626 domestic and international brands, 45,448 industry visitors from 78 countries, 40,000 square meters: The 10th anniversary of ISPO Shanghai was a resounding success. The event was at the forefront of showcasing new trends, brands, products, and technologies. The secret to its success? A diverse range of categories, events and areas enabled fresh ideas and innovation for the industry's development.
All insights at a glance:
The 30% increase in brands and 13% increase in industry visitors compared to 2023 definitely shows that the event continues to go from strength to strength every year. "We see a lot of energy here with good events; the fair always looks crowded." Mr. John Juel Poulsen, General Manager of Nordisk Asian, explained.
No stone was left unturned in the industry, with diverse categories, like climbing and hiking, urban sports, running and cycling, water sports, children's sports, outdoor leisure, lifestyle, sports technology, and new materials, all represented.
The industry is undoubtedly in good hands, with Ms. Xu Jia, General Manager, Chief Executive Officer–Greater China of Messe Muenchen Shanghai Co., Ltd., explaining, "ISPO continues to drive the transformation of the sports industry by creating new sports consumption scenarios, products, and services that integrate culture, sports, tourism, trade, and exhibition."
ISPO Shanghai 2024 saw a much more diverse look, with international brands making up nearly 30% of the exhibition. So, what's got the attention of all these international brands? A diverse visitor group, more segmented demands, and foreseeable growth potential. “We have a strong believe that the outdoor market is here to stay we believe that nature is luxury, spending time in nature improves our quality of life. Especially in China，we believe there's a very strong future of the outdoor business.”, Mr. John Juel Poulsen explained.
And the future of this industry was evident in many different areas and collaborations.
The ISPO New Force Area, which doubled its size from last year, focused on market opportunities and challenges for emerging outdoor brands. The industry is transforming, and these brands were able to showcase just how they are seeking progress.
One area in particular that ISPO Shanghai 2024 focused on was the connection between automobiles and outdoor life. ISPO Shanghai collaborated with the China Automobile Dealers Association and hosted a car travel exchange and networking event.
Further adding to the scale of the event, ISPO Shanghai 2024 doubled its Sports Park Area from 2023. The area featured ten major sports themes and demonstrates ISPO Shanghai’s commitment to broadening exhibition categories and promoting multi-industry collaboration.
ISPO Shanghai 2024 also partnered with 25 sports venues and community sports centers in Shanghai and 33 sports-friendly communities. These partnerships allowed for a much greater reach to keep up with the differentiated needs of this growing sports lifestyle market.
It’s no secret this market is growing exponentially, and a key reason is social media. ISPO focused on this area for the 2024 event, securing collaborations with platforms such as Tmall, Douyin and RED.
These collaborations promoted professional product categories, highlighted content, and introduced new lifestyles, all in the name of increasing brand and product exposure and expanding the reach of sports lifestyles.
As always, fashion makes its mark on the new-look industry, and ISPO Shanghai 2024 featured the China Fashion Color Association, which released the latest trends for the 2025A/W Asian Sustainable Sports Fashion while also sharing new sustainable designs. Other fashion brands attended ISPO Shanghai 2024 and showcased the changes they are bringing to the industry, with Mr. Zhang Weiwei, General Manager, Zhejiang Shiko Textile Co., Ltd., explaining, "...we introduced a new three-layer jacket fabric that offers excellent water resistance and breathability while remaining lightweight. Our goal is to make our outer fabrics both comfortable and fashionable…"
With the sports lifestyle industry penetrating the mass consumer market, innovation is necessary to cater to consumers' differentiated needs. ISPO Shanghai 2024 played a significant role in facilitating this innovation, allowing brands to showcase their advancements in the outdoor sports market.
Many exhibitors were pleased with the platform they received to discuss innovation with attendees.
