ASR Blog

UPDATED Friday 13th; Quick Links for WM12

In case the navigation on our site isn't as intuitive for you as we'd like, this blog will serve as an FAQ link lineup for those planning their OR Winter 12 experience and those who just want to know all that is happening in SLC in the outdoor biz the week of Jan. 16 (also MLK Holiday!).  BTW for you way-ahead planners, next year (2013) MLK bumps to Jan. 21, and our show continues to stage just afterwards Jan. 23 (AMDemo) thru 27. 

More future dates (and show hours)

Registration (badges/credentials to attend)

Download the Winter '12 Mobile App

Your show planner login - (registered attendees and exhibitors only)  (password is your badge # or customer #, or auto login from prior emails  you've received from us) 

All Mountain Demo at Solitude - (Jan. 18, Wed, before show)

Business Ed./Seminars - schedule

Exhibitor List/Floorplan - over 1000 exhibitors!  Plan well...

Entertainment/Party 'OR ROCKS!' Schedule -

Fashion Show info/schedule -

Student Design Competition 'Project OR' -

and... for good measure, a good basic short article on buying at a tradeshow... we know you already know, but basic reminders always help before entering the fray. 

See you in the aisles! 

KH

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burton, Billabong and the rise of 'action sports' at OR

This is a topic that could use some airing out, and the time is right with the recent announcement that Burton has joined the show with a sizeable presence.  There seems to be a prevailing impression that OR has  been the windfall recipient of dozens of brands whom, when ASR went dormant, suddenly found themselves with nothing to do in January and August and in need of a trade show to spend their lonely marketing dollars.   Absurd?  The launch of a new fashion show in L.A. (Santa Monica) that parallels the Agenda format indicates more than one person thinks there is a void to fill.

But that's L.A.  - a better place for Outdoor than most think, but that's a tale for different thread. 

There are two main points to remember when engaging in the 'actions sports at OR' discussion that is rising in the industry;

1) 'Action Sports' has been part of the fabric of OR for decades - Brands like Dakine, Reef, Patagonia, Smith and Hobie all have the AS/surf lifestyle at their core, over two decades at the show, and are staples in the industry.  Quiksilver, Surftech, Havaianas, IPath, and other core AS brands have been at OR over 5 years... in hargoods, footwear, accessories and apparel.   What I've seen over the years here is more like a "Natural Progression' than a recent trendline or explosion.  That said, the full suite of 'Action Sports' is not represented at OR, for example BMX or Moto elements.  The 'Natural' part speaks to the foundation of the activity... which brings us to the second main point when considering the topic.

2) A Shared Platform - all Action Sports happen outdoors on the natural (and public) land and waterscapes we in active outdoor use... therefore the resource at our very foundation is shared.  Whether we are talking the waves at Trestles, or the single-track trails at the Syncline, or the gazillion flatwater lakes perfect for kayakfishing and wakeboarding, we share the same access platform.  This is why BMX, Moto and even resort skiing/boarding, is somewhat less relevant to the world of OR than Surf, backcountry boarding and Mountain Biking.  It doesn't happen on a primarily open space platform; when it does, it's on modified land and is more closely tied to the real estate and development business.  Is that important?  It definitely affects the cost of access, for one thing. 

So what are your thoughts on the situation as traditional Action Sports comes into Active Outdoor (or 'Action Outdoors' as Andy Palmer calls it)?  Is this a new opportunity for differentiation among specialty retailers, a power play by the big action sports brands to dominate the Universe, a desparate act by a sector afraid of becoming irrelevant, or the 'natural progression' mentioned above?  Would love to hear your thoughts. 

Thx

KH

 

 

 

UPDATED Aftermath Summer OR 2011 & Review Link lineup

How about just a stream of consciousness phrase-fest of bytes I heard while in SLC this past week?  That's about all my addled brain can put forth at the moment, and I'll follow with links that can tell the story more in-depth.  Guess I'm still in 'space-efficiency' mode. 

