Outdoor Retailer Announces Results of 2009 Retailer Survey

Survey identifies top ten reasons retailers attend Outdoor Retailer,
popular product categories and trade show buying habits, among others

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – March 31, 2009 - Outdoor Retailer today announced key findings from the Outdoor Retailer 2009 Retailer Survey. The online survey aimed to gauge the thoughts and feelings of retailers in relationship to their overall trade show experience and included topics like reasons for attending Outdoor Retailer, popular product categories and retail buying habits.

“Now, more than ever, it is necessary for us to maintain lines of communication with our buyers and attendees,” said Kenji Haroutunian, Outdoor Retailer show director. “The results of our most recent survey brought to light ways we can continue to evolve the show and ensure attendees see the most innovative supplies, technologies and products. Responses also confirmed we are on the right track with established events and programs that help attendees network and strengthen industry relations.”

The Outdoor Retailer 2009 Retailer survey was conducted over a six week period and was managed by Lifeboat Solutions, an event management, sales and marketing firm that provides consulting services to companies within the recreational sporting goods industry. Conducted in collaboration with the Outdoor Industry Association, the survey elicited responses from past Outdoor Retailer registrants, attendees and prospect retailers. The results provided important insights into how Outdoor Retailer can continue to provide buyers with the highest return on investment and increase value points for the entire Outdoor Retailer audience.

Key findings are summarized below.

Top 10 Reasons for Attending Outdoor Retailer

1. See new products
2. Find new suppliers/manufacturers
3. Establish/build business relationships
4. Find new product segments
5. Industry networking
6. Outdoor community and cultural experience
7. Plan marketing and co-op strategies
8. Write and close orders
9. Attend educational business seminars
10. Find closeout products

Product Categories
The top four categories of product carried by respondents were apparel, footwear, camping and backpacking. These categories were followed closely by the running and instruction categories. Popular write-in categories included travel, fishing and hunting.

Retail Buying Habits
Of those participants who did attend Outdoor Retailer Summer Market ‘08:

• 87 percent of retailers found new suppliers
• 76 percent wrote orders on site at the show
• 34 percent wrote orders on site with five or more exhibitors
• 52 percent wrote orders on site of $10,000 or more
• 82 percent of those that placed orders, wrote for the same amount or greater than 2007

Other Key Findings

• 91 percent of attending respondents indicated they were very satisfied or satisfied with their show experience
• Late July through mid-August predominant ranked as the best time window for holding Summer Market by all respondents
• Nearly 28 percent of attending buyers went to Open Air Demo 2008
• 80 percent of those who attended Outdoor Retailer Summer Market ‘08, plan to attend Summer Market ‘09
• 41 percent of those who did not attend Summer Market ‘08, plan to attend Summer Market ‘09

More than 1,500 retailers participated in the survey and 85 percent listed owner, buyer or manager as their primary job title. Other noteworthy participants included co-owners, partners, assistant managers, VP of operations and multiple merchandising titles. Sixty-three percent of the survey respondents had attended Outdoor Retailer Summer Market ’08 while 37 percent did not attend.

For more information about the Outdoor Retailer 2009 Retailer Survey, please contact Lance Camisasca of Lifeboat Solutions at lance@lifeboatsolutions.com.

About Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer (OR), produced by Nielsen Business Media of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., is a full service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. OR is the leading outdoor industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Outdoor Retailer (www.outdoorretailer.com) gathers approximately 40,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for its Winter and Summer Market shows.

The next opportunity to preview the future of the outdoor industry will start at the Open Air Demo Pineview Reservoir (near Odgen, Utah) on July 20, 2009, followed by the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market at the Salt Palace Convention Center from July 21-24, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Maura Lansford, SOAR Communications, 801-523-3730, mlansford@soarcomm.com or
Chip Smith, SOAR Communications, 801-523-3730, csmith@soarcomm.com

OR Summer Market Open Air Demo Returns to One Day Format

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – March 2, 2009 - To continue to serve the industry’s evolving needs, Outdoor Retailer (OR) today announced the 2009 Summer Market Open Air Demo has been changed from two days to one day. This year’s Open Air Demo will take place at Pineview Reservoir (near Odgen, Utah) on Monday, July 20, 2009, prior to OR Summer Market’s indoor expo, July 21-24, 2009.

