OutDoor by ISPO 2023 has once again written a success story from June, 04 to 06. After last year’s brilliant restart as a live trade show at the MOC, Event Center Messe München, this year’s trade show once again presented itself as THE global platform for the outdoor industry and community. Compared to the last edition, OutDoor by ISPO has grown enormously. With 35,000 square meters, the space at the MOC including the outdoor area is completely sold out. Most of the growth came from overseas, especially from the USA and China. As a result, the share of international exhibitors grew by 15 percentage points to a total of 83% – making OutDoor by ISPO one of the most international trade shows in Messe München’s portfolio.
Despite the many challenges facing the outdoor industry, the mood is positive – and who or what could reflect this better than OutDoor by ISPO with an overall increase in exhibitors from 310 in 2022 to 661 this year. The number of international exhibitors grew from 213 to 554 exhibitors, an increase of 160 %, proving the international importance of the show. Global networking made easy! The largest exhibitor countries are China, Germany, the US, and Scandinavia. New on board were such prominent exhibitor brands as adidas Terrex and On.They were joined by Berghaus, J. Lindeberg, Nomad, Pegasus, Brunton, Sidas, Norrona, Cavida, Igloo, Gonso, Devold of Norway, Montura, Hestra, TentBox and Wølmark. Back at the show were Rab/Lowe Alpine, Sea to Summit, Scott, Ortovox, Nordisc, Jack Wolfskin, Mammut, Deuter, Big Agnes, Edelrid, Grüzi Bag, Millet, Ortlieb, Vaude, Merrell, La Sportiva, Lowa, Meindl, Petzl, Osprey, Mountain Equipment, Nordisk, Fjällräven and Icebug.
But it was not only the exhibitors who celebrated their industry and community: About 9,000 trade visitors from 88 countries – including the European core markets such as France, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland as well as the USA, Canada, and Asia – flocked to the MOC. Here they were able to find out about the latest trends, developments, concepts, and innovations and to make and intensify valuable business contacts. With beautiful sunshine and early summer temperatures, the outdoor theme was more alive than ever – in four halls, four atriums, as well as numerous showrooms, workshop and conference rooms, and on the total of 5,000 square meters of outdoor space at OutDoor by ISPO! Also back in the program: the ISPO Award exhibition with its 34 award-winning outdoor innovations and the start-up exhibition with 17 new companies.
At OutDoor by ISPO, the topic of circular economy was at the forefront of discussions, with numerous presentations, panel discussions and workshops in the “Sustainability Hub”. The industry is aware that the EU’s ambitious sustainability goals cannot be achieved without a circular economy. The topic affects the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing to design, from retailer to consumer – all the way to the recycling company. A new feature was the integration of the European Outdoor Summit of the European Outdoor Group (EOG) into OutDoor by ISPO, with a variety of presentations that contribute to and inspire discussion about sustainability. This integration is proof of the close connection between EOG and OutDoor by ISPO.
The Innovation Labs also celebrated their premiere at OutDoor by ISPO. The solution-oriented Innovation Labs offered by ISPO and NOW.Partners support companies of all sizes in developing innovative and regenerative solutions for the current challenges of international business.
The development potential of the outdoor industry is great – and thus are demands on such an important trade show as OutDoor by ISPO are also increasing. Demands have now exceeded the capacities of the MOC. In order to meet the demands of a rapidly growing market, Messe München and EOG have decided to return to the exhibition center in Riem in 2024. The exhibition halls in Riem offer OutDoor by ISPO the best conditions for the further development of the trade show in cooperation with EOG (European Outdoor Group). Numerous concepts are being developed to create an authentic outdoor atmosphere. Another advantage of the Riem location is that exhibitors can once again choose their stand size more individually and present larger concepts. During this year’s OutDoor by ISPO, various surveys were conducted to determine the needs and requirements of exhibitors and trade show visitors with regard to the move to Riem next year.
Stefan Rummel, CEO of Messe München, is more than satisfied with the success of OutDoor by ISPO: “The outdoor market is facing many challenges this year. We are even more pleased about the clear commitment of the outdoor community to OutDoor by ISPO as the most important global platform for the industry, whose future importance will certainly continue to grow. We would like to thank the European Outdoor Group in particular for the good cooperation in a spirit of partnership.”
“We are absolutely overwhelmed by the response of the outdoor community, which has more than accepted our offerings.” says Lena Haushofer, Exhibition Director of ISPO Munich and OutDoor by ISPO. “Almost twice as much exhibition space as last year was sold, the return of important industry players and the participation of many interesting newcomer brands show us that we are on the right track. And with our main theme – circular economy – and the corresponding conferences and projects, we’ve hit the nail on the head. We are already very much looking forward to OutDoor by ISPO 2024 in Riem, where more space and opportunities will inspire us to further top performance.”
Matt Gowar, EOG President, comments: “OutDoor by ISPO brought our industry together with a concept and delivery that clearly demonstrated how a trade show can succeed in this era. Since last year, the European Outdoor Group has worked hard with our partners at Messe Muenchen to refine and improve the event, and that has paid dividends. It was really encouraging to see the return of exhibitors who had stepped away from the show and I am sure that others will now be persuaded to join us again. Momentum is building nicely as we prepare for OutDoor by ISPO 2024 at Riem.”
