More retailers headed to Outdoor Trade Show

The tenth edition of the Outdoor Trade Show (OTS) saw 1,277 trade visitors attend the show over the three days, with 133 exhibitors (and a record number of 25 outdoors) making it the largest edition of the OTS yet.

The show, which took place last month, saw retailer attendance rise from 43 per cent to 59 per cent of overall visitor numbers, despite an overall drop in attendance. The organisers said they’d had positive feedback about good quality visitors from the majority exhibitors.

Multiples present at the show included JD Sports, Go Outdoors, Amazon, Decathlon, Cotswold Outdoors, Blacks & Millets, Yeomans, Ellis Brigham and TK Maxx, as well as a selection of independent camping and caravan retailers.

Show organiser Marta Williams commented: “It’s amazing that we have been organising this great show for 10 years, and that this milestone event was such a success for all involved. We have received fantastic feedback from exhibitors and visitors from all parts of the trade, and we are looking forward to more feedback to make 2016 even a bigger success.”

This year, exhibitors included clothing brands such as Craghoppers, Trespass and Regatta, in addition to AMG, Hi-Tec, Burton McCall, Vango and Whitby & Co, as well as 2015 newcomers Outback UK, Mountain Boot Company and a record number of other new brands. A record number of 25 exhibitors also had space outdoors, including leading brands such as Kampa, Isabella Awnings, Dorema and Terra Nova.

The show included the revamped awards, relaunched as the new Outdoor Industry Awards. All of the products entered were on display throughout the show for visitors to vote for their favourites, and the finalists in each of the 10 categories were announced during the Outdoor Trade Social on the second day of the show.

Here’s another round of quotes on the show, passed to us by the organisers:

Steve Roberts, MBC Managing Director commented: “OTS 2015 proved a great success for us, busier than expected with a range of independent and multiple retailers, along with customers outside of our core area which definitely showed us some new avenues for retail. It’s been a few years since we last exhibited at OTS but we will certainly be back for next year’s show with a bigger stand and product offering on display. A great event.”

AMG Marketing Director, Derek Scott commented: “OTS always provides us with an excellent opportunity to meet existing customers and present our collection in full. However, this year, the wide array of brands and categories at the show, clearly created a draw for retailers from a wider range of Outdoor channels and, as a result, we developed more new business and prospective accounts than ever before. Our hope is that OTS continues to diversify and broaden its appeal because change brings new opportunities for us all. Great job team.”

www.outdoortradeshow.com