Outdoor Retailer is hosting its January Summit in Utah as a way for ski, snowboard, and winter sports businesses to test out gear in a new format that includes two other well-known industry groups.
Throughout the week of Jan. 23-27, opportunities abound for brands, buyers, reps, and media to try out the latest gear and decide on sales strategies. OR is joining forces with Western Winter Snow Reps Association (WWSRA) and Winter Sports Market (WSM) for the five-day event.
“This is completely new,” said Sean Smith, show director for Outdoor Retailer. “It’s a great opportunity for everybody within their specific lane to play a role.”
Gary Fleming, president of WSM, said the partnership with OR and WWSRA gives WSM’s buying group an overall better experience.
“We’re too small of an industry to be split up between reps, rep associations, trade show companies, retailers, and suppliers,” he said. “The three parties came together really quite well, and that hasn’t always been the case in the past.”
Cami Garrison, executive director at WWSRA, added that having a working relationship with the buying groups and Outdoor Retailer is important.
“To have these three organizations working together to produce something effective and fun for the industry is great,” Garrison said.
Outdoor Retailer Showrooms
On Jan. 23, Outdoor Retailer is hosting a day of line showings and networking with buyers and media. Showrooms are open at Solitude Mountain Resort’s Eagle Springs West Lodge and demos will be held at Brighton Resort along with an industry party at the Milly Chalet. There will be shuttles to and from Salt Lake City.
OR’s goal with the summit is to provide a conference experience along with the demo days, according to Smith.
A showroom during the media preview event at the 2023 OR Summit. Photo by Keith Fearnow.
He pointed out that organizing groups in the industry tend to vie for attention during similar dates throughout the year, and this is in response to that.
“Rather than trying to make it harder for people to decide what they’re going to do, let’s all work together,” Smith said. “That needs to happen more in the outdoor industry, especially on the snowsports side.”
Smith added that WWSRA does a great job with their snow demos. He also mentioned that as a buying group, WSM has a “ton” of member retailers that want to come out and see products.
WWSRA Demo
On Jan. 23-24, the WWSRA Intermountain On-Snow Demo highlights snowsports hardgoods and accessories, with retail buyers taking the products on the slopes to test them out. That will happen at Brighton Resort.
Garrison said the demo day is a great way for dealers across the country to come together like the previous national demo WWSRA used to hold with Snow Industries America (SIA) at Copper Mountain in Colorado.
The scene during the demo portion of the 2023 OR Summit. Photo by Keith Fearnow.
“It’s an opportunity for those buyers to come out for a few extra days and test in an environment that’s unlike where they are back home,” she said.
WWSRA expects to bring about 450-500 reps to the event.
Winter Sports Market
From Jan. 25-27, WSM will connect snow sports brands with retail buyers to showcase new gear and talk strategy at the Salt Palace Convention Center. WSM is made up of three buying groups: Snowsports Merchandising Corporation (SMC), Sports Specialists Ltd. (SSL), and Nation’s Best Sports (NBS).
Fleming said about 150 independent retailers will be there, and they are chosen based on what suppliers want to see.
“We’ve worked with a lot of suppliers to make sure that their customers are able to attend,” he added.
Fleming added that WSM has developed a good relationship with Outdoor Retailer, after a “thorny” relationship in the past.
“We’re really looking forward to Outdoor Retailer establishing themselves in November with an apparel show that we would support,” he said.
For retailers: Separate registration is required for WWSRA and WSM. No registration is required for The Summit showrooms.
For brands: Participation in each event is separate. Contact OR to get involved with The Summit showrooms or industry party. Contact WSM and WWSRA for details on their events.
