Restart after three years: After the compulsory break caused by the pandemic, the international outdoor industry was able to meet again in Munich for the first time. The new OutDoor by Ispo with a new date and location met with a consistently positive response.
The last OutDoor by Ispo was held in Munich in summer 2019. At that time the trade fair was a premiere, after the OutDoor trade fair had always taken place in Friedrichshafen in previous years. In 2019, we had no idea that everything would change again at the follow-up event and that the industry would be faced with completely new challenges.
Surprisingly many foreign visitors
But it seems that the industry can deal with changes: The new location in Munich’s order center MOC and the date brought forward by several weeks were well received, although these innovations were viewed with skepticism in advance. A total of 300 exhibitors presented their new products on around 30,000 square meters – on the exhibition stands in the four halls, in the MOC’s own showrooms, in the atria and in an open-air hang-out area. Messe München counted around 8,000 trade visitors over the three days, including a surprising number of foreign guests, as the trade fair and exhibitors alike emphasize.
Expressed in numbers, this means that around two thirds of the guests and 70 percent of the exhibitors came from abroad. Retailers, buyers and brand representatives from 70 countries were represented, including European core markets such as France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland as well as the USA, Canada and Asia.
Outdoor is booming – especially in the DACH region
The mood in the outdoor industry is actually good. This can also be seen from the figures presented by the European Outdoor Group (EOG) at the trade fair. Because the European outdoor industry is booming and is even emerging from the pandemic stronger. It closed the 2021 financial year with the highest turnover to date of EUR 6.2 billion, an increase of around 19 percent compared to the previous year. With 240 million products sold, outdoor items are in greater demand worldwide than ever before.
The region with the highest turnover is the German-speaking area with over 2.2 billion euros and growth of 14 percent. The footwear category recorded particularly strong growth figures with a 22 percent increase in value and apparel with an increase of 20 percent. Tent providers were also successful with 16 percent growth in value in 2021. Mark Held, EOG Non-Executive Chairman: “The demand for outdoor products has gone through the roof. The pandemic has made many people think about what is really important to them.”
Trend topic of the fair: sustainability
For several seasons, the industry has been pursuing an important focus: sustainability. More and more companies presented sustainable innovations, from biodegradable products to climate neutrality. The winners of the Ispo Awards, presented in a special area, also reflected this trend. For example, Adidas Terrex showed shoes and an outdoor suit with the new Gore-Tex ePE membrane, which does not require PFC and has a smaller ecological footprint than the conventional Gore-Tex membrane. New Zealand brand Kathmandu introduced the first biodegradable insulation jacket. Kathmandu uses Nylon 66 to develop the fabric, lining, sewing thread and zipper and treats these elements with a biodegradable polymer called ‘AmniSoul Eco’.
Sustainability was also the focus of various lecture series and discussion rounds that were held as part of the trade fair.
Next event in May 2023
Nevertheless, the industry is currently facing major challenges. Above all, delivery bottlenecks, material shortages, price increases and staff shortages – especially in the IT and retail sectors. For this reason alone, many trade fair visitors more than welcomed the opportunity for direct exchange. Even 8,000 trade fair visitors can only be a start. Ultimately, the next OutDoor by Ispo will have to show how stable the industry is and whether it can continue the current boom. The trade fair will then invite the industry to Munich from May 22nd to 24th, 2023. According to the current status, the venue should then be the exhibition center again.