There has been a lot of discussion in the German sportswear industry in recent days about the domestic trade fair landscape after it was announced that ISPO would be leaving Munich. With the restructuring, which is being carried out by the newly founded joint venture between Messe München GmbH (hereinafter abbreviated as MMG) and the British trade fair organizer Raccoon Media Group, the trade fair for the sporting goods and outdoor industry is to move to Amsterdam.
‘The International Running Expo’ (IRX) took place there this week, a raccoon trade fair that focuses on the sport of running. FashionUnited took a look around to get a first impression of the new ISPO co-organizer. Mike Seaman, Group CEO, gives us an insight into the new strategy.
About Raccoon Media Group:
British trade fair organizer Raccoon Media Group Ltd was founded in 2018 with the launch of the National Running Show. The running fair takes place in Birmingham, where other formats such as The National Equine Show, The National Outdoor Expo and PATS (Pets & Aquatic Trade Show) are also held. There are also international trade fairs such as The International Running Expo (and from 2026 ISPO) which take place in Amsterdam.
Mr. Seaman, how did the agreement with Messe München for ISPO come about?
We approached MMG with a vision of how we could make ISPO a market-leading trade fair again – a pretty radical suggestion that I made to MMG CEO Stefan Rummel.
Stefan recognized the opportunity, liked the entrepreneurial approach and acted quickly. His decisive approach and the support of his entire team ensured that things moved incredibly quickly.
Why did you choose Amsterdam as your venue?
We want to develop the trade fair into a global event. One of the factors for this is the change in date, as the previous one clashed with the important US holiday Thanksgiving. This was not possible in Munich.
The high sustainability criteria, the professional venue and the excellent transport connections were decisive factors in the final decision being made in Amsterdam. Several brands also have their headquarters here and we know the exhibition center through our ‘International Running Expo’, which would be a good co-location.
Are there already concrete plans for the further development of the trade fair?
We have confirmed the new hall plan and the new concept – the most important points are divided into four phases.
Phase one concerns the format: ISPO will now include a one-day management conference, followed by a two-day trade fair. Phase two is a new concept for which Raccoon will invest one million euros in attracting buyers. The third phase includes an investment of one million euros in the supporting program to make ISPO a truly important and unmissable event. The fourth phase will see an additional investment of one million euros in good causes to make the event a force for good.
Does the IRX already offer a small foretaste of ISPO with its program?
In a way, yes. It shows a little bit of what Raccoon stands for – it’s obviously a much smaller event that came out of nowhere. However, it was very well received and we expect it to be a valuable addition to ISPO.
It also shows how we want you to experience our events. We want to provide real business value – the head – but also a fun time and a positive, engaging social experience – the heart.
Recently, fashion and sportswear have become increasingly similar at ISPO. Will you continue with this approach?
The market has to decide that. ISPO serves the three core target groups of outdoor, sporting goods and winter sports. In my opinion, there are no longer clear boundaries between functionality and fashion. This should also be reflected at ISPO, but in a sensitive way and taking into account the target groups we serve.
Your announcement also mentioned optimizations. Does this also relate to the number of exhibitors and the size of the trade fair?
We would like to offer interest groups numerous opportunities to engage with ISPO. We obviously want to expand the event – in terms of size – but in such a way that both exhibitors and sponsors benefit equally from it. At Raccoon we always carefully measure the relationship between visitors and exhibitors. This is an important factor.
Are declining exhibitor and visitor numbers an issue that concerns you as an organizer?
Yes, of course, and we also took that into account in our considerations. However, we have the luxury of being able to start selling for next year a few months before this year’s event. The feedback has been fantastic and we are very excited about the scale and growth you will see in 2026.
What about the ISPO Awards?
We will of course check this and reserve the right to handle things slightly differently. However, we intend to keep valuable things like the ISPO Awards and ISPO Brandnew.
The interview was conducted in writing.