Less marketing - more clarity: What's behind the new ISPO campaign

ISPO.com: Christoph, you are responsible for the brand at ISPO and head the marketing team. Why did you decide on this campaign this year?

Christoph Beaufils: With this campaign, we wanted to show what ISPO is all about at its core. To do this, we got together as a team, reflected on the past few years and created clarity. The decisive factor for us was that product and brand should be closely linked. Our philosophy is called Clarity through Curation: We structure the multitude of topics, trends and products in such a way that the industry gets orientation - at the exact time when it needs it most: early in the sell-in cycle.

And ultimately, our brand claim Accelerating Sports will also be realized: We want to move sport and all those who shape it forward. This requires a platform with the right concept that is internationally oriented, creates real added value and offers orientation. This is the only way to make it work.

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And that makes you a flagship?

Christoph: Exactly. Flagship doesn't mean being the only trade show where everything happens. The industry is far too big and complex for that. Flagship means: we provide orientation. And we are particularly good at that for three reasons. Firstly, we are global. Secondly, we map the entire value chain in three arenas: Upstream & Supply, Brands & Products and Commerce & Experience. And thirdly, we are early in the year at the beginning of the sell-in cycle, exactly when the industry's attention is at its highest. Anyone who wants to show or say something does so with us. That's why the industry makes its discoveries at ISPO first.

Orientation sounds good, but how does that translate into the trade show itself?

Christoph: Within the three arenas, we create clarity with curated areas: the ISPO Textrends Award in Upstream & Supply, the ISPO Award for Brands & Products, ISPO Brandnew as a springboard for start-ups, but also formats such as Sustainability Solutions or experience-oriented offers such as the Running Test Track. And then we have partners like Highsnobiety with our joint project ISPO 520M, which stages "Culture Pioneer Brands" in a particularly exciting, aesthetic way. These curated formats are at the heart of our "Clarity through Curation" philosophy.

Sounds like a huge challenge for visitors as well as for you.

Christoph (laughs): That's exactly why we developed the "Maze to Movement" campaign. The sports market is a labyrinth: new technologies, sustainability, creator economy, performance, regeneration. It's easy to get lost there. We take every target group by the hand. Not in a know-it-all way, but in a guiding way. From small retailers to large e-commerce providers, from marketeers to product developers. We show the development: from searching to finding, from information to impact, from sketch to shelf, from showing up to standing out.

You are also talking a lot about the global sports business this year. Why this emphasis?

Christoph: Because we want to make it clear: ISPO is not a national trade show, but the platform for the global sports business. Of course, we also need national events and festivals, but if you want to grow internationally, you need the right contacts and an overview. That's why the team invests so much in initiatives such as the Retail Club, the Creator Summit and Media Monday. These initiatives aim to provide exhibitors and partners with both international business opportunities and global visibility.

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And how are things going so far?

Christoph: Of course, it's still a bit early to draw a definitive conclusion, but we are very satisfied with the development. In terms of ticketing, we are currently around 40 percent up on the previous year, and that with 70 days to go until the trade show. This gives us a lot of hope, especially because we are seeing that tickets are being bought later and later overall. It is also exciting that most bookings at the moment are coming from international visitors who have to plan their trip early. This is a great signal and shows us that the campaign is already having an impact.

What about the emotional level?

Christoph: It's central. Nobody works in sport by chance. We are all here because we love sport, which is why our claim "Accelerating Sports" is more than just a slogan. It is an expression of our brand promise: "Your Success Makes Sports Bigger". Everyone who is successful here makes sport bigger, more exciting and cooler. Standing still would be the natural enemy of sport. Except, of course, for the conscious time-outs in sport and outdoors (grins). That's in our DNA. And success in such a highly international business with people who identify strongly with their job is only possible if you see yourself as a community, inspire each other and have a lot of fun in the process.

The interview with Christoph Beafils makes it clear: ISPO provides orientation in the complex global sports business and supports visitors and exhibitors in recognizing opportunities early in the sell-in cycle through curated formats, awards and experience-oriented offers. With initiatives such as the Retail Club or Creator Summit, ISPO promotes international networking, inspiration and community, as well as business opportunities and visibility for brands and partners.

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