What's Next?

In my experience, if you take any position on a trade show, roughly 40% of the industry will disagree with you. However, if you mention the need for the industry to constructively gather, about 90% of folks nod their heads.

I hear broad agreement that we are a healthier business ecosystem when we gather, talk, do some business, get inspired and have some fun.??

Some obvious benefits are:

• Direct engagement with retailers of all sizes with brand leaders – more understanding of what’s happening on the retail floor. Retailers get to judge brands and decide who to support.
• New brands earn a larger audience and retailers meet the inventors behind the brands.
• National press focus on our industry and our messages.
• International distributors meet brands.
• Capital comes into the industry to allow growth and, yes, sometimes causes ruin.
• Government officials attend to hear our concerns.
• Engagement with outdoor industry non-profits impacting their direction and support.
• Personal and professional growth for attendees – a vibrant gathering makes us a more attractive industry to work for.

To get broader attendance and to be a sustainable event for the community there needs to be a business function to the event. It needs to be more affordable - no booth arms race- and more focused than our previous show.?

I think the Grassroots show is great. It’s stayed focused and meets the needs of its members, but Grassroots is intentionally not the gathering described above.

How can we reinvent how we gather? I think there is a model for us in The Running Event (TRE). Mark Sullivan, who many of us know from his 30 years in outdoor and related spaces, founded the event 20 years ago when running brands had no home. Beth Gordon the OR sales director for OR from ’96-’05 helped Mark create TRE. They created a vibrant community event each November that includes selling, learning and activities. In 2018 Mark sold TRE to Diversified Communications (DC) but continues to be active with its new owners. DC is a 3rd generation family-owned business out of Maine that seems by their track record to be values-led and long-term focused. Christina Henderson is the Event Director at TRE and you can speak to our peers who attend to vouch for her.

We all know that people and ownership matter. We have seen enough brands, retailers, and shows fall apart without the right leaders and owners.?

Mark, Beth and Christina are the drivers behind a new event called Switchback Spring which will be held in Nashville June 16-18th of 2025. They all understand that this event has to work for retailers just like TRE does. Brand booths will be limited in size to discourage cost and excess. Booths will also be limited to brands that are focused on the specialty outdoor industry. The event does not conflict with ISPO or Grassroots. https://www.switchbackevent.com/switchback-spring/

Why am I writing this? I don’t have a horse in the race since I don’t operate a company these days. I know the bullwhip effect of inventory overbuying is still painfully lingering, and business is Type 3 fun this summer. And we still need to look ahead and ask what industry do we want going forward?

To me Switchback Spring looks like an opportunity for a fresh start, with known people, who have proven the ability to build a community- centered event without exorbitant costs.

We have historically been stronger together. Without a gathering; we would have not organized to have the outdoor industry’s economic impact quantified; we would not have the eco working groups, climbing may have been crushed in the 90’s due to a liability crisis, we would not have the strong connections to land managers and the Secretary of the Interior, and non-profits like The Conservation Alliance and others would have not had the broad-based support.?

Personally, I would not have the network of friends and mentors that I have and I may have never led a company without the opportunity of meeting and getting to know people at the OR Show. The ability to talk to many retailers efficiently kept me grounded and focused. I want that opportunity for the emerging leaders that I see and I think Switchback has the ingredients for success over time.

I will be in Nashville in June of ‘25 and I hope to see 60% of you!

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