SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 11, 2016—The retail buying shows, which have gone through some schedule changes lately, are poised for more. The Outdoor Retailer (OR) winter and summer shows will move to new dates in 2018, and each show will split into “early” and “late” shows.

These changes have new Snowsports Industries America (SIA) president Nick Sargent talking about the need for “constructive dialogue” on the show schedule and how the shows can best serve the winter outdoor industry.

Sargent's immediate concern is for OR's scheduling shift, announced on Nov. 8, which creates a slate of four winter-related shows in 2018: OR's regularly scheduled early-January show; the late-January SIA Snow Show, the mid-November Grassroots Alliance Connect show, and the new OR mid-November show. Those last two will both be held in the Salt Lake City area and run consecutively.

For those trying to keep track: starting in 2018, OR is planning to hold two summer shows (mid-June and early August) and two winter shows (mid-November and January). Why two shows for each season? Because some suppliers, especially apparel manufacturers, have longer lead times than others. In addition, those suppliers with shorter lead times may not have samples ready for the earlier shows.

Another reason for the date shifts: the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, a 62-member buying group that counts many of the most influential outdoor retailers as members, has been conducting its invite-only Connect show several weeks ahead of the OR show, and drawing many of the biggest buyers. That has made the OR show less relevant for both retailers and suppliers.

While the new schedule is intended to suit the needs of both suppliers and retailers, it has the effect of increasing the number of shows for retailers to attend. And that would seem to contradict the stated aim for an efficient show schedule.

It's this proliferation of shows that explains Sargent's statement, released yesterday: “SIA welcomes Emerald [Emerald Expositions, which owns the OR shows] and OIA [the Outdoor Industries Association] to engage in constructive dialogue on how best to serve the entire winter outdoor industry and the invaluable role that the SIA Snow Show plays.”

Also from the statement: “SIA applauds any effort to consolidate shows, however we are concerned that, starting in November of 2018, there will be four winter-specific national trade shows within the span of one year, with three being produced by Emerald Expositions. We feel that this will result in unnecessary stress and economic duress on the suppliers and retailers - not only for SIA members, but across all winter outdoor stakeholders.

“We are all part of one large industry eco-system and the lines are increasingly blurring between winter snow sports and the general outdoor market. Therefore, it's crucial that we work together to find a way to minimize the number of national shows, while better supporting the regional shows.”

As SAM has previously reported, SIA has been considering a variety of options for its late-January show, including a broadening of the show to include a greater variety of winter outdoor exhibitors and retailers. And that would conflict with an OR January show.

As Sporting Goods Business reported, “No word yet whether the Winter Expo would compete or attempt to partner with the SIA Snow Show.” Stay tuned.

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