"It is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts to gather, promoting the development of outdoor activities and lifestyle in China." Mr. Feng Jiajun, Director of the Business Distribution Center, Mobi Garden
"This year, we aimed to showcase more new products to consumers. Many new customers visited our booth to learn about our offerings." Ms. Su Xiaoyun, Sales Manager, Thule Asia Pacific
The enthusiasm for outdoor activities continues to grow, driving the emergence and development of new sports scenarios and styles. Therefore, at ISPO Shanghai 2024, topics such as fashion, home, skincare, and beverages were introduced.
In a transforming industry, many brands have experienced pain points. ISPO Shanghai 2024 gave brands a platform to voice their new perspectives on how to tackle the industry's issues.
In particular, ISPO Shanghai created industry-specific forums to provide essential policy interpretations, trend forecasts, experience sharing, and case analyses for the industry's healthy development. Many exhibitors were pleased with the forums created at the event.
Mr. Ma Pengfei, Outdoor Category Operation Manager, JD Retail Fashion Division, explained, "As a pivotal event in the industry, ISPO brings together top brand products and the entire supply chain, providing a space for interactive communication."
For the 2024 event, ISPO Shanghai featured five specific professional forums on hot topics in the industry, including:
These particular forums were a hit with industry partners as they offered invaluable insights into sports fashion trends, cultural and sports tourism resource integration, sustainable management, marine protection plans, outdoor sustainability, and consumer insights. The platform allowed new perspectives to be nurtured.
ISPO Shanghai ran several smaller festivals and events throughout the three-day exhibition to give attendees a more immersive experience and appeal to a wide audience. These festivals and events attracted a lot of attention from attendees who wanted to immerse themselves completely in the future of the outdoor sports market.
The festivals and events that took place this year included:
1. The Energy Lifestyle Festival
This festival, themed around car travel, facilitated the integration of automotive and outdoor activities. Improving from previous years, ISPO Shanghai expanded the event to include children's outdoor sports categories, introducing activities and fun events such as equestrian, archery, and baseball.
2. China Mermaid Open
This inaugural event provided a platform for professional and advanced players to showcase their skills and improve performance. To accommodate this new event, the Water Sports Exhibition Area was significantly expanded.
Some of the expanded areas included a large pool, a surfing machine, and a diving pool. This allowed for continuous brand product testing, competitions, and activities, working wonders and drawing in numerous sports enthusiasts.
3. The Sports and Cultural Carnival
This festival was once again staged in Shanghai and partnered with various professional organizations to create a Sports Dance Open. Some key highlights included fashion shows, dance competitions, and opera performances, further diversifying the event and promoting fitness trends in China.
4. The Cycling Lifestyle Festival
This inaugural festival explored innovative travel methods in a cycling-friendly environment. For sports lifestyle enthusiasts of all levels, a rich selection of urban sports activities such as rock climbing, yoga, frisbee, pickleball, skateboarding, and summer snowball fights were available, promoting the diverse development of urban sports culture.
There is more to come, though, as ISPO Shanghai remains committed to evolving as a diverse communication platform that supports industrial transformation and business innovation.
If you missed the exhibition, ISPO Shanghai is pleased to announce that the Sports Carnival will open in Nanjing and Xiamen, offering innovative and engaging conferences, events, interactive experiences, and sports options to a broader population.
Mark your calendars for these two upcoming sports carnival events:
ISPO Shanghai looks forward to advancing and expanding our exhibition in 2025 and welcoming back existing and new sports brands, along with sports enthusiasts attendees.
ISPO Shanghai 2023 is in the books! From a Western perspective, the trade show was nothing less than an exciting eye-opener. Because the understanding of sport in China has changed after the Covid years - with surprising twists, as Christoph Beaufils reports from Shanghai.
All Insights at a glance:
Right up front: International brands in particular should now have a look at the country in Asia, because there is a holistic understanding of sport and exercise that encompasses health, nutrition and lifestyle. It touches all segments and parts of the population. Copy + paste from the West will not work here. As a brand as well as a retailer, you have to become part of the movement and participate in it. Challenging at first glance, a huge opportunity at second glance. Because meets openness: It is the playful, creative approach and the sheer endless curiosity of the Chinese population that give trends known in the West their own, very exciting character and thus reinvent them for themselves. You don't conquer the Chinese market. You grow with it!
