The OutDoor by ISPO is about to kick off. Visitors to the fair can look forward to a high level of innovative new products this summer. The ISPO Award provides the perfect platform for showcasing the latest trends and innovations.
Excitement is building – on June 3rd, OutDoor by ISPO 2024 will showcase the latest innovations and trends in the sports and outdoor industry. Over three days, the entire industry will gather to discuss the latest developments in hardware and textiles. Especially over the past three years, Outdoor has remained at a consistently high level. The trend of staying active in nature is still in vogue.
Innovations are one of the major drivers of the outdoor industry. Whether in hardware or textiles, the demand for innovative, functional products remains high. One highlight of the event will receive special attention – the presentation of the ISPO Awards.
Products with a particularly high level of innovation are honored with this award. An expert jury carefully reviews and evaluates the individual applicants for an ISPO Award beforehand. The submissions reflect the enormous range of various outdoor sports.
The lightweight trend continues this year as well. However, there are significant improvements in materials. For example, more durable textile fibers increase the longevity of products, which is particularly evident in trail running shoes. “In terms of durability, there have been major advancements, at least in the upper materials,” confirms Harald Angerer, a member of the ISPO Collaborators Club and a jury member for this year’s ISPO Award. “You can see that sustainability is indeed a priority for shoe manufacturers.” Harald finds innovative impulses from young brands like NNormal exciting, as they impressed the jury with a comprehensive shoe concept and interchangeable insoles.
There is also ongoing development regarding ingredients. The industry is currently stabilizing at a high level of recycled and natural fibers, ready to take the next step. Encouragingly, a shift in the industry’s mindset is evident when looking at product design. Many of the submitted innovations focus on repairability. “Recycled fibers have now become the standard,” notes jury member and textile expert Dr. Regina Henkel. “Manufacturers are thinking beyond just producing a product. Repairability is the new focus.” Additionally, there are changes in DWRs – more environmentally friendly materials are increasingly being used for waterproofing.
The industry continually demonstrates that even an expert jury can be astonished. These can be small details, like innovative fiber technology, but also more unconventional products.
This year, it was the collapsible and inflatable bike helmet aH-1 from the English brand Ventete that truly impressed the experienced jurors. The development of this bike helmet took a full 9.5 years; the result is a product with an exceptionally high level of innovation. Another unexpected highlight from the "Nice-to-have" category: coffee in a tube. No Normal Coffee impressed with its high-quality tasting product for outdoor coffee enjoyment.
There is a wide variety of ways to enjoy the outdoors. Alongside perennially popular summer sports like hiking and biking, activities such as climbing and fast hiking are gaining increased attention. The trend of combining hiking and running is particularly on the rise. The industry has recognized this and is increasingly offering innovative products for fast hiking enthusiasts. This trend is also reflected in the submitted products for the ISPO Award, such as the Deuter Speed Lite Pro or Rab Vail XP 30. Hybrid shoes for hiking and running, like the Aenergy Ultra from Mammut, are also designed to appeal to the fast hiking community.
Still trending – van life and camping. The product themes for outdoor experiences are characterized by a high level of innovation. Manufacturers are focusing on developing space-saving and lightweight products with a certain style. Award winners like Frontier Ultralight Kitchenware and Summit Detour from Sea to Summit serve as good examples.
Last but not least, attention should be paid to the digital world, which continually offers exciting solutions for outdoor activities. Doxa Sports provides a solution for ambitious outdoor enthusiasts and professional athletes: an app that analyzes urine according to specific criteria and detects deficiencies. Equally cool is the first-aid solution from the company Goes. The Goes Health app is specifically tailored to outdoor emergencies. Whether it's a snake bite or lightning strike, help can be provided and an emergency call can be made via intuitive menu navigation.
All of these innovations can be admired in a special award area at OutDoor by ISPO. A selection of award-winning products from brands that are exhibiting with their own booth at OutDoor by ISPO can be found in the gallery:
In search of winners: For the second time this year, the ISPO Award expert jury met to select the winners of the coveted seal of quality in sport. This time, the products submitted were all about the upcoming OutDoor by ISPO.
Where better to judge the innovations and novelties of the outdoor industry than in the middle of the Austrian mountains? The second jury meeting of the year took place in beautiful Hopfgarten in the Kitzbühel Alps, nestled in the picturesque landscape at the foot of the Hohe Salve. For two days, the six jurors took their time to consider the new products submitted for the ISPO Award by established sports brands and newcomers from all over the world.
The selection process is multi-stage: all submissions are checked in advance by the expert jury on the basis of the application documents to determine whether they have the potential to win the ISPO Award. Only once this first hurdle has been cleared do the brands send their products to the jury meeting so that the jurors can evaluate them live. Each product is observed in detail by the six-member jury, discussed in detail and, if possible, briefly tried out.
This time, it wasn't just the magnificent mountain panorama in Hopfgarten that provided the necessary outdoor atmosphere. As always, the jury meeting also included a sports session. This time, e-bikes were used to climb the Hohe Salve, whose 1,829-metre-high summit offered a breathtaking 360-degree view of over 70 three-thousand-metre peaks in perfect spring weather. The bike cracks did an extra lap, while the normal descent provided plenty of adrenaline for everyone else. After the exhilarating ride, the jury relaxed and recuperated at the Hotel “Das Hohe Salve Sportresort”, which impressed with excellent food, good recreational opportunities and a great atmosphere.
