DENVER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Outdoor Retailer on Thursday announced it is moving its show to Denver starting next year, when the show will hold three events in the city.
The Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show will be held Jan. 25-28 next year (followed by an On-Snow Demo at Copper Mountain, Jan. 29-30). The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market will be held July 23-26 in Denver, and the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market will be Nov. 8-11. The organizers said they will announce future dates within the next 30 days.
"We received submissions from truly incredible outdoor cities — a testament to the strength of the outdoor community,” said Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer's show director. “Denver is the undeniable industry choice. Bringing these organizations together and basing the show in a state that places such a high value on outdoor recreation is the best move we can make for the outdoor industry. As outdoor recreation evolves, outdoor businesses need to stand together and adapt to those changes to successfully move forward."
The show organizer announced the plans at a news conference in Denver attended by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and other officials.
The show has reached a five-year contract with OR. Hickenlooper said he expects the agreement to last longer.
“What we’re saying today is that we’re in this for the long term. We’re going to continue to try and talk about the importance of outdoor recreation in Colorado. Henry David Thoreau once said, 'All good things are wild and free.' We believe that in Colorado,” he said.
Outdoor Retailer said it expects the economic impact of the three 2018 shows to reach $110 million with 85,000 annual attendees.
Outdoor Retailer is owned by Emerald Expositions, which also owns Interbike. Interbike's Pat Hus told BRAIN on Wednesday that the show has not yet determined the location of its 2018 show.
Editor's note: The Denver news conference was streamed live on Facebook. A replay is available on the Outdoor Retailer Facebook page.
