Messe Friedrichshafen unveils new trade fair concept
01/08/2018
In February, the European Outdoor Group (EOG) announced that the OutDoor exhibition, which has taken place in Friedrichshafen for 25 years, would be moving to Munich under the guidance of Messe München. This decision was made following a voting process involving the EOG membership. Messe München’s proposal for the event polled more than 65% of the overall vote.
Immediately after this announcement, long-time organiser Messe Friedrichshafen pledged to launch its own independent outdoor exhibition, citing “good support” from EOG members and other outdoor industry players.
This promise has now come to fruition with the launch of OUTDOOR, which till take place for the first time from September 17-19, 2019. The organisers have described it as “the trade fair for retail” and said it will “shift the focus onto the interests of specialty retailers”.
“We are convinced that, despite the increase in online sales, there is no way of avoiding brick-and-mortar retail,” said Stefan Reisinger, head of OUTDOOR. “Innovative and product-driven brands devoted to the experts in the trade as well as independent retail specialists represent the backbone of the industry. Specialist retailers and the loyal brands that serve them are at the centre of our efforts.”
He explained that they have chosen to schedule the event for mid-September so as to be outside of the main sales season and the holiday period. It will be directed at visitors from the markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which he calls the “most important outdoor sales regions”.
In terms of the products that will be exhibited at the show, Messe Friedrichshafen has said the “main emphasis” will be on the hardware segment from the areas of mountaineering, camping and caravanning, water sports and the outdoor lifestyle. It has added that OUTDOOR’s September slot fits within the timeframe when specialist retailers are making their final decisions on these products for the coming season.
Share this story:
