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The Snowfest crew brings the internationally renowned Rock A Rail Tour to Amsterdam! Right at the heart of ISPO, Congress Square becomes the stage for one of the show’s most exciting live activations. Rock A Rail and Jibworx join forces for the ISPO stop, bringing a full-scale street-style jam to the show floor. An actual bus becomes part of a unique setup for snowboarders and freeskiers to showcase their rail skills. Expect creative tricks and serious rail action from both snowboarders and freeskiers.
The Snowfest Village - known from the Innsbruck and The Hague stops – will also be part of the Amsterdam edition, bringing the wider Snowfest experience to ISPO.
Now in its fifth year, the Rock A Rail Tour presented by Snowfest stands for unique, creative and challenging setups that bring world-class snowboard and freeski street-style action right into the heart of the city, and this time, right into the heart of ISPO.
Ben Aidan spent 16 years helping build one of the biggest names in outdoor. Now he's channeling that experience into protecting the mountains that inspired it all along. This November, he's bringing that story to ISPO in Amsterdam.
Ben is speaking at both the ISPO Leaders' Summit (3 November) and the ISPO Expo (4-5 November), and his career is basically a trailer for what he'll cover on stage.
Every industry has its lifers, the ones who've seen every trend cycle, every trade show, every "next big thing" come and go. Ben is one of them. But rather than coast on two decades of outdoor industry know-how, he cashed it in for a new mission: getting brands to fight climate change as hard as they fight for shelf space.
Ben is the Partnership Director at Protect Our Winters (POW) Europe. If you haven't come across POW before, it's a global network of athletes, scientists, creatives and outdoor brands campaigning to protect the winters, mountains and wild places that the outdoor community depends on, by pushing for real climate policy change, not just awareness. Before joining POW, Ben was the driving force behind Salomon's reinvention
The accidental digital kid
Rewind to the late 90s. Ben's in the US, chasing a career in journalism, when he stumbles into one of the first-ever web design courses instead. Right place, right time. That detour led to eight years at a digital agency, then, in 2007, a move to Salomon.
Building a powerhouse
At Salomon, Ben helped launch e-commerce for the brand, then the whole group. By 2013, digital wasn't a nice-to-have, it was the business, and Ben stepped up to Brand Director. A role he held for the next 11 years.
His high point? The 2022 brand relaunch. The brief was to make Salomon younger, more feminine, more urban, more open to people who'd never set foot on a trail. It worked. Revenue climbed from the €600-800 million range to a reported €1.5 billion, and suddenly Salomon trainers were as common on the streets of Paris and London as they were on the trails.
It was also around 2017-2018 that sustainability properly landed on Salomon's agenda. Looking back, Ben's honest that he wishes it had happened sooner. Once a team rallies behind something that matters, he says, the energy it unlocks is a different level entirely.
Sixteen years in, then a leap
Ben left Salomon in summer 2024. No plan B, just a gut feeling that whatever came next had to keep him close to the mountains.
He didn't have to look far for a reason. Ben lives in Annecy, not so far from Chamonix. The climate crisis isn't a headline for him, it's the glacier he watches shrink every time he takes his kids skiing. Combine that front-row seat with 16 years of knowing exactly how outdoor brands think and operate, and the next move made itself obvious. He started volunteering with POW. When a role opened up, he took it, joining POW Europe full-time in December 2024.
Turning brands into climate advocates
Ben's job now is convincing brands they're more powerful than they realise. At POW Europe, he brings together athletes, scientists, creatives and brands into one coalition that can actually shift policy in Brussels, not just talk about it.
"A well-known brand showing up with its whole community behind it gets heard very differently to an NGO knocking on the door alone."
That's the whole strategy in one line. The outdoor industry didn't create the climate crisis by itself, but it's often the first to witness it, and that gives it a credibility nobody else in the room has. Our industry might be part of the problem, but Ben is convinced it is part of the solution.
Why ISPO, and why this year feels different
Ben's no stranger to ISPO. He visited during his Salomon years, back when the show floor was all product and hard sell. What's got him excited about ISPO Amsterdam is watching the event become something bigger: a place where climate and sustainability now share top billing with the gear.
Catch him live across two sessions:
Are you an industry leader? Catch Ben at the ISPO Leaders Summit to watch his session "The Future of Winter Sports: From Climate Risk to Competitive Advantage". Industry leaders will be real about climate risk, materials innovation and what the snowline of 2035 means for the gear we'll all be buying next.
Plus, Ben will also be talking on the Brand & Retail Horizon Stage during the Expo on "How Can Your Brand Drive Climate Policy in Outdoor Sports?" Flying across Europe is often cheaper than the train, mostly down to how the two get taxed. A major EU transport shake-up expected in Q4 2026 could change that. Ben, alongside an athlete and a brand partner, breaks down how outdoor brands can shape decisions like this one.
The thread running through it all
From reinventing a €1.5 billion brand to reinventing what climate advocacy looks like in this industry, Ben keeps coming back to the same question: what can we actually do to make a change? This November in Amsterdam, he's putting that question to the room.
Secure your ticket to ISPO 2026 and catch Ben's sessions live.
Where innovation becomes commercial success
The Ingredients & Components Impact Forum explores how the technologies, materials and component brands behind today's products create measurable commercial value for brands, retailers and the wider sporting goods industry.
