• Final Excellent atmosphere among trade show participants
• Degree of international character among visitors considerably increased

 
During its 70th run from February 7th to 10th, 2010, and its 40th year, ispo once again expanded its position as internationally leading sports business network. Top international industry, sports, media, commerce and government representatives came together in Munich, and experienced an event which far exceeded expectations. Exhibitors as well as visitors rated ispo 10 as very good. The atmosphere in the exhibition halls was extremely positive, sometimes even enthusiastic, thanks to the very promising winter season as well as the extensive, high-quality selection of products. The exhibitors were particularly pleased with the high amount of visitors. In addition, the new Opinion Leader concept received positive feedback. Visitors particularly enjoyed the new exhibition hall layout. The bundling of themes in the different halls optimized navigation and decreased access times.  
 
After four days the 70th ispo closed its doors with excellent exhibitor, visitor, and exposition space statistics. More than 64,000 international visitors from 117 countries came to preview new trends and innovations. This is a new visitor record and represents an increase of close to 7 percent compared to the prior year. 68 percent of visitors came from abroad, an increase of about 2 percent compared to last year. The strongest foreign visitor contingents hailed from Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, the Korean Republic, the Czech Republic, and Sweden. 2,045 exhibitors from 45 countries registered for ispo, which represents an increase of 5 percent. The event also experienced growth in terms of exposition space; compared to the prior year, the net used space increased by close to 2 percent to 89,000 square meters, and covered 15 halls at the New Munich Trade Fair, corresponding to 175,000 square meters.  
 
Klaus Dittrich, Chairman of the Management of Messe München GmbH: “We are very pleased with the excellent results of our anniversary event, ispo 10. The numbers clearly show how strong this international sports business network is. Even after 4 decades ispo remains the “place to be” for the global sporting goods industry. In the future we will continue to expand our position with innovations and new concepts, like the ispovision and Opinion Leader concept.”  
 
Statements:
Armin Fuchs, General Manager Amer Sports Germany: Our booth was very busy. Visitors were extremely interested in our products and innovations.
Our strategy, to offer a comprehensive product selection for every winter sports athlete, impressed and pleased retailers.
 
Bernd Kuhlmann, General Manager Deuter Sport: Brilliant platform for the Outdoor industry. We are very pleased, felt very well represented, and there was a great atmosphere. In the first three days it was extremely crowded, and our booth was always busy.
 
Hans Taubenberger, Owner and General Manager Toni Sailer Sports: We are very satisfied. Super visitor frequency – national, but even more international. All important international customers came to see us. A number of new, top customers. Overasll, the customers are happy with the season and the collection. The changes planned for ispovision are very clear – we are excited to see what will happen next season.
 
Benedikt Pelikan, Director Customer Service / Key Account Europe Burton Snowboards: ispo 10 went very well for us; retailers in general are more motivated to place larger orders. For us, ispo fulfills two primary functions: for the sales season ispo is a very important date in the year – all preparations are bundled to focus on ispo. At the same time, ispo is a bench mark, where we as brand are in the spotlight and will be compared with other brands from the industry.    
 
Barry Mellis, General Manager INTERSPORT UK: We consider ispo a global sports business platform. This is the reason for our decision to announce our most important news regarding the merger between INTERSPORT UK and Allied Partners Ltd.
 
Kevin Young, Head of Marketing, Snow & Rock: ispo is the only place where we can see the best selection of brands and meet the brands’ decision makers. Thanks to its location in Munich ispo is easily accessible and a nice place to spend some time.
 
ispo 11 will be held from February 6th to 9th, 2011 at the New Munich Trade Fair.
 
25/MK/vH