Dave Rosenberger and Marty Carrigan of Global Sales Guys, which represents Picture, Db Bags, and more
The Outdoor Retailer Snow Show got underway Tuesday in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a series of events, educational sessions, lots of line showings in brand booths, and a nighttime block party complete with a drum line, food trucks, a beer garden, and an aerial trampoline performance.
We spoke with a lot of brand leaders at the show, and most of the feedback was positive, even though the show was smaller than in pre-COVID times.
Several brand executives we spoke with said they had been pleasantly surprised by the retail meetings they had on Day One.
“We made the decision to come and participate in OR because we want to contribute to the outdoor industry and specialty retailers expect that of us,” said Marty Carrigan, CEO of Global Sales Guys, which represents brands such as Picture and Db Bags. “Our motto is ‘specialty brands for specialty shops,’ and this is the place to showcase that.”
And so far, Marty is pleased with the quality of retailers his team has met with, including Urban Outfitters, Huckberry, luggage and travel gear dealer Portmantos, Seed People’s Market, Jackson Hole Resort, Brass Ranch and Cole Sports.
“We had an outstanding first day,” he said. “Our retail partners are here and the stoke level is high.”
In the Venture Out section, which features emerging brands, there was a lot of energy for a good portion of the day.
“We were busy all morning – retailers were definitely coming to Venture Out,” said Chad Crites of OTIS Eyewear. Chad was pleased that the OR team changed its badge system and clearly identified retail buyers by badge color, which made it easier to spot potential customers.
Poler CEO Cape Capener told us that they had met with Orvis, Snow Bird, Sierra Trading Company, and Keystone Station in the first few hours of the show.
Wild Tribute product
We saw a lot of action at the Wild Tribute booth in the Venture Out section. Wild Tribute is a give-back brand that sells apparel inspired by national parks and donates 4% of its proceeds to support America’s historic and wild places.
National Accounts Manager Von Kelley said the show was going better than expected.
“There is a lot of excitement, and I’m seeing a lot of new faces, which is great,” he said. “People want to hear about the brand and are looking for newness. The retail traffic has been fantastic – from small specialty retailers from across the country to larger accounts like Moosejaw. It’s only Day One though. Hopefully we will continue to see the traffic.”
And while retailers told us they missed having the big outdoor and snow brands at the show, they also came on a mission to hunt for new brands for their stores.
Zoe Smith and Ferrall Dietrich of Core72, an active lifestyle store in Washington, D.C.
Ferrall Dietrich, the owner of Core72, which is an active lifestyle specialty store in Washington, D.C., said she and her buyer came to the show despite knowing that the big brands would be absent.
“We were 100% focused on finding the new,” Ferrall said.
Mission accomplished – she and buyer Zoe Smith found six new brands to bring in to complement the larger brands the store carries. The six they were excited about include Outerknown, Locale, MuskOx, Bitchstix, Bandit Bandanas, and Cougar Boots. Here at SES, we saw lots of traffic all day at Outerknown, Bitchstix and Bandits Bandanas.
“Even though the show is smaller, it exceeded our expectations,” Ferrall said. “It was totally worth it to come.”
Bitchstix product
Earthpack, which makes environmentally friendly shopping bags for retailers, also had a booth at the show. We spoke briefly to owner Dave Bock, who said he had been slammed all morning with meetings with retail buyers.
Not everyone was happy, however. We spoke to some brands that were not seeing a lot of retail traffic. And Adrienne Michele, the apparel buyer at Prospector Outfitters in Fairbanks, Alaska, said she and her team were disappointed that the big brands were not at the show.
“We really appreciate the face time with those brands when they are here,” she said.
No doubt, the OR Snow Show is definitely different this year. But some brands are going all out to generate excitement. Groove Life is hosting happy hours during the show, and raffling off prizes such as snowboards, skis, a Yeti cooler, and a trip to Iceland. Their booth was packed late Tuesday afternoon.
We also saw a lot of buzz happening at Jack Wolfskin, which hosted an extensive happy hour that included beer and food.
And despite the uncertain economic climate and the smaller trade show, the outdoor and snow industries have a lot to be thankful for right now, according to Marty Carrigan of Global Sales Guys.
“You hear all the headlines about a possible recession, inflation, etc. – I don’t think our consumers got the memo,” he said. “They are snowboarding and skiing and playing on the mountains. And as stewards of the outdoor industry, it is our duty to provide our retail partners and consumers with the best possible products. And showing up here is part of that.”
We’ll have more coverage coming from the show in the next few days, including a product roundup.
Also, you can see more coverage of OR and other outdoor business news at our new digital sister publication, The Daily.