China, for example, cultivates road cycling in an individual and very aesthetic way. People are forming around the theme of sustainability and combining enjoyment with the urge to experience nature. A young, health-conscious and lifestyle-oriented generation is claiming Urban Outdoor and its lifestyle and creating a new understanding of fashion in the process. It's all very inspiring and exciting.
What exactly does this mean? Here's an attempt to compactly categorize the most exciting phenomena and takeaways:
Group outings and organized activities are part of the Chinese DNA. Combine this with sports, a high number of apps, and huge affinity for social media, and it opens up incredible potential for brands to create tight-knit communities for every genre and segment. This may not be anything new from an international perspective in general, but it has a very different scale in China. And the good news is: there is little fear of contact or scepticism. Niche sports in particular find their place and followership in this way. The only thing is not to be boring.
It may be due to the tough Covid-19 years, but the Chinese population cares about their well-being. Sports are no longer equated with physical exercise alone. Mental health is being addressed, especially among a younger generation, and nutrition is also a big issue. China defines quality of life through a sporting lifestyle, but this is not only achieved through discipline - which used to be more typical of China. It's also about having a lot of fun in the process.
The speciality coffee scene in China is booming and, for the Chinese, is a kind of logical component of an outdoor-driven lifestyle. This applies to both urban outdoor and nature outdoor. But it's not about coffee per se, it's about linking pleasure and enjoying quality time. People are cultivating what is good for the Chinese soul. That's just as true of the craft beer scene, which snuggles up closely to the outdoor scene. You can see the desire for quality time in the outdoor context in many corners: Rarely, for example, have you seen such high-quality designed, compact BBQ grills, fashionable interior accessories for tents or cooler boxes. Even storage elements are given stylish wood finishes. It's not about extreme outdoor experiences or consciously limiting yourself - it's about feeling good.
As is well known, China is at the forefront of urbanization and megacities. The number and size of major cities are enormous. But the lifestyle and the micro-scenes that are currently developing from sports and urban outdoor are as diverse as they are exciting. This includes cycling, skating, fashion, dancing, running, fitness, yoga ... you name it. A new, very fashion- and health-conscious generation is finding its scene(s) and, this is relatively new for China, identifies strongly with them. This gives rise to many fashionable and very aesthetic genres. Any brand that can convey and define a sporty, urban lifestyle will meet with a greater response in China in the future.
Considering that sports and their equipment are becoming increasingly complex, technical, and individualized, while at the same time China has just discovered or is reinventing many sports for itself, it quickly becomes clear that a great deal of inspiration and knowledge transfer must be provided here. This task is specifically taken on by so-called Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and Key Opinion Customers (KOC), who were integral parts of the concept of ISPO Shanghai. KOLs and KOCs help to ensure that sports are understood, learned and attractive. They arouse interest and spread the necessary know-how in a playful and entertaining way. Particularly for brands that are still unknown in China, this is the key to building brand awareness. It's not about "flat buying recommendations," but about high-quality content, tangible storytelling, and inspiring testimonials. This works particularly well at happenings such as trade shows and festivals, which are both occasions and platforms for stories. The curiosity of the population is huge, the gratitude for inspiring content is high, and the learning curves of the followers are steep. KOLs and KOCs enable broad access to sports and the outdoors and thus make an enormously important contribution to the entire sports world.
There may be some scepticism in the West when China and sustainability are mentioned in the same breath. But attitudes toward environmental protection are changing rapidly. Chinese brands do not feel driven by consumers, but want to prove their expertise. Because many brands are still relatively young by international standards, they see sustainability as a potential source of differentiation. And this falls on the ears of consumers, who want more than ever to discover and preserve nature. The discussion about how to achieve sustainability goals is being conducted with a lot of fun and interest. This should not be seen as naïve: Since China produces a lot for the international market, a lot of know-how is already available.