Unlike sessions focused on material science or emerging technologies alone, this theatre looks beyond product specifications to examine how ingredient innovation drives category growth, strengthens consumer trust, accelerates adoption and creates competitive advantage.
Across two days, industry leaders from established ingredient brands, pioneering material innovators, retailers and global manufacturers will share the strategies, partnerships and business models shaping the next generation of sporting goods.
The Programme
The programme, curated by Tomas Vucurevic, Managing Director at BRAIND©, is deliberately built around commercial reality rather than future speculation. Every session is designed to answer one question: How do ingredients and components create value for brands and retailers today - and what lessons will shape tomorrow's success?
Day One
Proven ingredient brands. Proven commercial impact.
The opening day celebrates ingredient brands that have already transformed the market.
Rather than discussing technical product features, speakers will demonstrate how innovations from companies such as BOA, RECCO, ULEX, Gore-Tex, Vibram and YKK have helped create entirely new categories, command premium pricing, strengthen retail performance and build lasting consumer confidence.
Sessions explore:
Speakers include:
Day Two
Scaling the next generation
Day two shifts focus to the future of ingredients and materials.
As the industry navigates shifting sustainability priorities, investment challenges and the so-called "Valley of Death" between innovation and commercialisation, the programme examines why promising technologies fail to scale - and what today's innovators must do differently.
Instead of predicting the next material trend, the forum explores the business models, partnerships and market strategies required to transform breakthrough ideas into commercially viable products. Discussions move beyond sustainability ambitions to explore what it actually takes to scale.
Key themes include:
The day concludes with retailers sharing what is genuinely driving purchasing decisions and how sustainable innovation translates into sales on the shop floor.
Speakers include:
What makes this Forum unique?
Most industry events focus on technologies, materials or sustainability in isolation. This Forum focuses on the commercial value they create.
The Ingredients & Components Forum is the industry platform dedicated to the commercial side of innovation. Rather than focusing solely on material science, it explores how ingredients create measurable value for brands, retailers and consumers. Bringing together leading ingredient brands, next-generation material innovators and retail decision-makers, the programme is curated and moderated by Tomas Vucurevic, whose deep expertise ensures discussions that are candid, commercially relevant and focused on the questions the industry needs answered.
Who should attend?
The forum is designed for decision-makers across the sporting goods value chain, including:
Whether developing the next breakthrough material or bringing established technologies to market, attendees will gain practical insight into how ingredient innovation becomes commercial success.
Why attend?
The Ingredients & Components Forum answers the industry's biggest commercial questions:
Through real-world case studies, candid debate and proven success stories, the theatre connects innovation with commercial reality - showing how ingredients and components don't simply improve products; they help brands grow, retailers sell more effectively and entire categories evolve.
For the full programme and list of speakers – and to buy your tickets to attend - visit https://www.ispo.com/expo/exhibition-programme
In 2026, the ISPO Awards step onto the world stage with renewed ambition. More than a traditional product award, the expanded programme is positioning itself alongside the most prestigious global accolades — celebrating not just excellence in sporting goods and outdoor, but the ideas, materials and businesses shaping the industry’s future. Winners will be celebrated at a flagship ceremony at ISPO 2026 Amsterdam on 4 November. Three distinct programmes. One stage. Here’s what you need to know.
The ISPO Excellence Awards are the primary recognition for outstanding products and services across sport, outdoor and winter sports. The 2026 programme spans the full breadth of the industry: from cutting-edge product innovation to bold storytelling, next-generation retail concepts and standout marketing campaigns.
What sets the Excellence Awards apart is genuine independence: 120+ conflict-free judges — athletes, buyers, influencers and sports industry professionals — assess entries hands-on. Recognition spans six tiers from Commended through to Grand Prix, each carrying an ISPO digital badge for packaging, retail sell-in and press materials. With ispo.com reaching buyers, retailers and media across 120+ countries, your listing goes live from day one — and winners receive editorial coverage and social amplification.
New for 2026, the programme has been completely refreshed with a renewed focus on integrity, transparency and meaningful innovation. Updates include strengthened independent judging, new Service and B2B categories that extend recognition beyond products, and category structures that better reflect today’s sports and outdoor ecosystem. The awards are open to all brands, with preferential entry rates available for ISPO exhibitors.
| Dates | |
| 1 July 2026 | Entries open |
| 1 August 2026 | Early bird entry deadline |
| 1 September 2026 | Final entry deadline |
| September 2026 | Remote judging takes place |
| 3 November 2026 (daytime) | Live judging at RAI Amsterdam |
| 4 November 2026 (evening) | ISPO Excellence Award Ceremony |
For emerging brands and startups, ISPO BrandNew is the world’s leading recognition platform in the sports and outdoor space — presented by YKK and curated by BORN Accelerators. Following online applications and expert pre-judging, shortlisted startups pitch live on the BrandNew Launchpad Stage in front of retailers, investors and media. Selected participants also gain access to an optional Investor Layer, connecting them with strategic partners and growth-focused stakeholders. Applications close 2 August 2026.
ISPO Textrends identifies and presents the material trends of the future — award-winning fabrics, membranes, trims and insulations used in premium sportswear and outdoor collections. The regular trend reports are a valued reference for designers and product managers worldwide. The 2026 cycle covers the Autumn/Winter 2028/29 season.
The awards ceremony takes place on 4 November 2026 at ISPO Amsterdam.