On August 23-26, 2006, one month after the OutDoor 2006 European retail trade fair in Friedrichshafen, the first Asia Outdoor fair will be held in the Chinese city of Nanjing, 2006.

The Chinese outdoor market is currently growing by about 40% a year and, by 2010, experts predict growth rates of no less than 25%. The industry is also benefiting from the political tailwind as outdoor sports are being encouraged as part of the Chinese government’s health programme.

For us, Asia Outdoor is an outstanding opportunity to open the door to the Asiatic region for our own exhibitors,” explained Rolf Mohne, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen. According to organizers, in view of the fact that no comparable trade fair for the industry has ever taken place in countries such as Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam or the eastern part of Russia, they are expecting a huge amount of interest from the entire Asiatic region. In addition, European outdoor manufacturers are also participating in the Chinese boom. More than half of all European outfitters are currently having at least one of their products manufactured in China. According to OutDoor project manager, Stefan Reisinger, Asia Outdoor is the logical consequence in order to implement a trade fair concept that has proven successful in Europe and America in one of the most attractive growth markets of the future”.