In June, Maine Outdoor Brands will be exhibiting once again at the largest outdoor industry trade show in North America, Outdoor Retailer. Held in Denver, Outdoor Retailer (or “OR”) is a major opportunity to get your brand and products in front of retailers, buyers, and the media.
MOB members have the added benefit of exhibiting in the MOB booth for a discounted rate of $400-1300, a considerable financial advantage over going it alone, especially for newer and smaller brands.
Attending the show is still an investment in time and expense though. Here’s some background to make sure it is right for your brand:
Outdoor Retailer is a three-day tradeshow where exhibiting outdoor brands present their products to retail buyers, reps, and the media. There are also educational talks, events, demos, networking opportunities, happy hours, and more.
The show is big, both in attendees and space. January’s winter show had almost 20,000 attendees and occupied more than a half million square feet and all three floors of the Colorado Convention Center. Summer is typically even bigger.
As Outdoor Retailer says:
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is North America’s largest tradeshow in the outdoor industry drawing attendees from around the world. Summer Market is all about face-to-face—it’s where products are shown, orders are written, new accounts are found, connections are made and brands are launched. This show is about buying, sourcing, strategic meetings, trends, education and networking with decision makers, influencers, stakeholders, key buyers and athletes that influence the outdoor market.
- Tuesday, June 23: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 24: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Thursday, June 25: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- thousands of buyers from brick-and-mortar and e-commerce retailers around the country
- 1,000+ brands and their reps
- media from online, print, and other outdoor and mainstream outlets
- suppliers, market experts, nonprofits, and more.
Outdoor Retailer is a hub of industry activity and connections and a unique opportunity to introduce your brand and products to new contacts face to face. It can be transformative, overwhelming, inspiring, demanding, and (dare we say?) game-changing.
If you’re thinking about attending, consider if the show reaches your market, if the industry contacts you need to make will be attending, and which seasonal shows (summer or winter) are most relevant to your brand.
OR is a chance to connect in person with outdoor retailers, buyers, and the media, and lay the groundwork for new relationships and deals.
If you’re ready to check out OR firsthand this summer, exhibiting in the MOB booth offers several advantages. Most significantly, as a MOB member you can attend and exhibit at a fraction of the cost of doing so on your own. Consider:
- Exhibiting with other brands under the Maine theme can bring increased traffic and attention to your brand you might not get otherwise. We will be hosting a Maine-themed happy hour one day of the show as well.
- MOB provides increased media attention with PR support to set up appointments. At the January show, we had 10+ media appointments at our booth, including Gear Junkie, Boston Globe and Backpacker.
- If you want to step away to grab lunch, do a meeting, attend an educational event, there will always be someone at the booth to answer questions and share your contact information!
- Reduced cost of $400-$1,300 versus up to $10,000 or more for your own space, booth, shipping, plus other expenses.