As a one day event, OR is extending Open Air Demo hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This extension provides exhibitors ample time with buyers and retailers with a full day of product and accessory demos, ending early enough to allow exhibitors time to set up for the following day’s indoor exposition at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

“After much discussion with exhibitors and attendees, expanding the hours and moving to one full day made the most business sense,” said Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer national sales manager. “Packing more hours into one demo day eases the logistics of overnight lodging and expenses of an extra travel day for both exhibitors and retailers. Since the overall mood of retail business has everyone evaluating every dollar spent, we feel it’s the right decision for 2009.”

The Open Air Demo events and demonstrations that attendees enjoy, and have come to rely on as they make crucial buying decisions, will continue as usual. A few events and perks to look forward to include:

Climbing Demo

Jeff Lowe and Ogden Climbing Parks, in cooperation with Snowbasin Mountain Guides, will provide multi-pitch and sport climbing venues at Open Air Demo. Beginners and expert climbers alike will be shuttled to Snowbasin, where they will ride the gondola up to the Needles Lodge and enjoy four pitches of moderate (5.5) high country quartzite slabs.

Wasatch Whitewater Chute-Out

The 2nd annual Wasatch Whitewater Chute-Out, lead by race director Lee Hart of Brand Amp, will take place on the Ogden River, down river from the Open Air Demo at Pineview Reservoir. An adrenaline-infused showdown between dealers and pandle sports pros, consists of heats of four racers paddling down a two-mile section of the Ogden River while spoilers attempt to thwart race progress from various sections along the course.

Free (and Green) Transportation to Open Air Demo

All Outdoor Retailer show participants (with show badge) are invited to take the new FrontRunner train from the Salt Lake station to the Odgen station for free. Complimentary shuttles will run between the Ogden station and Open Air Demo between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday, July 20, 2009.

“This year’s Open Air Demo will truly be the multi-sport festival we envisioned years ago, centered around paddlesports but inclusive of all the adventure categories where field testing is of great value,” said Kenji Haroutunian, Outdoor Retailer show director. “Whether retailers are honing their geocaching skills, or testing a new hull design in the whitewater, they can get a lot done in one day before the start of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009.”

The hardgoods, apparel and accessories available for testing at the 2009 Outdoor Retailer Open Air Demo represent products from the following outdoor segments: paddlesports, running, climbing, camping, geocashing and natural products. Open Air Demo will be held at last year’s successful location within Pineview Reservoir (Port Ramp Property) in Eden, Utah, east of Ogden and convenient to downtown Salt Lake City.

Detailed information of the events surrounding the OR Open Air Demo will be released in the coming months. For more information about exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market/Open Air Demo and other events and marketing opportunities surrounding the show, please visit www.outdoorretailer.com.

About Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer (OR), produced by Nielsen Business Media of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., is a full service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. OR is the leading outdoor industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Outdoor Retailer (www.outdoorretailer.com) gathers approximately 40,000 attendees of the $46 billion dollar outdoor recreation industry on a semi-annual basis for its Winter and Summer Market shows.

The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market will bring the best of spring/summer product offerings to Salt Lake City, Utah at the Open Air Demo from July 20, 2009 and the Trade Show from July 21-25, 2009.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Maura Lansford, SOAR Communications, 801-523-3730, mlansford@soarcomm.com or
Chip Smith, SOAR Communications, 801-523-3730, csmith@soarcomm.com

Outdoor Retailer Winter Market Expo Pre-Show Numbers on
Schedule to Match Last Year’s Show

New and revamped show programs help meet evolving exhibitor and attendee tradeshow needs

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – Dec. 17, 2008 – Less than six weeks out from its Winter Market Show, Outdoor Retailer (OR) reported that close to 330,000 square-feet of exhibit space is currently sold, putting the tradeshow on par with last Winter Market. As of the release date, OR is also hosting more than 175 new exhibitors.

