ISPO Munich 2023 - The trends and topics

"We are back and we are bigger" was how Stefan Rummel greeted the game changers of the sports industry in his opening speech at ISPO Munich 2023. And he wasn't exaggerating, the first day of the trade fair was already a marathon of highlights. Three top speakers were represented on the Main Stage and inspired the audience. With his impressive life story, Colin Kaepernick showed how important it is to stand up for your own values and pursue your goals. The man of extremes, Jonas Deichmann, also knows a thing or two about this. He talked about his crazy adventures and made it clear: "The real failure is not even trying".

In addition to the top speakers, there were numerous other fascinating events. In keeping with the first snow in Munich, for example, the topic of winter sports was taken to heart and discussed in detail at the symposium of "Dein Winter. Your sport." symposium. The conclusion? Even if it snows again, the melting of the glaciers can no longer be stopped. Sustainability is therefore at the top of the agenda for all stakeholders.

Of course, there was also an important contribution to the topic of sustainability. The German Sustainability Award, which was also awarded to companies and NGOs from the world of sport for the first time, presented its winners. The winners included not only well-known brands such as Vaude and Patagonia or retailer Globetrotter, but also small clubs such as the Feuerbach 1883 e. V. sports association.

The full house at the ISPO Award Gathering will also be remembered, where exceptional athlete Nadine Wallner and Christina Rabl from ISPO presented many beaming winners with their trophies.

On the first day, we were not only able to experience innovative products and inspiring speakers: Above all, there were stories that only sport can write.

All highlights day 1

The second day of the trade show was characterized by competitions, award ceremonies and people who have prevailed against the odds and grown as a result. At product level, too, many brands showed how they are meeting the challenges of the times.

The Main Stage was the stage for cinematic stories and emotional speeches. Gordon Herbert revealed his secret recipe for world champion success and appealed: "Mistakes and failures make us more resilient and help us to recreate ourselves. I myself no longer do anything the way I did five years ago." Yusra Mardini also never shied away from challenges, despite the existential hurdles she has already faced. She talked about her life story and the moment that turned her into an activist and lawyer.

The second day was also the day of the awards. Not only did the ISPO Award winners all receive their trophies, but the Public Choice winner was also chosen: the Pursuit Shock trekking pole from Black Diamond. The ISPO Brandnew: Founder Fights was also hotly contested. In the end, Haelixa (Sustainability), ArcX (Performance), Qwicklane (Outdoor) and Movmenta (Technology) won their respective categories. And "last but not least", the ISPO Textrends Award ceremony not only crowned winners, but also gave birth to megatrends: SHEEN, LOGIC and TIME.

Special attention was also paid to fashion on the second day. At ISPO 520M by Highsnobiety, experts from fashion and sports brands discussed the importance of sport for the fashion segment. At Zeitgeist, the new platform for fashion, music and lifestyle at ISPO Munich, designer Stéphane Ashpool shared his thoughts on inclusion, which inspired his innovative designs for the uniforms of the French Olympic team.

The world of running was not neglected either with the RUNNER'S WORLD Symposium featuring presentations from brands such as adidas TERREX, WINQS and ASICS and exciting discussions. Conclusion: Running continues to have great growth potential.

All highlights day 2

Who turned the clock again? As soon as ISPO Munich begins, the last day has already begun. "There is no such thing as the perfect match" - says Thomas Tuchel. For us, however, the third day was the perfect match. The day started with vibrant energy and female voices as the Women's Day by ISPO premiered and inspiring women from the sports industry shared their stories and set a strong signal for equality and diversity. Ruth Oberrauch, the creative founder of LaMunt, for example, emphasized the importance of products designed specifically for women to meet the real needs of women in sports. From Women's Day by ISPO, we went straight to Paris: to the Olympic Games. These are set to be the most sustainable games of modern times. For example, 95% of the sports facilities are already available or only temporary and low-emission mobility is being promoted. "We want society to benefit from the Games," said Damien Combredet, Deputy Director of Impact & Heritage Paris 2024. The panel "Are workers well protected against work-related injuries in Bangladesh?" was also about social responsibility on a different level. The answer to this question is as simple as it is sad: No. That is why Dr. Anne-Marie La Rosa, Shafiqul Islam and Martine Riblan presented an attempt at a solution: The EIS (Employment Injury Scheme) Pilot. The program helps people who are permanently unable to work with compensation payments or supports the relatives of deceased employees. However, this is only possible if the industry sticks together and many brands support projects like this. The grand finale on the Main Stage was also about team spirit. "Everyone must be aware of how important team spirit is," said Thomas Tuchel, one of the most influential coaches in the world of sport. He revealed one of his keys to success. The others: Game intelligence and mindfulness. The coach also shared stories from his career and private life and captivated the audience in an hour-long interview.

