Winter Market 2013 Wraps After Week of Product Launches, Events, Business Education, Buying and New Technology
OutdoorHub 02.01.13
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market (OR) wrapped up its annual industry gathering on Saturday, closing out a week of product launches, inspiring events and the discovery of the latest trends in wintersports, backcountry, avalanche safety, trail running, yoga and more.
Winter Market kicked off with an announcement from organizers that both shows – Winter and Summer Market – would remain in Salt Lake City through 2016, a decision reached after months of work with Salt Lake City and Utah officials, and getting the pulse of the industry’s preference on location.
The Expo – which ran Wednesday through Saturday – featured 177 new exhibitors and 950 brands in total, an eight percent increase over last year’s Winter Market.
Preliminary numbers showed both overall and retailer attendance was strong. Organizers have raised the bar and continue to vet new registrants, non-retailer and non-exhibiting manufacturer attendees with stricter qualifications in order to enhance the quality of the show for both buyers and exhibitors.
“Despite tough market conditions, with a second weak snow year, energy and enthusiasm pulsed through the aisles of this year’s Winter Market show,” said Kenji Haroutunian, Nielsen Expo Outdoor Group vice president and OR show director. “Presentations in the SnowSports Zone by Dean Cummings and Bruce Tremper, along with the countless 2014 product launches in the backcountry winter sports market, fired up the energy and passion of the industry as it looks to expand its influence to a broader audience.”
Some highlights from Winter Market 2013 include:
- Significant new endurance and lifestyle exhibitors like Puma, Reebok, Holden and Neff charged the show with new energy.
- The Outdoor Inspiration Awards, presented by adidas Outdoor honored mountaineering legend Fred Beckey with a special Lifetime Achievement Award.
- OR Rocks! featured musical events like the All Star industry Jam and a concert by rap duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, a Q& A with Lucy Walker, acclaimed director of the Sundance nominated documentary “The Crash Reel,” along with the Avalaunch Winter Market Awards.
- A new Yoga Zone highlighted the many brands at the show connecting the outdoor industry to yoga.
Summer Market returns to Salt Lake City, July 31 – August 3, 2013, with the Open Air Demo on July 30. Winter Market 2014 begins with the All Mountain Demo on January 21 and continues in Salt Lake City, January 22-25, 2014.
