It felt like ISPO at its best: full exhibition halls, well-attended exhibition stands, international buzz of voices. And the first snow fell outside. The sporting goods trade fair’s start to the new order season for autumn-winter 2024 got off to a promising start.
More exhibitors, high internationality, lots of program
The Ispo Munich sporting goods trade fair came to an end on Thursday evening with the motto “New Perspectives on Sports” – and it really had a lot to offer: Not only the number of over 2,400 exhibitors from a wide variety of areas has increased enormously since the last event (2022: 1,500 exhibitors), the internationality of the exhibitors also testifies to the appeal of the trade fair. Compared to the previous year, 57 percent more exhibitors took part. Of these, 93 percent were from abroad. “This year the trade fair is very well attended. It was very busy, very crowded, and I was very happy with it. We had the opportunity to talk to many people. “That’s very good, that’s more than we expected,” says Stijn van Hees, Director Marketing Europe & Global Wholesale at Fjällräven.
The trade fair’s extensive information and inspiration program, which took place on a total of ten stages and in special areas, also had a lot to offer. “I am happy because the transformation of Ispo Munich is in full swing,” says Stefan Rummel, CEO of the Messe München Group, summing it up positively. “We are pleased that our trade fair is perceived worldwide as a place-to-be for the sports industry. This is reflected in the high level of interest shown by foreign exhibitors and the enthusiasm of visitors and speakers from all over the world.”
Classic winter sports were missing
And yet it also became clear that the ISPO is different than it used to be, before the pandemic. Not just because the trade fair no longer filled the entire exhibition center, as was the case in 2019. In the main halls A and B only three halls were occupied, previously there were six each. The scheduling has also changed, only three days instead of four, and without Sunday, which is actually important for many small retailers. However, the change in the past three days was greatest in the winter sports segment with skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding. What used to be the backbone of Winter Ispo and filled many halls with clothing, hardware and accessories was almost completely missing this time.
New Outdoor and new target groups
The focus of the trade fair shifted even more to the topic of outdoors, not just because winter sports were missing, but rightly so. Because outdoor has now become more of a year-round category than ever before. While the outdoor segment used to be primarily understood as a summer sport, which is why the associated trade fair only ever took place in the summer, the pandemic has contributed to the fact that more and more people want to be outside and do so in summer and winter require equipment. “Outdoor and sports have grown since the pandemic and have attracted new target groups,” explains Tobias Gröber, Head of Ispo Group in his speech on the Highsnobiety stage. “We have to finally accept that outdoor equipment is not only there to reach remote places, but it is also a fashion statement. There is currently no platform for this interaction. Highsnobiety and Ispo are supposed to be something like that.”
This longing for the great outdoors and the search for new experiential spaces is inspiring fashion, which even before the pandemic enjoyed entering into sensational collaborations with traditional outdoor brands or declaring gorpcore a new trend that is still going strong. This idea of “New Outdoor” manifested itself in many places at the trade fair: in the cooperation with Highsnobiety and in the Zeitgeist Area, which was designed by Kristian W. Andersen. The former co-creator of the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) has brought together 18 brands that represent New Outdoor in the curated Zeitgeist area: for example And Wander from Japan, Ciele from Canada, Berghaus from Great Britain and Elho from Switzerland. Zeitgeist should be more than just a trade fair inspiration. “I don’t think anyone lives in a box and only does one sport or the other. Anyone who plays basketball still goes camping – everything belongs together,” says Andersen. “We want to bring people together, introduce the outdoor theme to new retailers and show traditional retailers new outdoor brands.” He can also imagine using the entire concept in department stores and implementing pop-up concepts.
New at the trade fair: Elho and Plein Sports
The new perspective on sport found many fans. Elho, for example, clearly felt at home in the Zeitgeist Area during the relaunch: “This is the world where design and cool style come together with the outdoors. And that’s where we want to be. We are here to revive an old brand, a legendary brand, but we want to do it in a new way, a modern way. . This is a very cool start. People really understand the message, the products, what we want to show, the mood we want to convey. This is so much more than we expected,” said Donald Schneider, Creative Director and Founder at Elho. For Philipp Plein there was also no alternative to ISPO. “Which other sports trade fair can be compared to the ISPO and which can offer the same?” asks Plein. He presented his new sports line Plein Sport in Munich, which was launched last year and is now set to take off internationally. Plein plans to open around 35 stores in the coming months. In contrast to the high fashion line, Plein is pursuing a more commercial strategy with Sport, with starting price points for sneakers around 90 euros. Plein also wants to join the Intersport marketplace.
Sustainability in many facets
The overarching theme of the trade fair was – like the last few times – sustainability. Many of the brands’ innovations were primarily aimed at improving sustainability solutions. UPM presented the first polyester fleece made partly from wood at the Vaude stand. In order to further expand the project, the international company UPM is currently building a new production facility in Leuna to meet the growing need for bio-based raw materials for the textile industry. While Vaude produces fleece from wood, Merino specialist Icebreaker presented “real” fleece, namely with a jacket made of high-pile pure wool and lined with Tencel.
“Our goal is to use more and more natural fibers and eliminate synthetic fibers,” says Josh Vaughan, EMEA General Manager at Icebreaker. Houdini also had new fibers in its range and gave a first look at a new shell series for freeride and mountaineering, which is currently still in development. The clothing range is made with the next generation of Polartec Power Shield, a 3-layer shell fabric made from Biolon. Biolon is a renewable, non-GMO-based nylon made from plants that has a 50 percent lower carbon footprint than Virgin Nylon-6,6 and relies less on fossil resources. “For a long time, many thought that more sustainable options would mean sacrificing performance, such as durability. Polartec has proven that this is not the case,” says Ramesh Kesh, Senior VP & Business Manager Polartec.