The range of new products submitted once again demonstrated the impressive innovative spirit of the outdoor and sporting goods industry. In view of the upcoming OutDoor by ISPO, the focus was primarily on products that are essential for outdoor activities: from tents, sleeping bags and trail running shoes to drinking bottles and bike helmets.
Each winning brand decides for itself when and in which trade fair environment it would like to present its winning product - at the OutDoor by ISPO 2024 in June or at the ISPO Munich 2024 in November. Many winners will already be on display in the special area at OutDoor by ISPO, which takes place from June 3 to 5 at the Munich exhibition center. The trade fair presentation will be complemented by a comprehensive communication package via various channels. For example, the winners will be published here on the desired date - depending on whether the brand wants to focus on the sell-in, the sell-out or another date.
As always, the jury is divided into two equal groups of experts representing different perspectives: Three industry experts, who accompany the award process as an integral part of the jury, are complemented by three knowledgeable consumer experts from the ISPO Collaborators Club. The consumer experts are selected anew each time and assess the products from the consumer's perspective.
And these are our industry experts:
From the ranks of the ISPO Collaborators Club came:
The jury will also be assisted by journalist Ralf Kerkeling as moderator and the internationally renowned textile expert Louisa Smith, who will represent the jury of the ISPO Textrends Award jury jury. In order to avoid greenwashing, she supports the ISPO Awards with her expertise in the assessment of all product information in the area of sustainability.
Your brand was included this time? Then apply directly with your product - applications are possible all year round. The application phase for Q3 ends on September 7, 2024.
If you want to aim high in sport, you need reliable equipment. When it comes to performance and sustainability, these seven ISPO Award winners have already reached the summit. That's where they'll take you on your next climbing tour - safely, comfortably and sustainably.
New year, new luck! The ISPO Award, the international seal of quality for the best products and services in sport, is being launched for 2024. To kick off the year, the expert jury met this time in Munich to assess the innovations submitted by sports and outdoor brands. Everything you need to know about the first jury meeting of the year.
This year, things got off to a flying start once again. Many exciting new products were submitted in Q1 to qualify for an ISPO Award. This time, the jury team came together in Munich at the trade fair grounds to evaluate the submissions and set themselves up for the new year - because the ISPO Award will offer even more orientation and added value in sports going forward.
Once again, the sports and outdoor industry showed an impressive variety, ranging from clothing and winter sports equipment to camping products. Each submission is assessed several times in the judging process. The product clears the first hurdle in the pre-selection stage. Here, the expert jury decides whether the product has what it takes to win an ISPO Award based on the application material submitted by the individual brands. If the product passes the pre-selection, it is sent in and evaluated individually by the six jurors according to various criteria at the official jury meeting.
The winning products benefit from a comprehensive communication package. Each brand can decide for itself when exactly to start communicating about the award win - depending on whether it wants to focus its communication on the sell-in, the sell-out or another date. All winners are published on the desired date and then presented here. They will also be exhibited together with the other winners in a special area at the international sports business trade shows OutDoor by ISPO and ISPO Munich.
Since the ISPO Award was redesigned two years ago, the jury has consisted of a total of six experts: Three industry experts are complemented by three knowledgeable consumer experts from the ISPO Collaborators Club. In this way, different perspectives are reflected equally in the judging process, making the award an important trend barometer for the sports industry.
Outdoor journalist, Professor of Sports Journalism & Digitalization in Sports and Editor at Large of ISPO.com, Martina Wengenmeir, magazine maker and snowboarding veteran Andi Spies as well as textile expert and long-time trade journalist Regina Henkel were once again present. Jens Häußler (sports economist, multi-sport athlete and former MTB pro), Sina Übelacker (enthusiastic snowboarder and experienced sports event manager) and Anne-Marie Keglmaier (multi-sport athlete, trail runner and digital marketing specialist) supported the jury from the ranks of the ISPO Collaborators Club.
The sports enthusiasts in the Collaborators Club are selected each time from a pool of applicants for the jury meeting and thus have the unique opportunity to examine many new highlight products before they are launched on the market.
The expert jury will also be complemented by journalist Ralf Kerkeling, who will moderate the jury meeting, and recognised textile expert Louisa Smith, who leads the jury of the ISPO Textrends Award. Her task is to support the jury members in assessing the increasingly complex topic of sustainability and to avoid greenwashing.
The next jury meeting will take place from May 2 to 3, 2024 - next stop: OutDoor by ISPO (June 3 to 5), where some of the winners will be exhibiting their products and services. Applications are possible at any time, application deadline for Q2 is April 13, 2024.
But the ISPO Award is not standing still: there will be a few innovations for the next round. After two years of experience with the new ISPO Award concept, the team has taken stock and also gathered feedback from the brands. This much can already be revealed: The ISPO Award will be even better and more valuable, both for consumers and for the brands!
The ISPO Award puts products through their paces - in reality, however, not quite as rigorously as our Award Angel demonstrates.
No love at first sight? Not at all: These ten award winners impressed the ISPO Munich 2023 audience right away. The products for winter impress with their mix of innovation, comfort and sustainability.