segment they serve. In addition to these buyers, more than 8,000 retailers and 3,000 stores will gain valuable knowledge about this segment and how they can create partnerships across market segments.
Past core flying fishing brands that have participated in Outdoor Retailer include Orvis, Redington and Umpqua, Patagonia, Montana Fly, Fishpond and ExOfficio, with more showing interest every day. Core Fly retailers who regularly attend OR include Bud Lilly’s, Creekside and Angler’s Covey.
Brands interested in participating in Outdoor Retailer Summer Market can receive more information by contacting OR National Sales Manager Marisa Nicholson at marisa.nicholson@nielsen.com/949.226.5760. Early bird registration for qualified buyers for Winter Market 2013 is also now open online.
