Olympics Move Winter Trade Show to Anaheim
By JENNIFER BELLANTONIO
Orange County is set to play host to a new trade show this year, thanks to the 2002 Winter Olympics games.
Chantilly, Va.-based VNU Expositions Inc. is temporarily moving its Outdoor Retailer Winter Market from Salt Lake City, which will host the Olympics, to the Anaheim Convention Center in the first week of January. VNU publishes Outdoor Retailer magazine and organizes the trade show out of its Laguna Beach office.
The show features the latest gear, apparel, technical outerwear and footwear in a range of outdoor markets, including mountaineering, ice climbing, camping, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking.
Outdoor Retailer looked at several other spots before settling on Anaheim, according to Dieter Tremp, the show’s director. Those included Reno, Denver, Las Vegas and Dallas, he said.
“We only had a few options of facilities that can accommodate a show of the size of Outdoor Retailer,” he said. “In the end, the final choice was between Dallas and Anaheim.”
Anaheim won out because the area already “presents a large outdoor business opportunity” and is easy and inexpensive for attendees throughout the country to travel to, Tremp said.
Plus, the newly renovated Anaheim Con-vention Center can accommodate Out-door Retailer, the largest tradeshow in the outdoor industry. The show features more than 800 exhibiting companies in about 250,000-square-feet of space. It draws about 18,000 attendees.
The show is traditionally held twice a year,in winter and summer,at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
Though California is a big market for the outdoor industry, OC players that attend the show represent a relatively small portion of the pie.
The 2000 Winter Market drew about 100 local attendees. So far, about 127 OC names have signed up for this year’s show, including Hobie Sports in Dana Point and Irvine-based American Sporting Goods.
Other local exhibitors heading to Anaheim include San Clemente-based Aussie Dogs, Irvine-based Asics Tiger Corp., Capistrano Beach-based Boreal USA and Costa Mesa-based True Grit.
Foothill Ranch-based Oakley Inc. typically attends the show, though it will not be exhibiting this time, according to show organizers.
Outdoor Retailer had to do some juggling to shift the event. Organizers moved the show up a few weeks and canceled an on-snow equipment testing segment.
So far, there are about 3,200 pre-registered buyers for the Anaheim show, Tremp said. That number is expected to grow to more than 5,600, he said.
“Based on the ski market, and, of course, on the terrorist attacks, I expect traditional retail attendance (to be) about 15% lower than last year,” Tremp said. “At the same time, total retail attendance may be up, due to the high interest from buyers for cross-over stores.”
To lure more local attendees, Outdoor Retailer started marketing earlier than it usually does and focused on a “drive-in” market, which includes about 8,000 outdoor specialty stores within a seven-hour driving range, Tremp said.
Winter Market has been held in Salt Lake City for some time, and is committed to the venue for the “time being,” according to Tremp.
But he did not rule out the possibility of the show moving to Anaheim down the road.
“The possibility is certainly there,” Tremp said.
It could become a reality if the “Alpine and snowboarding contingent of the market” join Winter Market, he said. “It would add a lot more attendees and booth space. That may theoretically put up a demand for a much larger venue” than is offered in Salt Lake, he said.
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market will take place from Jan 5-8, while the Winter Olympics will run from Feb. 8-24.