#hyperlocal BestORShowever #notallfunandgames - O.R.D. - OutsideBestOfShow #ProjectOR Bucking the economic Trend #consolidation #rebooting Lots of Newness #allstarjam Making Things In America #novelconcept Eco-Index rising, Influencers/Thought Leaders/Top Talent #showgoeson After Hours, Sierra Nevada beer, 'Granola Disneyland', belly laughing, outdoorretailerhub.com, SLC tight fit, SLC hospitality, OPE Photo Expo, Sustainable Business, Sustainable Living Roadshow, Sustainable everything, Gear Junkie #bestinshow, Diversity initiatives (or not), OIA, OIBIZ, #outdooruniversity, See you at Rendezvous, Epic Brewery, Missed seeing you at OR, No Reported Thefts?, Reunion breakfast, Paddlesports Advisory Council, orders written, Recess is Back, #thisisntanorderwritingshow, launch successful, Guinness Book record, #SUPZilla, #actionsportsatOR, Growth strategy, #ecotone, Pavilion exhibitors - NEPV, #BSAatOR, IMBA #cyclingatOR, Uncle Archie, where's Beckey?, #fishingatOR Hey Laird, Hey Conrad, Climb Smart, TEDx-style, GearThatDoesn'tSuck Awards, New Product Preview, putthatcameradown!, Letmeshowyouthis, #justtakeasecond, Red Iguana, #Bombara, Park Cafe, Blisters On My Fingers, Curleigh-fried, No Bouldering Comp? #TimmyONeill, #Sharma, OR Daily online

SNEWS recap, with links to many OR Daily articles

http://www.snewsnet.com/cgi-bin/snews/Outdoor_Retailer_Summer_Market_2011_recap_081011.html

Get the full social media suite experience here(still jamming like the show is still on!)

http://www.netvibes.com/outdoorretailer#Outdoor_Retailer_Social_Media

And for levity...

 http://www.trailsedge.com/blog/how-to-drop-your-outdoorsiness-into-any-conversation/

 from the bike industry http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/5801.html

from the Action Sports industry http://business.transworld.net/70332/features/outdoor-retailer-summer-market-day-1/

from the Fly Fishing viewpoint http://www.anglingtrade.com/2011/08/12/lively-discussions-follow-fly-retailers-visits-to-outdoor-retailer/

we'll keep updating as reviews, blogposts, image galleries and video keep rolling out to reveal the heart and soul of our industry today.  Keep up the energy, and spread it to our customers! 

Community Zones at Summer OR; the 'welcome center' for pros in Paddle, Running, Climbing, Design and Travel

I've been camping on this video for some time now (well about 10 months), and I've managed to get over the goofiness Michael exudes (certainly NOT moi, merci!)... also, I've made an even worse one recently, so suddenly this one doesn't seem nearly as bad anymore.  It's a good expose on the various community Zones at the OR Show, what the purpose is (never mind the beer) and it's got a few tech tips too for attendees.

 
In case our ramblings aren't super clear, here's a short list to prep for the show;

1) download a QR reader BEFORE you hit the show floor... many products, including ALL of the featured New Products in the EZ (Endurance Sports Zone) and the PZ (Paddlesports Zone) will use the QR technology to capture key product and contact info in your smartphone.
2) Download the ORShow mobile app, once it is released from the Apple store next week (July 11, hopefully).
3) Use the online show planner at http://www.outdoorretailer.com to see the live floorplan (including the must-see NEW EXHIBITOR PAVILION)m, plan your meetings in close clusters and avoid the cross-court hiking.
4) use the planner to incorporate the business ed. seminars you want to attend into your show planner. If you are registered, you have only to click the auto-link provided to you in a number of emails from us. Even if you didn't save them, just click 'forgot password' and follow the easy prompts to get in. See suggested products, brands, build your show plan and no spam or irrelevant messages.
5) Check the http://www.outdoorretailer.com site often as showtime approaches... many late-breaking elements will be announced in the coming weeks and the last thing you want is to get there and say "I had no idea that was going on!".

