OIA forum attracts senior industry figures
Held in Manchester on November 3, the first Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) CEO and Director Forum attracted senior figures from across the outdoor sector, many of whom gave presentations on key issues affecting the industry. The evening also raised more than £700 for outdoors charity Equal Adventure.
The forum was chaired by Brian Smith, an OIA board member and chief executive of HF Holidays, who opened the event by highlighting some of the issues facing the outdoor industries in the UK. He introduced the main theme for the evening: ‘Government cuts - is it all doom and gloom? Identifying the opportunities and threats to the industry collectively’.
Louise Ramsay, chief executive of the OIA, then outlined some of the association’s plans for the future, including a major consumer-facing project that will launch in early 2011.
Andy Gibb of Ocean Media presented plans for the OIA-supported Outdoor Leisure Show, which will take place from 25-27 February 2011 at the NEC arena in Birmingham.
The keynote presentation was made by Tom Franklin, chief executive of The Ramblers. Mr Franklin articulated some of the challenges that the walking community is facing. He also highlighted the fact that reduced public funding is putting at risk a range of initiatives that exist to encourage people to experience the outdoors.
Following the presentations, there was an open debate about many of the topics that had been covered.
Louise Ramsay, chief executive of the OIA, said: “I was delighted by the turnout for the first OIA CEO and Director Forum. We attracted influential people from across the outdoor sector and the quality of both the presentations and the round table discussion was very high.
“The group focused on some fundamentally important issues, but crucially, there was a collective commitment to collaborate in areas that affect the whole sector. That willingness to put aside commercial rivalries to work on projects that sustain and grow the outdoor industries in challenging times is very encouraging.”
The organisations represented at the forum included: Berghaus, Hi-Tec, Columbia, Haglofs, Cotswold Outdoor and Oswald Bailey. The next edition will take place on April 12, 2011, on the evening of the first day of the OIA-sponsored Innov_ex conference at Lancaster University Management School.
