OIA expands education offering
The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has announced that it is expanding its Outdoor University program in 2012, quadrupling the number of live webinars it offers while also providing access to more recorded sessions on its website.
Outdoor University develops educational training and professional development sessions on topics relevant to retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers in the outdoor industry. In 2012, in addition to live sessions at Outdoor Retailer, Outdoor University is offering webinars on topics ranging from retail innovation, research, sustainability, best practices, trade and supply chains, and other issues the outdoor recreation industry faces.
OIA is expanding its educational opportunities in response to member demand and to provide resources to help outdoor recreation companies improve business processes and grow sales. Led by industry experts and business influencers, Outdoor University sessions give participants the option to join workshops and online discussions, or access recorded curriculum online, on-demand. Sessions are free for OIA members and available for a nominal fee to non-members.
“We are in a unique position to provide broad knowledge and information outdoor recreation companies need to solve key challenges and achieve business success,” said LaRae Marsik, vice president of business intelligence for OIA. “Our 2012 sessions cover a broad range of topics. These are valuable resources, yet we recognise that our members face time and resource constraints. By offering recorded sessions online, we are creating a valuable knowledge platform our members can access when they have time.”
New this year, Outdoor University is recording most of its live sessions—in addition to webinars—to provide members with greater access to OIA’s educational resources. Outdoor University will present seven live sessions at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Topics range from the challenges of producing products in America, establishing and maintaining business credit, how to attract investment dollars, and supply-chain sustainability issues.
In addition, a live session February 7 at the University of Colorado will feature Patagonia CEO Casey Sheahan, discussing the challenges and opportunities he faces in running a socially responsible company. Mr Sheahan will demonstrate how Patagonia’s growth accelerated even faster when it brought total awareness to the full spectrum of its real-world impacts and extreme transparency to its daily operations.
