Outdoor Retailer and Outdoor Design & Innovation (ODI) are upping their sales game ahead of the summer shows and have hired four new sales executives from a wide variety of backgrounds to service exhibitors.
This is all part of OR’s efforts to revamp the experience for buyers, exhibitors, and attendees at Outdoor Retailer Summer and ODI at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 17-19.
The new sales team includes:
Steve LaRoche, Sales Director, Outdoor Retailer
LaRoche comes to OR after more than two decades as director of sales at Reed Exhibitions. LaRoche’s home base is Fairfield, Connecticut.
Melissa Dowd, Account Executive, Outdoor Retailer
Dowd was previously a senior account executive at Cisco and worked for Socio and Bonnier Corporation. Dowd lives in Indianapolis.
John Krause, Account Executive, Outdoor Retailer
Krause arrives at OR after stops at WordPress and South by Southwest. He’s based in Austin, Texas.
“Steve, Melissa, and John are all great additions to the Outdoor Retailer team,” said Sean Smith, Outdoor Retailer show director. “Each of them not only brings excellent and diverse backgrounds in selling that complement one another, but they also have a strong knowledge and love of the outdoor industry.”
Smith added that this team has only been working on the summer show for a couple of months, “and they have already built some strong relationships and brought exciting brands for OR Summer this June.”
Ryan Yelverton, Account Executive, Outdoor Design & Innovation
Yelverton spent more than six years at Ironman, with his most recent post as manager of expo sales – global partnerships, North America.
“Ryan joins us with a solid foundation around outdoor recreation having previous sales experience with Ironman,” said Lindsay Hubley, SVP Sports & Outdoor at Emerald, the parent company of Outdoor Retailer and ODI.
Hubley added that Yelverton is an avid runner, loves the outdoors, and “makes a great complement to our Outdoor Retailer sales team members.”
“We are very excited to have him join us on Outdoor Design & Innovation, representing sourcing at OR,” she said.
ODI will be co-located next to Outdoor Retailer Summer and will run simultaneously. Retail buyers can access both shows with the same badge.
Qualified retail buyers can apply for travel support to attend OR. Buyers who are interested in participating can contact OR for hotel and flight assistance.
Ready to attend? Registration is now open. Register here.
Related Stories
Read about the new and notable brands that have signed up for the show so far here.
Brands interested in exhibiting at the show can find out more here.
Read about the new hosted buyer program here.
