The growing size of the sports market in China is reflected in the exhibitor numbers for this year’s ISPO Shanghai. Exhibitors are making their way from Europe, the USA, and the Asia-Pacific region, with industry giants such as Fjällräven, Gola, LP Support, Mac in a sac, Marmot, On, Pacsafe, Sea to Summit, and Skins among them. Joint exhibition stands from Korea, Pakistan, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the Czech Republic add an international flair. Numerous new exhibitors contribute to the increased size of the trade fair, among them the Australian label Lorna Jane, Trespass from the United Kingdom, and Shuhua, one of China’s leading fitness equipment suppliers.
900 million customers in China will be shopping online from their home or on the move by 2020. The country already has more online shoppers than Canada and Europe combined. The People’s Republic is the second largest e-commerce market for sports and outdoor products. ISPO Shanghai gives its exhibitors access to this market, and in turn even greater reach during the event, through its collaboration with Tmall, one of China’s largest B2C online retailers. The trade fair provides exhibitors with a platform to present their collections for the coming season to the trade audience and, thanks to Tmall, end consumers online. Online users will even be able to buy the latest products during a live streaming session.
The Chinese government has set itself the target of getting 500 million Chinese people physically active by 2025 and its citizens are on board with this. Fitness and running activities are extremely popular and this trend is reflected at ISPO Shanghai. For example, there will be a “Fitness Studio Business Investment & China Fitness Industry Forum,” where studio owners can find out about business models and innovations at the trade fair. There are also many other events and talks planned as part of the ISPO Academy, such as the Water Sports Forum and the China Kids Sport Industry Forum. The ISPO Rock Climbing Show will demonstrate how augmented reality technology can be used in climbing gyms and the program also includes a CrossFit competition and a Longboard Test Event. On the final morning of the trade fair, it will be time to head to the starting line for the ISPO Shanghai Morning Run in partnership with Sanfo, one of China’s largest outdoor sports retailers.
