ISPO BEIJING 2016 had record numbers of both visitors and exhibitors.
ISPO BEIJING 2016 already had its sights set firmly on the Olympics. 38,600 visitors made their way to Asia’s leading multi-segment trade fair, which was held February 24th–27th. This equates to an increase of 29 percent compared to last year (2015: 29,948). There were more exhibitors at this year’s event too, with 490 present representing some 700 brands.
The events program, which addressed the key topics of the future, proved incredibly popular. The Asia Pacific Snow Conference (APSC) was one of the highlights, featuring the release of the world’s first comprehensive report on China’s ski industry. The Running Village was dedicated to the megatrend that is running and boasted an extensive accompanying program.
This year saw the twelfth installment of ISPO BEIJING. The four-day event showcased key innovations from the fields of outdoor, action sports, skiing, sports fashion, and fabrics and fibers across an exhibition space of more than 40,000 square meters. In total, there were 490 exhibitors (2015: 434 exhibitors) representing approximately 700 brands (2015: 656 brands). More than 38,600 visitors headed to the China National Convention Center (CNCC), where all the spaces were fully booked.
Klaus Dittrich, CEO and President of Messe München, spoke of the growth of the trade fair in China’s capital:
“ISPO BEIJING is Asia’s leading trade fair for sport and outdoor pursuits. The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing are set to bring a boom in the popularity of winter sports. Together with Alpitec China, we offer the perfect platform right here in Beijing to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the Olympic Games. Plus, the fantastic visitor numbers go to show that our multi-segment concept is a success. All sectors are represented together at the trade fair in their respective market and brand environments, which creates synergies, ensures the best chances for growth, and paves the way for new areas, such as freeriding, freeskiing, and trail running.”
The shared stands from Austria, the Czech Republic, South Korea, and Taiwan have also seen further growth, confirming that ISPO BEIJING is the ideal way to enter the Chinese market.
ISPO BEIJING is the place where the very latest market trends are set, and it was clear to see over the four days of the event that the focus is increasingly being placed on winter sports in China—partially as a result of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. This means that issues such as ski resort infrastructure and piste maintenance are becoming more and more important. Thanks to its collaboration with Alpitec China, ISPO BEIJING is able to present an entire value added chain under one roof, from infrastructure to product. Organized by Messe Bozen, Alpitec China is the international trade fair for mountaineering and winter technologies.
The Winter Olympic Games, the Chinese ski industry, and the infrastructure of ski resorts also featured on the agenda of the Asia Pacific Snow Conference (APSC). Having taken a close look at the Chinese ski industry, ski operative Bin Wu has presented his findings in his White Book—the first publication of its kind to report on the skiing industry in China. For further figures relating to skiing in China, head to: www.ispo.com
Sport is becoming more and more popular in China and there is a growing interest in health and fitness. With an increasing number of people in China taking up jogging, the Running Village at ISPO BEIJING was dedicated to this megatrend and showcased all the latest innovations in running.
For the first time, anyone who was interested in what was happening at the trade fair could keep up to date live on the new website at ISPO.COM. An editorial team was tasked with going to the venue and reporting back each day with updates and background information on ISPO BEIJING: www.ispo.com
As well as updates on ISPO BEIJING on the website and Facebook and Twitter profiles, the WeChat channel also reported several times a day on the highlights of the trade fair. This news stream kept followers up to date on all the latest news from ISPO BEIJING, with this year’s follower count growing by over 85 percent (29,230 followers this year as opposed to 15,813 in 2015). The Chinese chat service currently has over 500 million users worldwide.
The next ISPO BEIJING event will open on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, running until February 18.
This summer will see the 2nd ISPO SHANGHAI taking place from July 6–8 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). As a multi-segment trade fair, ISPO SHANGHAI focuses not only on the outdoor and action, but also on the fitness, water sports, performance and sports fashion segments of the market.
For more information about ISPO BEIJING 2016, go to www.beijing.ispo.com
More details about the highlights of the event can be found here.
