Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2011 Opens with Open Air Demo
OutdoorHub 08.04.11
SALT LAKE CITY – August 4, 2011 – Close to 2,000 attendees, including 20 percent more retailers than last year, tested the latest outdoor gear on the water and trails at Jordanelle State Park in Park City, Utah on Wednesday, August 3 at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Open Air Demo (OAD).
A record-breaking 153 exhibitors (over 200 brands) showed retailers a sneak peek of next year’s paddlesports, endurance sports, cycling, fly-fishing, footwear, camping, apparel, and other outdoor equipment and accessories.
Attendees participated in events like It’s A Shore Thing Trail Run, Paddle/Pedal Challenge, Sustainable Living Roadshow, GPS Treasure Hunt, Fly Fishing competition and the chance to set a world record by paddling the largest SUP (stand up paddleboarding) board with SUPzilla.
“This is an outstanding event and a great location for it; it’s absolutely beautiful out here. We’re seeing a lot of retailers and a lot of people interested in paddling and growing the excitement and enthusiasm for the sport (SUP). It’s clear that when people try this sport they become interested in buying what we’re selling, so it’s an incredibly important thing for us to be able to get people on the water.” Huntley Dornan, Surftech President/CEO
“We’re reaching a lot of new customers here we wouldn’t have anticipated. People are walking by saying ‘Hey, I’m interested in a bike,’ and some of these people are wobbling out of here, but they’re getting excited and taking an interest in bikes again. I think it’s really important to be involved in this event.” Dennis Holliday, Raleigh America Utah/Nevada Territory Manager
“I think the show stepped it up this year, there’s definitely more brands here at the lake, which makes it really nice. The touchy-feely, that’s what you want. The Salt Palace is nice, but I can’t ride a paddleboard down the hallway. Even if a product I see here doesn’t fit into my niche and I don’t carry it, I can try it and tell other people about it.” Wayne Bair, Search Gear, Dan Diego, Ca.
“It’s so important to be at this event, because you never really know unless you do it. You can get out there and try things and compare and see what’s new. It’s nice to be able to test products back-to-back and do an apples-to-apples comparison. I think everybody you need to see is here.” Wes Morrison, Kittredge Sports, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Attendees now head to the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City for Summer Market 2011, four days of business education, events, networking and finalizing buying decisions.
For photos of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market (including Open Air Demo) and the most recent show happenings, visit www.facebook.com/outdoorretailer or www.twitter.com/outdoorretailer and #orshow.
About Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer (OR) brings together retailers, manufacturers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation through trade shows, product demo events and web-based business solutions. Produced by Nielsen Expositions and based in San Juan Capistrano, California, Outdoor Retailer also provides and promotes retailer education, advocacy, responsibility and critical face-to-face business initiatives within the outdoor industry.
Now celebrating 30 years, Outdoor Retailer (www.outdoorretailer.com) connects approximately 40,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for its Summer and Winter Market shows, and thousands more through its year-round online resources and platforms.