KH

SXSW and the future of events

UPDATE 4-19 - Here is an article that has some concrete takeaways from the SXSW experience... and yes SXSW was, as all good events need to be, an Experience. http://bit.ly/dTkhRV

and another review of the SXSW event.

 http://www.slideshare.net/christophercarfi/an-ants-eye-view-of-sxsw-2011-7274593

 

(original article below)

With Coachella staging now in SoCal, and South By Southwest (SXSW) just concluded in Austin, TX, the question lingers 'what are these events about?' and 'why do they draw so powerfully from the consumer base? 

Both events draw hundreds of thousands of people and major attention over the web as well, with live streaming content in the form of music concerts, parties, and other festival happenings.

What could OR learn from these consumer events functioning as quasi-b2b venues?  Is the culture of the outdoor industry in play at OR, and should it be?  Does it take from the strictly business attitude we foster?

My first time attending SXSW was this year, and my eyes were popped by the throngs of iPad-toting  twenty-somethings staffing booths and appearing to network like the gaming fiends they were in a previous life.  Brands like Gowalla and Blogworld were launched at prior versions of SXSW, and Coachella is following step as the 'arts gathering' to replace the failed Woodstock revival.   I wonder what really happened there (besides arson)...

Chime in.

KH

UPDATED 2/8 Linkfest featuring in-depth coverage of the OR Winter '11

 Well you can google search the crap out of 'Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2011' or you can peruse the following links to see what influencers are saying about the show... there's a lot, and there could be more if you post up a reply with your favorite review on the hottest topic of the season, Outdoor Retailer (if I say so myself).  Dig in! 

Link to OR Show Dailies hot off the digi-press! http://bit.ly/gdeEsu 

These are great gear and show reviews from across the landscape of media verts, from core product junkies to the action sports edge. 

http://gearjunkie.com/outdoor-retailer-innovation-awards-winter-2011

http://labelnetworks.com/stories.php?id=755

http://vimeo.com/19271000 (vids from Outside Magazine coverage)

http://business.transworld.net/55935/features/retail-recon-outdoor-retailer-2011-winter-marketplace/

Just added Live video spots with Timmy O from the OR Show http://www.outdoorretailer.com/info/live-from-or 

 The effervescent Grace Potter (interviewed by Backpacker Mag)

http://www.backpacker.com/outdoor_retailer_grace_potter/blogs/daily_dirt/1960

http://www.venturethere.com/blogs/detail/Winter-2011-Outdoor-Retailer-Show/451.html

http://www.outdoorinformer.com/index.php/Table/GearPosts-Blog/ 

I'll keep adding but want to post this before jetting from the office today...

kh

And the Show goes on

Well the whirlwind of the OR Summer show 2010 has subsided, except for those of you road-tripping on to points N/S/E/W.  I didn't find any road trippers from the South, but certainly from every other direction and I bet there were a few willing to take highway and byway to SLC last week.
I know it's important to say, so I'll say it now that attendance at the show was up in all measured categories of buyers, stores, exhibitors, media, advocacy groups and overall attendance.  This bucks the trend in the trade show industry for sure... But is that really important, or just a sound byte for the data-starved b2b media market?   Is the show, after all, a quality play, or quantity play?  Is it a numbers game at the end of it all?

I'll let you answer that... likely a different answer depending on what your goals were going into the show.  Those numbers are important enough that I will be engaged in show stat analysis like never before in the next month (while planning Winter 11) to test Nielsen's new audience development technology called Alterian (who comes up with these names anyway?).  Store demographics, geographic profiles, attendance history patterns, success/failure with prospecting, and detailed survey results will all be part of the wrap up effort on the show.  As video, images, stories, reviews and commentary on the show stream onto YouTube/Facebook/Wordpress/Blogger/Twitter/LinkedIn over the coming weeks, can we really even say the show is over?

