Trade Shows : OutDoor Show Squeaks Out Record Attendance in Friedrichshafen

Attendance at the 2012 OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen reached 21,730 last week, setting a record despite widespread anxiety over economic conditions in Europe.

The trade show attracted 21,520 trade visitors last year. This year 1,019 media from 28 countries were on hand to report on the 220 innovations and 907 exhibitors at the show.

“Prior to the show there was a degree of anxiety about the current economic slowdown and what impact it might have on the OutDoor”, explained Mark Held, Secretary General of the European Outdoor Group (EOG), in summing up the 19th edition of the leading trade show, which takes place on the shores of Lake Constance. “Well for sure the economic times are tough, but the outdoor industry demonstrated that it is resilient, forward looking and still full of enthusiasm. As a result, the OutDoor was just as vibrant, lively and exciting as ever and the number of attendees was just fantastic.”

A poll of trade visitors underlined the OutDoor’s international character: 67 percent of the trade visitors came from abroad. 86 percent of those questioned considered attending the OutDoor to be important or very important. The economic situation in the outdoor industry was ranked by 43 percent as strengthening and by 39 percent as stable. 85 percent of visitors knew even before the OutDoor was over that they would be attending the OutDoor next year.

“The show went well," concluded Rolf Schmid, CEO of the Mammut Sports Group. "Although you can certainly sense some uncertainty in the entire industry right now, we are convinced that this will soon pass and that everything outdoor will remain the mega-trend that it is right now.”

(SportsOneSource Media)