OR Summer Dates Moved
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 7/16/2007
Starting in 2009, the dates of Nielsen Business Media's Outdoor Retailer Summer Market will move back a couple weeks. Dates for the next three shows are:
- Aug. 9–12, 2007
- Aug. 7–10, 2008
- July 21–24, 2009
All are scheduled at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.
Show Director Kenji Haroutunian explained that in the outdoor industry many of the larger cut-and-sew manufacturers — those who make tents, backpacks, apparel, etc. — have order deadlines around Sept. 1 and early order deadlines around Aug. 1.
"A lot of that product is being seen in June," he said, "so July is a good compromise between early previews and (other manufacturers') later production timelines."
Frank Hugelmeyer, president of the Outdoor Industry Assn., which sponsors OR, added that the date change was "really a response to a wide variety of stakeholders who have been asking that the show move up so that it stays relevant to the acceleration in the buying cycle."
As the outdoor industry has matured, Hugelmeyer said, companies have gotten more sophisticated in their development cycles and are including retailers in their discussions much earlier than they did 10 to 15 years ago.
The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, also booked at Salt Palace, was already moved to a week-earlier timeframe. Starting in 2008, it will take place Jan. 23–26, compared with this year's Jan. 27–30 and last year's Jan. 28–31.
Although slight, the change is significant. It means that, for the first time since 2002, when the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City disrupted its schedule, OR will take place before the SnowSports Industries America SnowSports Trade Show, Jan. 29–Feb. 1 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
This year, SIA's show was Jan. 22–25. So, essentially, SIA and OR are swapping dates starting in 2008.
"We do talk with (SIA President) David Ingemie about that, because we have a lot of overlap among our exhibitors," Haroutunian said. "There will still just be a day or two" to get from one show to the other.
As in past years, OR and SIA will work with general contractor GES Exposition Services to facilitate quick and affordable exhibit transportation from one show to the other, he added.
