The eighth edition of Asia Outdoor ended on Saturday, July 27, in Nanjing, China, with positive results: a total of 18,563 outdoor dealers and experts visited the exhibition to see new arrivals and products from 610 exhibitors from China and around the world (up from 570 exhibitors in 2012).
“The positive mood at the exhibition caused people to forget the increasing competition in the Chinese outdoor market,” emphasized Knut Jaeger, Chairman of Asia Outdoor. The first two days of the exhibition were particularly popular among trade visitors, and attendance was high with nearly 11,000 trade visitors coming to Asia’s leading exhibition for the outdoor industry.
“We had 2,000 fewer visitors this year than last year, but this can be explained due to the fact that this year’s Asia Bike will take place as a separate event in early October. With this in mind, the attendance numbers for Asia Outdoor are more than satisfactory”, Jaeger commented.
Besides interested visitors, 455 media representatives also attended Asia Outdoor. These included 20 television channels that reported from the exhibition to a broad audience. The exhibitors participated in the show with 4103 employees and VIP guests.
“I’m very impressed with the excellent organization of the event and the high quality of the exhibition stands in Nanjing. The Chinese key players in particular presented themselves at luxurious and spacious stands. And not only renowned brands, but also the smaller exhibitors surprised visitors with their creative stand concepts. It’s great to see that the level of the exhibition has risen so remarkably within just a few years,” said Klaus Wellmann, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen, who visited the partner event of Messe Friedrichshafen in Nanjing this year. Interesting newcomers such as Keen, Gregory, Skins, LI-NING ADVENTURE and Shimano participated in this year’s show.
The North Face made an impressive debut among the outdoor community with two generously sized exhibition stands, a press conference and a presentation at the exhibition forum. Particularly popular among spectators was the Asia Outdoor 2013 China Bouldering Open, organized by the China Mountaineering Association (CMA) and The North Face. The event received financial support from China’s trend brand Kailas and the exhibition itself. “As many as 1,000 interested attendees crowded into the spectator area at times. The Bouldering Open is a great example of a successful partnership between competitors for the development of climbing in China,” Jaeger added, looking back at the event.
The presentations at the Asia Outdoor exhibition forum offered the perfect opportunity for anyone interested in exchanging ideas and learning more. One of the highlights was the presentation about the history of the American market by Jacob Lee Uhland, General Manager for the Asia Pacific at VF (the mother company of TNF). A large crowd also attended the presentation by Russell Brice, the legendary organizer of expeditions to Mount Everest. Brice was accompanied by one of the most famous female mountain climbers in China, Wang Jing, who is mother of two and wife of the founder and chairman of Toread, Sheng Faqiang.
The role of the Internet and its enormous potential for growth in the outdoor segment was another important topic at Asia Outdoor. According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), 242 million consumers bought products online in China in 2012, generating RMB 1.259 trillion (€154.6 billion) in sales. Furthermore, Internet sales made up 19% of the outdoor market share (B2C) in 2012, which represented an increase of 190% compared to 2011. A further increase of 60% is expected by the end of 2013. Accordingly, interest was high in the e-commerce forum presented by JD.com, which is the number two internet B2C platform in China after the Alibaba-owned site Taobao.
The ninth edition of Asia Outdoor will take place from 23rd to 26th July, 2014. Additional information is available at www.asian-outdoor.com.
Source: Asia Outdoor press release
