Key Takeaways:
- Outdoor Retailer 2026 runs Aug. 19-21 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, with a full Education Day on Aug.19 and the expo floor open Aug. 20-21.
- The Wild Reach Initiative, powered by Popfly, brings more than 150 curated outdoor creators with a combined reach of more than 11.7 million followers directly onto the show floor.
- New activations including the Urban Outdoor Experiences, Backcountry Garage, the Ascent Summit, the Retailer Playbook Lab, and the 57hours Adventure Race make this one of the most redesigned OR shows in recent memory.
Outdoor Retailer 2026 is two weeks away, and there is still time to be part of it. Brands looking to exhibit and buyers and retailers who want to attend can still grab a booth or register to attend as a buyer at outdoorretailer.com. Here are five things to know about what is waiting in Minneapolis.
1. The OR Show Format Has Been Redesigned — Aug. 19 Is All Education
This is not the same three-day expo format OR has run in the past. The show kicks off Wednesday, Aug. 19 with a full day of education programming before the expo floor opens.
The morning runs two tracks simultaneously: the Ascent Summit, a half-day program for founders of independent and specialty outdoor brands run in partnership with Garage Grown Gear and Founded Outdoors, and the Retailer Playbook Lab, a series of eight hands-on workshops for specialty retailers covering AI, digital media, e-commerce trends, circular resale, and more. Sessions are capped at 20 to 25 participants to keep things practical.
Find out more about Retailer Playbook Lab here.
Find out more about programming for emerging brands here.
Industry Day takes over the afternoon, with sessions on the future of independent specialty retail, Gen Z and women consumers, wearable tech, AI, and the circular economy. Ultrarunner and author Mirna Valerio closes the program as keynote speaker, followed by an evening rally with Save the Boundary Waters.
The expo floor opens Thursday, Aug. 20 and runs through Friday, Aug. 21.
Find out more about Industry Day programming here.
2. The CAMP Stage Packs Two Full Days of Programming
Once the expo floor opens, the education does not stop. The CAMP stage runs all day Thursday and Friday with sessions covering the topics the outdoor industry is most actively wrestling with right now.
Thursday opens with a keynote from Matt Tucker, Executive Director and Industry Analyst at Circana, delivering hard data on outdoor retail performance and consumer trends. That is followed by Mandela Echefu of Wheelzup Adventures making the case for the beginner as the industry’s greatest untapped growth audience, and a 1 p.m. panel on the future of outdoor media featuring Stephen Regenold of Gear Junkie, Mark Baumgarten of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Thruhikers duo, and Adam Roy of Backpacker. Popfly closes Thursday with a session on how brands are building owned audiences.
Sessions on Friday cover nonprofit partnerships as business strategy, Gen Z research from Western Colorado University’s Outdoor Industry MBA program, a second Popfly session on the evolving outdoor marketing playbook, and a closing presentation from the University of Minnesota’s Wearable Technology Lab on student-designed backcountry apparel.
Also, don’t miss OR’s new Urban Outdoor Experiences programming on Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at nearby Theo Wirth Park, including canoeing, hiking and trail running.
Find out more about the full CAMP stage schedule here.
See the full list of show activities here.
3. 150 Content Creators Are Coming to the Show Floor
One of the biggest structural changes to OR this year is the Wild Reach Initiative, built in partnership with creator commerce platform Popfly. The program brings more than 150 curated outdoor creators directly into the show environment across all three days, spanning mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, skiing, camping, family adventure, and more.
Wild Reach creators now collectively reach more than 15 Â million followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. Before the show, creators are matched with participating exhibitors so both parties arrive with established relationships and a content plan ready to go. Popfly’s QR-based tracking gives brands real-time data on which booth interactions are generating engagement, a level of measurement that is not typically available at trade shows.
For brands, the creator presence means the show floor is simultaneously a buying environment and a content creation stage. For retailers, it adds another layer of discovery to the floor.
Find out more about Wild Reach here.
4. Backcountry Is Opening Its Garage to Any Brand on the Floor
Backcountry is debuting a major show floor activation in Minneapolis called the Backcountry Garage, located near the front entrance of the expo. The activation includes a product showcase for emerging brands, a creator lounge, and a buyer desk.
Any brand exhibiting at OR can request a meeting with Backcountry buyers at the Garage without a prior relationship or formal appointment process. It is an unusually open-access model for a retailer of Backcountry’s scale.
The activation also includes live on-site awards: category-based Best in Show honors, a GOAT Award selected by Backcountry, and an Ambassador’s Choice Award voted on in real time by Popfly creators at the show. The Ambassador’s Choice winner receives an extended Popfly membership, a guaranteed private buyer appointment with Backcountry, and a marketing support package from OR.
Find out more about Backcountry Garage here.
5. The Show Closes with an Adventure Race in Minneapolis’s Backyard
OR is ending the Minneapolis show with something that gets everyone outside. On Friday, Aug. 21, the show partners with 57hours for an urban adventure race at Theodore Wirth Park, one of Minneapolis’s premier outdoor spaces. About 150 participants are expected, with the Minnesota Orienteering Club designing the course and a Greenland trip as the grand prize. The race is open to creators, media, retailers, and industry leaders attending the show.
It is a deliberate statement about the kind of show OR is building in Minneapolis, one that uses the city’s outdoor culture as part of the experience, not just the backdrop.
Find out more about the 57hours Adventure Race here.
Outdoor Retailer 2026 runs August 19-21 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, with Education Day on Aug. 19 and the expo floor open Aug. 20-21.