So instead of a post-mortem on SM10, I'll post up some of the highlights in pic form (pictures worth 1000 words each), and keep adding to it as the pieces of the overall puzzle flow into the public domain.

Kayak Polo at OAD!

Laird Hamilton at OAD mixing it up with the kayaks and canoes

Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar (in cap), White House Lead Counsel on Environment Nancy Sutley along with the entourage...

Wayne Gregory!   
 
 

Park n' Pedal program providing propulsion to purveyors who paddle and peddle proactively, previewing products for procurement

  

Introducing OR2010, our new Mobile App for Smartphones

Well after much research, many meetings, passaround sessions, and revising and refining, the OR2010 Mobile App is now a reality... Whew!

Get this on your phone now, and use it in planning, navigating, and getting the most out of your show experience.  This is the base version, usable on Droid, iPhone and Blackberry, and we will be upgrading the elements each show from here on out.

It's ready to download! Go to this page http://www.outdoorretailer.com/summer-market/show/mobile to download the OR 2010 smartphone app for web-based phones.

See the full press release here http://bit.ly/a7NomK

Why I feel like the Mickey Rourke of Climbing

Last month I managed to get myself into Joshua Tree climbing with a friend (who happens to be the policy director of the Access Fund and a gifted climber).  I struggled to show some sort of form befitting of an industry pro and ex-regular JTree climbing scenester... to no avail.  'Ugly' would be putting that vertical struggle mildly, but still any day on the rock is a good day, in my middle-aged/overworked/undertrained/kid-focused world.  I quickly worked to forget that and remain convinced that I'm on my way back to climbing shape and smoother sailing (or paddling, more likely). 

In a recent correspondence he reminded me that I had commented (huffing and puffing after that gripping sharp-end effort on 'The Exorcist') "I feel like the Mickey Rourke of climbing". 

Well I ain't got no Oscar nomination, or any climbing award whatsoever to my name.  Still, the comeback story has yet to be written... at least the way I see it. 

Anybody planning on climbing after the summer show?  Medicine Wall/Ruth Lake, or maybe Cecret Lake or bouldering in Little Cottonwood?  I need something to train for... let me know.

KH

(check this out for inspiration http://www.chickiesmickey.com )

OR Culture .... where Art inspires Activity, or vice versa

Here is a recent update from the industry on this topic, from SNEWS.  American Illustration, a nationally renowned organization centered on creative illustration, featured a great 'slideshow' type presentation that speaks to the different ways art is used, including to inspire 'new methods in retail branding'.  As brands work to resonate beyond the functional into the emotional with customers, they are moving into this art/commerce interface. 

 

The blending of art and commerce is a place I'm interested in, now that my East Culver City humdrum/ghetto-adjacent neighborhood has transformed (through the magic of urban redevelopment funding) into the 'Arts District'.  This Saturday June 5 is, in fact, the annual 'Artwalk' event where all 37 galleries in my old 'hood are open to the public. 

Action Sports (surf & skate) is particularly hot in this direction, and Outdoor is just coming around (unless you think the splotch-painted lycra tights of the early '90's constitutes 'art').

Some cool considerations - See below for great examples of art/music/film inspired by Outdoor.

http://www.dezeen.com/2007/08/02/illoiha-omotesando-climbing-wall-by-nendo/

http://www.jercollins.com/ (who may be performing at OR Rocks this Summer Market!  Stay tuned)

http://www.prana.com/blog/?p=4223  

From the River City Canoe & Kayak(Louisville, KY) shop facebook page...

 

 

This is also worthy in the art-meets-climbing scene, this time in the musical sense...

http://www.mistymurphy.com/home.html

What have you got going to show off the CULTURE of OUTDOOR?  Share it here... and open your doors to let in the creative forces in your neighborhood.  It's good for business!

 

KH