All Day 3 highlights

The speaker line-up at ISPO Munich 2023 was just as diverse as this year's exhibitors. This included Olympic swimmer and youngest UNHCR ambassador Yusra Mardini, who opened the main stage on the second day of the trade fair at 10:30 am. With her inspiring and moving story, she exemplifies the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees and has received numerous awards for her efforts. 🏆

More about Yusra Mardini

Colin Kaepernick was the headliner of ISPO Munich 2023!

Formerly a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he is now a symbolic figure for the fight against injustice. His activism has inspired many other athletes to speak out against social injustice and initiate similar protests. ✊🏾

A real hero you could experience live at ISPO Munich 2023!

On Tuesday, November 28, Colin spoke on the Main Stage about "Impact Sports: How Athletes Change the World". 🎤

Colin Kaepernick explored the transformative power of athletes in today's sporting landscape and explained how this new era of sport is empowering athletes to bring about significant change on a global scale and advocate for a fairer world.

More about Colin Kaepernick

He is a man of extremes, no distance is too far for him and he loves the ultra-long distances in triathlon: Jonas Deichmann. His most daring and ambitious project to date? In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, Deichmann swam, cycled and ran alone around the world and became a star. In the Adriatic Sea, he swam 450 kilometers completely without an accompanying boat. A world record! He covered around 21,000 kilometers on his bike. And he became famous as the "German Forrest Gump" during his run in Mexico.

What is Deichmann doing this year? For his current project "Trans America Twice", he is covering the distance from New York City to Los Angeles twice.

There is no break: Shortly after this challenge, Jonas Deichmann also found his way to ISPO Munich. The extreme athlete, triathlete and multiple world record holder spoke on the Main Stage on the second day of the trade fair.🎤

More about Jonas Deichmann

The sports industry needs innovative new ideas - and the Brandnew Area at ISPO Munich 2023 was the place to find them. You could discover progressive new brands and passionate entrepreneurs who want to revolutionize the market. Real start-up power and a dynamic, innovative start-up culture was on offer here! 💥

These forward-thinking start-ups from 4 different categories pitched their latest innovations LIVE at ISPO Munich in 2023 - this time in cooperation with the Founders Fight Club:

OutDoor & Adventure & Snowsports

• Milo Action Communicator
• DISTON anit-cut pants for ski racing
• Qwicklane ski touring binding
• Relfective STICKIES

Performance, body & mind (physical product)

• Performance KIT
• ClickFitWeights
• ArcX Smart Ring
• Wahu shoes

Sports technology and platforms

• Textile Tribo-electric electrodes for motion energy harvesting
• Lumaflex Body Pro
• SOLLO
• Sportreact

Sustainability

• numi.circular
• Haelixa DNA Traceability
• DIFOLD Origami Bottle
• Explorer V2

Get to know the nominees

Attention sports fans: The German Sustainability Award and ISPO are joining forces!

Together we have launched the new DNP Sport. The award honors outstanding ecological and social commitment in the field of sport. It is a signal to the entire sports world that sustainable action is not only important, but is also rewarded. 🏆

To celebrate this collaboration, the ISPO Cup 2023 was awarded as part of the German Sustainability Award on November 24, 2023 in Düsseldorf.

Who will win the ISPO Cup? This year, ISPO is honoring extreme mountaineer Nirmal Purja for the commitment of his Nimsdai Foundation. ISPO also includes the Nimsdai Foundation in the "Voices of Sports" and supports it as a partner.