The sheer endless curiosity and openness of the Chinese brings out another exciting phenomenon: Even if you can hardly practice a sport in China, the interest in it is there. A concrete example: mountain biking. There are neither real bike parks nor trails designed for potent full-suspension MTBs. Yet, brands define themselves by this lifestyle - with success. The same goes for sports like ski touring. In this country, this still serves as a brand-building story and is more likely to generate sales and curiosity in the accessories sector such as goggles, helmets or jerseys. Still...
The fact that many ski brands are exhibiting at ISPO Shanghai, which takes place in the middle of mid-summer, is due to something that has not yet caught on in the West: "Artificial Slopes". China is not a classic winter sports country, snow conditions are often poor, and many ski resorts are barely accessible to the average person. But China is finding its own way again - just as the West did with skate, wakeboard or wave parks. We're not talking about energy-intensive ski halls with artificial snow - those exist, too - but rather slopes made of plastic mats. These are usually found in ski and snowboard amusement parks and exist both indoors and outdoors in all sizes. An interesting alternative for the winter sports industry.
At ISPO Shanghai 2023, visitors were able to discover new trends, new brands and new technologies for three days. One highlight followed the next. But just make your own impression!
New trends, new brands, new technologies: Visitors were able to discover a lot at ISPO Shanghai 2023. We explain what the industry can learn from the Chinese market and how ISPO Shanghai is shaping the future of the sports lifestyle industry globally.
"When the wind of change blows, some build walls and others windmills." After ISPO Shanghai 2023, the well-known Chinese proverb could be understood as a call to the sports and outdoor industry to look very closely at developments in Asia and to use the resulting opportunities wisely.
After the strict Covid-19 restrictions were finally lifted in China, 140 international brands didn't want to miss their chance to revive their contacts to China at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The trade show featured outdoor sports, camping and vanlife, water and winter sports, cycling, climbing, urban sports and everything related to sporty lifestyle. New brands introduced themselves, new products and new technologies excited the audience. Forums and lectures were also held on current topics such as sports and tourism, sports fashion, international exchange between industries and international marketing. With its festival concept, the newly opened "ISPO Sports Park" ignited the participants' enthusiasm for sports and gave new momentum to the industry. "Through the exhibition and interaction in the past three days, we are happy and proud to see that everyone at ISPO Shanghai has gained something. The sports lifestyle industry in China is on the fast track," said Ms. Xu Jia, General Manager of Messe Muenchen Shanghai Co, Ltd. and CEO of Messe Muenchen (Greater China).
The return of international brands clearly reflects the stable development of the Chinese consumer sports market. Water sports in particular have recently taken a big leap, with many destinations in China building water sports facilities. As a result, the exhibition space of the 2023 Water Sports Fair has doubled. Product testing, competitions and other activities were continuously held in the large pool and surf simulation machine, which were set up for the first time at ISPO Shanghai. The area was always crowded with sports enthusiasts ready to have a new experience.
The sporting lifestyle has become popular among Chinese people, and these changes have encouraged the industry to keep up. At ISPO Shanghai 2023, outdoor apparel brands have introduced trendier, younger-looking designs, allowing wearers to switch between urban and outdoor identities anytime, anywhere.
Industrial development has its cycles and phases. This requires two things in particular: modernization of the industry structure and strong new impulses. Therefore, ISPO Shanghai 2023 has developed new concepts and perspectives for itself, which are implemented from strategic layout to event design.
This year, ISPO Shanghai organized conferences and forums on three topics: Sports Tourism, Sports Fashion Trends and the International Market Expansion of Chinese Sporting Goods Brands.
The platform helped the industry address the following challenges:
ISPO Shanghai is developing into an increasingly comprehensive and diverse platform. This was also demonstrated by the partnership with the Chinese electric car brand NIO. In the future, the trade show will continue to uphold its original mission and provide better and guaranteed services to the industry. The next ISPO Shanghai will open in the summer of 2024 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Even before that, ISPO Nanjing 2023 will be held at Nanjing International Exhibition Center from August 4 to 6, refreshing the hot summer in Nanjing with even more wind of change.
