Emerald Expositions, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emerald Expositions Events, Inc, has selected Denver for the site of all Outdoor Retailer tradeshows, including Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, Outdoor Retailer Summer Market and Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, which will move to November in 2018.
Grassroots Connect is intended to co-locate in Denver, with Outdoor Retailer, when an appropriate venue is procured. The previous host was Salt Lake City, Utah.
Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams expressed sadness about Outdoor Retailer's departure. He told KSL.com that public lands are valued within the local community as the foundation of recreation. He also pledged to continue promoting Utah as a welcoming place for future conferences.
"Our environmental record will serve us well as we promote the area to both new and repeat visitors and clients," McAdams said. "We will continue to emphasise the value of a vibrant convention and visitor presence to our economy.”
Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer show director said: "We received submissions from truly incredible outdoor cities - a testament to the strength of the outdoor community. Denver is the undeniable industry choice. Bringing these organisations together and basing the show in a state that places such a high value on outdoor recreation is the best move we can make for the outdoor industry.
"As outdoor recreation evolves, outdoor businesses need to stand together and adapt to those changes to successfully move forward. We look forward to building a future together and thank Governor Hickenlooper, Luis Benitez, director for the office of Outdoor Recreation, and Mayor Hancock, for their gracious support.”
Outdoor Retailer engaged industry partners throughout the process to help identify the best venue for the show.
The decision to move to Denver, Emerald says, is supported by the outdoor community that relies on Outdoor Retailer to be the place where the entire industry comes together to conduct business, to share best practices and to exchange ideas.
This move and partnerships with Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), SnowSports Industries America (SIA) and Grassroots Outdoor Alliance showcase the strength of the outdoor industry and a progressive approach to the changing outdoor recreation landscape.
“Outdoor recreation is a huge economic force in the state of Colorado,” said Amy Roberts, executive director of the Outdoor Industry Association. “It generates $28bn in consumer spending annually and contributes a whopping 229,000 jobs and two billion dollars in state and local tax revenue. Colorado’s elected officials have shown significant leadership in promoting policies that ensure the outdoor recreation economy continues to thrive. OIA looks forward to having our industry gathering contribute to Denver’s economy and serve as a platform for collaboration that increases outdoor access and participation for all Americans.”
"SIA is thrilled that the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show will remain in Denver,” added Nick Sargent, president of SIA. “In 2010, SIA brought the 50-year-old Snow Show to Colorado. Since then SIA, Denver and the state have worked together to build the best platform for the winter business, thereby laying the foundation for this announcement. Denver has been an outstanding partner to SIA and the winter industry, and we are excited to help grow the economic impact that the Outdoor Retailer shows and the SIA On-Snow Demo bring to the state.”
The relocation to Denver begins in January 2018. The full calendar of shows for 2018 include:
SIA Industry + Intelligence Day – 24 January, 2018
Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show – 25-28 January, 2018
SIA On-Snow Demo – 29-30 January, 2018, Copper Mountain, Colorado
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market – 23-26 July, 2018
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market – 8-11 November, 2018
Future dates will be released in the next 30 days
“Colorado’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office could not be prouder that Outdoor Retailer selected Denver as its new home,” said Luis Benitez, director of Colorado’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. “The State of Colorado and Outdoor Retailer share the common belief that protecting public lands is not only good for the economy, but also, for the soul. We look forward to becoming the gravitational hub for the thought leadership that represents this important industry that makes an enormous contribution to both Colorado’s and the country’s economy. We’re especially excited to send a heartfelt welcome to all exhibitors and attendees and look forward to serving and promoting the industry for many years to come.”
"Denver is a wonderful choice for hosting a co-located Outdoor Retailer and Grassroots Connect," says Rich Hill, president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. "These combined events in Denver will deliver the most effective and efficient nine days of our specialty-retail buying cycle. We look forward to continue working closely with Outdoor Retailer and OIA to achieve this and other shared industry goals.”
