Trade show news

OutDoor Europe shows industry is healthy

There was little sign of the global recession as visitors to OutDoor Europe in Friendrichshafen set a new attendance record: 19 300 trade visitors from 90 countries — compared to last year’s 18 900 visitors.

With the opening of the new eastern grounds expansion the 810 exhibitors from 38 countries could be accommodated in 85 000m² exhibition space in twelve halls, where they launched more than 200 new products.

“The outdoor market is booming and its best days are probably yet to come,” dr. Eike Wenzel, editor of Zukunftsinstitut, a future-oriented business think tank, told delegates.

“But, the industry will need to monitor emerging trends closely, while opening their employee’s minds — and their display shelves — to product innovations.”

Unique experiences in the outdoors, far away from mass consumerism, are an escape from the pressures of high-speed lifestyles, said Wenzel. Nature becomes the setting for unique and exciting experiences and successful companies need to identify their customers’ needs as they emerge.

“Personal health, renewed environmentalism, customisation and demographic change are the major trends that are set to have the greatest impact on the outdoor industry. Media reports on the impending horrors of climate change have enhanced nature’s aura of vulnerability and uniqueness. Manufacturers who have made sustainability the cornerstone of their corporate philosophies are therefore in demand.”

According to Zukunftsinstitut five key trends will shape tomorrow’s outdoor industry:

» The outdoor market will become integral to consumer lifestyles and will be seen as a source of pleasure.
» The outdoor industry will merge with other cross-over industries, including the personal health, food, tourism, services, fashion and, in particular, technology industries.
» Markets with flat hierarchies, such as the outdoor segment, must more than ever address the concerns of a critical public that is in the midst of forming a new consumer market marked by ethical consumerism.
» Consumer demand for the outdoor lifestyle is no longer subject to any dogma and will create a mass market within the next five years.
» To win over new customers, the outdoor industry must find them where they are: in their 24/7 high-speed lives.

(A full version of the study is available at www.european-outdoor.com.)

Light, robust and sustainable

About a dozen outdoor companies have already committed themselves to the BlueSign Standard, signalling sustainable business practices — among them leading companies like Patagonia, The North Face, Vaude, Deuter, Mammut, Haglöfs and Helly Hansen. Many fibre and fabric manufacturers have also signed on to the BlueSign process.

Apart from sustainability, several other trends emerged at the show.

In outdoor clothing, the trend is to make products light and robust. Breathability, compressibility, cooling and UV-protection characteristics were features that stood out in the new ranges, but there was also a strong emphasis on lightness.

Salomon, for example, showed a compact Trend Minim Light Trekking kit consisting of a Gore-Tex Pro Shell jacket, a T-shirt, softshell trousers and a rucksack that together weighs only 1.525 kg.

Many new clothing ranges reflect the new awareness of sustainability, with recycled materials, natural fibres and sustainability-based functionality seen everywhere. Textile functionality is a another important factor — while moisture management and odour protection have almost become standard functions, a high degree of UV protection is now also valued.

Versatility in footwear

Weight is also a factor when it comes to tents, sleeping bags and rucksacks and Vaude won an industry award with their two-person tent weighing only 1kg.

More than 120 leading brands showed their new outdoor footwear ranges. Versatility was a definite trend, with multi-purpose footwear currently accounting for almost two thirds of outdoor footwear sales in Europe, and lightweight is still a focus area.

The multi-purpose trend was seen across all footwear categories, even outdoor sandals, which are now less made for rough terrain and more for everywhere wear.

See www.european-outdoor.com.