On 26 and 27 September, Europe's outdoor industry met at the seventh edition of the European Outdoor Summit (EOS) in Interlaken, Switzerland. Speakers on the topic "The Outdoor Industry - Redefining Boundaries" talked about aspects such as social innovations, biotechnology, global sharing, novel collaborations and gave insights into case studies of the industry.
"Once a year at the EOS we encourage outdoor industry leaders away from their busy work schedule to introduce and discuss topics that are approaching our sector from the horizon, look at current and future challenges, opportunities and last but not least, to network," said Arne Strate, EOS Secretary General: "This year's edition in the EOG‘s homeland, Switzerland, proved again that there is a great appetite to think outside of the box in our sector. Many exciting and challenging topics were touched upon and new connections were made."
At the end of the summit, the location and date of the EOS 2020 were also announced: It will take place on 15 and 16 October 2020 in Annecy, France.
The first speaker at this year's EOS was futurist Anne Skare Nielsen, who gave a challenging and optimistic keynote speech on 'Why the next 10 years will be amazing', and the second keynote speaker Pippa Goodman from Foresight Factory, who shared some of the latest research on the changing business environment - and provided important insights for outdoor companies.
The delegates were also given an insight into the development of adventure films and the world of the Kendal Mountain Festival by festival director Steve Scott, who showed two inspiring short films.
Donna Carpenter, CEO of Burton Snowboards, called on the outdoor industry to do more and show visible efforts to address the challenges and problems of the time. Her motto: "Passion without purpose is meaningless".
The last keynote speaker at this year's summit was mountaineer and quadruple amputee Jamie Andrew. He told how he found his way back into life after a terrible climbing accident with serious injuries and received standing ovations for it.
Each day began with an early morning Tai Chi and a running session conducted by sponsors Vibram and ISPO. At the networking dinner on Thursday evening there was time to make new contacts and enjoy traditional Swiss alphorn music and flag throwing.