More about Nirmal Purja

On November 29, it was all happening in Hall B3 on the "Orange Stage". That's when the RUNNER'S WORLD Symposium opened its doors again at ISPO Munich. 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

The RUNNER'S WORLD Symposium was aimed at the key opinion leaders of the running world: sports retailers, manufacturers and business people. Specialist presentations and analyses took a look at the latest developments and hottest trends in the running industry. This year, the symposium was once again able to attract pioneering brands from the industry as partners, who presented their most exciting projects, innovations and thrilling products.

The sports industry and tourism simply belong together! That's why the new Sports Travel Hub in Hall A1 sends you on an exciting journey where the worlds of sport, travel and business enter into exciting and forward-looking synergies! 🏟️⛰️

Whether brands or retailers in the sports industry, sports organizations such as clubs, sports venues and organizers of sports events, or professionals from the tourism sector such as sports hotels and resorts, travel agencies and travel agents or destination management organizations: At the Sports Travel Hub, speakers from industry giants such as

• Strava
• UTMB
• UN Travel Association
• Nadal Academy

shared their knowledge in keynotes and roundtables over the three days of the trade fair and provided exciting insights into the trends and opportunities in this fast-growing sector.

The Sports Travel Hub was the perfect place to help shape the future of the sports and tourism industry, make valuable contacts and make your company known in the industry.

After last year's successful kick-off, the Future Lab in Hall B1 was an even bigger highlight this year. 🚀

With six themed areas focusing on innovation and the transformation of the sports industry, the Future Lab was the focal point of the trade show!

The Brandnew Area showcased start-ups and up-and-coming brands that may soon revolutionize the sports industry. The proud winners of the prestigious ISPO Award can also be seen here.

In the interactive exhibition rooms of the Digitize Hub, the focus was on the latest trends in retail technology. The Innovation Lab presented visionary solutions with the potential to change the sports sector in the long term. 💡

But that's not all!

The cooperation with ZEITGEIST, a platform for urban, streetwear and sports fashion with new brands such as Sandqvist, Snowpeak, AndWander, Stilride, Stereoskis and Elho, also celebrated its premiere in the Future Lab. We also celebrated 10 years of ISPO Textrends together with textile and fashion expert Louisa Smith.

More about the Future Lab

In 2023, ISPO Munich once again welcomed the most exciting brands in the sports industry 💥! In the core areas of Teamsports, Health & Fitness, Sportsfashion, Outdoor and Snowsports, there were top brands such as:

Schildkröt, HUDORA, Padel Technologies, Schreuders Sport, Reboots, friedola 1888, STRYVE, Ortovox, Vaude, Lowa, Meindl, Manduka, BLACKROLL, killtec, super.natural, CMP, Schöffel, BLACKYAK, Rab, Lowe Alpine, Patagonia, Fjällräven, Hanwag, Royal Robbins, Jack Wolfskin, LaMunt, SCO, Merrell, Komperdell, LEKI, Rossignol, ROECKL, GIRO, AndWander, Snowpeak, OBERALP GROUP: Wild Country & Evolv and many more ...

Discover the core areas

From Mexico to the whole world, tripling the number of courts in Europe since 2016, steadily increasing numbers of participants - have you already caught padel fever? ISPO Munich 2023 turned into an epic padel mecca! 🎾

We experienced action-packed moments in the Padel Village in Hall B3, where top-class players played exciting matches. Trade visitors could even swing the paddle themselves! In addition to the courts, you could discover and try out the right equipment from brands such as Adidas, Aeon, AllPadel, Drop Shot, Inyerasp, Okatent, Playtomiv and Skechers!

Discover the world's fastest growing trend sport and the enormous potential it offers for you and the industry! 📈

5 things you need to know about padel

Women move the world of sports ♀️ - and ISPO Munich gave them the stage they deserved: On November 30, 2023, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in the Future Lab in Hall B1, we created a platform for women to support and motivate each other with the Women's day by ISPO at ISPO Munich. Professionally, mentally and personally.

Including: female athletes‍, business women, mothers, role models and many other fascinating women who literally give us new perspectives on sport. 🏃 👩🏾‍💼👩‍👧🦸🏽‍♀️