Salt Lake City, UT – It was announced today that Outdoor Retailer (OR) trade show organizers, backed by the unanimous support of the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) board of directors, have decided that the Winter and Summer Market trade shows will remain at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah through the end of 2016.
Outdoor Retailer began hosting the trade show in Salt Lake City in 1996 and was previously contracted with Salt Lake through 2014. Over the years, however, Outdoor Retailer has threatened to outgrow its venue. The the trade show now requires more floor space, hotel rooms, rental cars and cabs Salt Lake City has to offer.
Following hundreds of face-to-face and phone conversations leading into the Summer Market trade show, Outdoor Retailer rolled out a formal survey to bring quantitative validation to growing industry sentiment about moving the show. Salt Lake City was constantly ranked a top choice of both retailers and exhibitors – if expanded exhibit space and hotel rooms could be provided.
Salt Lake City has already once expanded the Salt Palace Convention Center once to accommodate the needs of the semi-annual trade show, which drives more than $40 million annually into the local economy. In January, after 18 months of discussions, Salt Lake City officials brought to the table creative and viable short term solutions to the outstanding housing situation. Outdoor Retailer organizers announced today that they have signed a two-year extension to the show’s contract with Salt Lake, while continuing to pursue longer term solutions with Salt Lake and a handful of alternate host cities.
“Outdoor Retailer is grateful to be able to remain in Salt Lake City for the next three years,” said Kenji Haroutunian, Nielsen Expo Outdoor Group vice president and OR show director. “The industry has a collective affection for this town; the shared outdoor passions, cost efficiency of doing business, and the partnership of regional and state officials have all directly contributed to the current vibrancy and success of the show.”
For the next three years, show participants now have the option to utilize the infrastructure solutions put in place to accommodate the Olympics in 2002 and/or the improved transportation infrastructure that now exists for hotels not in the immediate downtown area. The longer-term growth trajectory and “needs list” of the show remain a discussion between the outdoor industry and viable venues throughout the country. In the short term, the Summer Market show will continue to utilize a further expanded outdoor structure space, via a temporary building erected adjacent to the convention center.
“Not only do we recognize the enormous financial impact of the two OR trade shows, but we also appreciate how these shows speak to the ‘ethos’ of what our community has to offer the outdoor recreationalist throughout the year,” KSL-TV quoted Scott Beck, president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake. “Of course, with this announcement comes an even greater opportunity and need to continue to look for ways to improve our city as a travel destination, both for trade shows like Outdoor Retailer and for all of our visitors.”
In the last four years, the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market show has seen a 13 percent average growth in overall attendance and an average 11 percent growth for the Winter Market show, with both shows experiencing double digit percentage growth in the number of attending stores over those same four years. The show matched attendee growth with an increase in net-sold square feet, seven percent for Summer Market and six percent for Winter Market.
“Discussions about longer term solutions beyond 2016 are still ongoing with Salt Lake and other potential host cities,” continued Haroutunian. “We understand everyone is anxious for a longer-term decision, but making sure the show has a home that fits the needs of the industry is hugely important. The extension period will help us make sure we get it right.”
The two year extension comes with the support of the OIA who has been a partner in the process of collecting industry feedback, and in providing solid intelligence and insight into the concerns, needs and preferences of their members. The OIA last year also decried Governor Herbert’s effort to transfer title to federal lands, which comprise 80 percent of Utah, to the state, and threatened to take OR elsewhere if the governor did not relent.
“Outdoor Retailer is a great partner. We’ve been working very closely with them every step of the way and are confident in their efforts to meet the needs of the industry and the show,” said OIA’s President and CEO Frank Hugelmeyer.