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October 14, 2024

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News-Releases Index | Outdoor Retailer

06/21/2024

OUTDOOR RETAILER AND OUTDOOR DESIGN + INNOVATION USHER IN NEW ERA WITH SUCCESSFUL SUMMER EVENTS (6/21/24)

Outdoor Retailer, the leading North American trade show and premier business event for the outdoor 
industry, kicked off summer with energetic days of discovery and connection at the Salt Palace 
Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The new Outdoor Design + Innovation sourcing show made its 
debut alongside Outdoor Retailer, and together the two events attracted exhibitors and attendees from 
across the U.S. and around the world. Outdoor Retailer rolled out several new features, including the 
all-new Hosted Buyer Program, capped booth sizes, and dedicated buyer hours, fostering quality 
connections. With both new and heritage brands exhibiting and more than 50 educational sessions and 
events, Outdoor Retailer provided a valuable three days for the outdoor industry to conduct business 
and build relationships.
 
"The Summer show launched a new era for Outdoor Retailer,” said Sean Smith, Outdoor Retailer show 
director. “The result was incredible energy on the show floor in Salt Lake and great momentum leading 
into our next events. This year, we made significant changes to our format based on industry-wide 
feedback with the goal of making a positive impact on outdoor business and positive progress for the 
industry. We brought in more, quality buyers; provided new ways for buyers and sellers to connect 
through matchmaking and buyer hours; created a dedicated sourcing show; and delivered extensive 
educational programming and unique networking experiences that enhance business. The big standout 
was the number of new exhibitors at the show – these are innovative brands with unique products that 
foster the discovery that buyers, and their customers, want. Now, we're building off this collective 
energy and carrying this enthusiasm into our next shows. We look forward to bringing the outdoor 
industry together again in November."
 
Discovering New Brands and Products
 
This summer, more than 80% of brands were first-time exhibitors, providing critical discovery for retail 
buyers seeking next generation and relevant products for the new outdoor consumer. These new 
brands launched products, and many entered the outdoor market for the first time. With booth sizes 
capped at 2,000 sq ft, dedicated buyer hours in the morning, and the floor plan organized by activity, 
the focus was on building relationships between buyers and sellers. New exhibitors included: Casström 
knives, sunglasses brand goodr, James Baroud roof top tents, LIVSN outdoor clothing, Sand Cloud 
sustainable towels and blankets, women’s outdoor apparel brand SENIQ, Slow Loris apparel, among 
others.
 
“We met retailers that are brand new, and they're going to buy their first assortment and are looking 
for smaller, newer brands that everybody else doesn't have. And that's something that you don't find at 
the other shows we attend – retailers are looking for new brands here,” said Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, 
founder of LIVSN, an exhibitor at Outdoor Retailer. “I love seeing people that I only see once or twice a 
year. When we're in our little bubble back in Arkansas designing, we're not out in the world. This is our 
chance to go out and test the things that we think are great, get feedback, meet people that we 
haven't seen in a long time, and really just be a part of the industry.”
 
“This was the first time for us at OR with Sand Cloud,” said Brian Sanders, vice president of sales at 
Sand Cloud. “On the first day of the show, we opened three brand new accounts. So that was really 
exciting for us and set the pace for the day.”
 
“Since we come from the outdoor industry, we truly believe in selling the industry on our vision and 
product,” said Tina Thompson, co-founder of SENIQ. “OR was the best platform to do that, and the 
response was magnetic. Other brands in our lane aren’t attending the same trade shows, if any at all. 
We didn’t fit in with the mix, which absolutely made us stand out.”
 
More Buyers, More Connections
 
The all-new Hosted Buyer Program supported attendance for retail buyers from 49 states and multiple 
international stores. Overall, attending buyers represented more than 30,000 retail locations from 
specialty stores, regional chains, department stores, big box retailers, national gift chains, park shops, 
and more. The buyer to brand ratio was 3 to 1, with exhibitors meeting buyers from: Academy Sports + 
Outdoors, Aramark, Boyne Resorts, Costco, Dunham’s Sports, Garage Gro

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