OutDoor by ISPO is exclusively a B2B concept focusing on specialist retail. At the same time, the familiar Core OutDoor segment – which offers climbing, bouldering, mountain climbing, walking and hardware – remains a central pillar of the expo. In terms of exhibitors, OutDoor by ISPO presents itself as a platform that meets the needs of all stakeholders. We offer a stage for SMEs and major companies, but also address the interests of specialised retailers and generalists. And our offering is not limited to the annual expo. In the same way that consumers passionately pursue outdoor the whole year round, OutDoor by ISPO provides a sector-wide, 365-day-a-year platform.
The outdoor segment is and shall remain the core of the new OutDoor by ISPO platform. However, we will be adding segments which consumers in particular already regard as part of the overarching outdoor category, such as urban outdoor, trail running and water sports. Additional areas such as mountain biking / e-MTB have not been ruled out.
End-consumers do not have access to the expo; instead, they can visit the shops of Munich-based retailers in the inner-city as part of the “OutDays”, which are organised in close collaboration with said retailers. The exhibition segments in the “Outdoor Plus” Zone also reflect current consumer trends, such as (e-)mountain-biking, trekking, water sports, yoga and well-being. Other themes, such as beach, surfing, alternative outdoor, urban outdoor and adventure travel, will also be represented in this zone.
The new online magazine “OutDoor Society” was designed as a direct B2C channel using the ISPO Open Innovation platform. Articles on relevant topics such as product innovations, trends and athlete interviews open a digital channel that will globally publicise the messages of our expo clients around the clock. The digital Consumer Community will help us identify changes in consumer interest and also influence the future shaping of the B2B expo concept. The launch of the online magazine is scheduled for spring 2019.
Embedded in ISPO.com, the online B2B medium with the widest coverage in Europe, the digital “OutDoor Society” magazine will reach not only the B2B target group but also consumers world-wide. Our data shows that around 50% of ISPO.com’s regular readers are consumers. ISPO is the only non-media company in the world to use Drupal Thunder, a content management system specially developed for publishers, to ensure that media content can be broadcast to all devices with very high reach and no performance losses. A dedicated editorial department of professional journalists with expertise in user experiences and data analysis utilise this system the whole year round to create target-group-relevant content that is also highly visible within the world’s leading search engines. Furthermore, companies working within the outdoor sector can also use the digital crowd-sourcing platform “ISPO Open Innovation” established in 2014 to develop new products, test prototypes ahead of market launch and carry out early-stage market research using our international Open Innovation Community.
The main focus of OutDoor by ISPO is and shall remain the outdoor sector, whereas multi-sports are at the heart of ISPO Munich.
ISPO Munich and OutDoor have imbued the market with energy for over 20 years without standing in each other’s way. There is no reason to assume that this will cease to be the case. Exhibitors with overlaps will save money because both expos take place at the same location. Furthermore, they can also inject greater nationality into the OutDoor by ISPO platform.
Our overarching aim is to meet customers’ requirements and offer them the optimal platform for achieving their objectives. To this end, we are in close and continuous dialogue with the sector. There will always be companies who realign their marketing strategy and for this reason eschew taking part in an expo. Our aim is to ensure that the key players are there at the expo.
Alongside the ISPO Group’s many years of experience in the outdoor and sporting goods sector, it was the sound infrastructure and great internationality of Messe München that proved decisive in the vote of the European Outdoor Group (EOG).
94 per cent of EOG members took part in the vote, and of these, more than 65 per cent voted for Munich. The members of the EOG represent 70 per cent of the economic power of the European outdoor market.
As our main partner, the EOG is involved in coordinating all concepts and is a key factor in the success of the event.
The “by ISPO” part of the name represents a year-round ecosystem of analogue and digital ISPO products, an ecosystem in which OutDoor by ISPO – and thus the entire outdoor sector – can participate. Via these services, we offer our customers year-round access to the B2B sector and, thanks to our digital channels, also to consumers (B2C).
Thanks to the interplay with the ISPO Group and its near-50-year expertise in the outdoor and sports sector, OutDoor (by ISPO) is tapping into new growth potential and will become increasingly important.
These are the dates we have determined together with the EOG for the coming three years:
- 30 June to 3 July 2019
- 28 June to 1 July 2020
- 20 June to 23 June 2021
At the moment, the scale of OutDoor ISPO corresponds to six or seven exhibition halls at the Munich expo site. This scale is what we are basing our planning on, although future growth at the Munich site in line with the stipulations of the EOG is possible, given the spare capacity.
Consumers will be appealed to and incorporated into events during the expo using the “OutDays” theme. Together with Munich-based retailers, there will be numerous events for end-consumers in the city. Furthermore, we are planning the launch of the new “OutDoor Society” online magazine in spring 2019. Alongside interesting articles on product innovations, trends and athlete interviews, this direct B2C channel will help more effectively incorporate changes in consumer interest into the OutDoor by ISPO expo concept.
In future, our customers will have the opportunity to book combined deals. We will thereby present potential exhibitors with an attractive offer for participating in all expos and optimally aligning their individual marketing strategy with their expo presentation.