“Despite uncertain times for several retail categories, recent outdoor industry research shows the market remains healthy,” said Kenji Haroutunian, Outdoor Retailer show director. “This trend is holding true for the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market as nearly 800 exhibitors have purchased an average of five percent more floor space than in years past. At this point, we are on target to meet last year’s exhibitor and attendee numbers.”

In addition to healthy show numbers, Outdoor Retailer also affords its exhibitors and attendees valuable new and revamped events/venues for meeting their business and networking objectives during the show.

Backcountry Base Camp
All Outdoor Retailer attending retailers are invited to spend a day at Backcountry Base Camp (BBC), receive a discount lift ticket, view hands-on exhibitor displays and test backcountry products including Nordic skis, snowshoes and accessories. A limited amount of Telemark and Alpine Touring gear will also be available for selective testing.

Specifically, this year’s BBC features a new, more realistic testing track for Nordic skiing and will be held Wednesday, January 21, 2009, at Snowbasin Ski Resort in Ogden, Utah.

Backcountry Village
A centralized community space located on the show floor, the Backcountry Village features the most relevant product, people and technologies for the winter hardgoods marketplace. Attendees and exhibitors alike are invited to enjoy the sense of backcountry community with ongoing videos, presentations, seating and cappuccino bar.

OR “Winter Exposure” Industry Party & Fashion Show
The Winter Market Fashion Show presented by Woolrich will take center stage at the Outdoor Retailer “Winter Exposure” Industry Party on January 22, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom in the Salt Palace Convention Center.

The annual OR Winter Market Fashion Show will reveal dozens of the latest designs in the winter sports technical, casual, and endurance apparel categories, and bring products “to life” for thousands of attending buyers and media.

Project OR
New to Winter Market, Outdoor Retailer will host the second cycle of “Project OR,” a 48-hour concept-to-prototype student design competition meant to inspire innovative winter outdoor fashions. As part of the competition, up-and-coming design students from the country’s top design schools will conceive, design, and build garment prototypes using design materials and components from the supplier exhibitors of the show.

Show attendees are encouraged to track their favorite student during daily episodes (available for viewing online and in the Design Center) and participate in a live voting component of the competition.

Scandinavian Village
Outdoor Retailer attracts outdoor industry manufacturers and distributors from around the world. In the Scandinavian Village, show participants can explore the product offering and culture of Scandinavia’s 1,554 years in the winter sports business.

Outdoor Retailer, a trade-only event, will begin with Backcountry Base Camp to be held at Snowbasin Ski Resort on January 21, 2009, followed by the indoor portion of the show at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 22-25.

For more information about exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer and other events and marketing opportunities surrounding the show visit www.outdoorretailer.com/winter_market/.

About Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer (OR), produced by Nielsen Business Media of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., is a full service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. OR is the leading outdoor industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Outdoor Retailer (www.outdoorretailer.com) gathers approximately 40,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for its Winter and Summer Market shows. 

The next opportunity to preview the future of the outdoor industry will start at the sixth Annual Backcountry Base Camp at Snowbasin ski resort on January 21, 2009, followed by the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market at the Salt Palace Convention Center from January 22-25, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market will bring the best of spring/summer product offerings to Salt Lake City, Utah at the Open Air Demo from July 20, 2009 and the Trade Show from July 21-25, 2009.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Maura Lansford, SOAR Communications, 801-523-3730, mlansford@soarcomm.com or
Chip Smith, SOAR Communications, 801-523-3730, csmith@soarcomm.com