SALT LAKE CITY – August 3, 2010 – Several hundred retailers spent Monday, August 2, demoing the latest outdoor products at Jordanelle State Park, in Heber City, Utah, as part of the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Open Air Demo (OAD). With more than 90 exhibiting manufacturers, attendees got a sneak peak at the latest paddlesports, endurance sports, GPS devices, and other outdoor equipment and accessory products.
Participating manufacturers and retailers, alike, supported the event’s new date, location, and strong industry and product showings.
“I can’t tell you how thrilled we are to be out here at Jordanelle. There are flat water sections where it is nice and smooth or retailers can get out a little further where there are boat wakes and bump – letting them get a feel for how stable the board really is.” Duke Brouwer, Surftech marketing director
“The people that are here are really enthusiastic about the sports, the industry and what brands are doing. There is a lot of innovation and there is a lot of business happening here. As a marketer it’s cool to see the networking that goes on; our sales reps are meeting with both new and existing accounts. It really puts this show into a class of its own.” Tobias Coffman, Quiksilver marketing manager
“We saw wind sails for a kayak that deploy pretty easily and fold away if the wind gets to be too much or if you simply don’t want to use the sails anymore. Kind of a small item but a good accessory for us. We sell a ton of kayaks because a lot of people, where we live anyway, kayak the river. In the summertime when the rivers get kind of dry and the water is slow, you could go to the lake; and even if it gets windy, you could still have a good time on the kayak.” Chally Sims and Rick Spicer, Pack Rat Outdoor Center, Ark.
“I have been to four Demo locations and this is by far the best one. The vendors can get here pretty easily, parking was not a problem – it seems like someone really thought out the layout of the beach (as far as where the vendors are positioned). It was easy for us to say, ‘OK we’re going to start here and work our way around.’ We always spend a lot of money coming out here and we expect to see a lot of venders, with their best spread – basically what I am seeing right now.” Todd King, Michigan retailer
Following the Open Air Demo, attendees take to the Salt Palace Convention Center where they will spend the remainder of the week (August 3-6) viewing full product lines, scoping out the latest trends, attending educational seminars, finalizing buying decisions, networking and celebrating the outdoor recreation industry. A full schedule of the week’s events is available here.
For photos of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market (including Open Air Demo) and the most recent show happenings, visit www.facebook.com/outdoorretailer or www.twitter.com/outdoorretailer.