Asia Outdoor celebrated her 10th anniversary in Nanjing from 23rd to 26th July. Once again, the crème de la crème of the outdoor sector came together at the Nanjing Exhibition Centre to display the latest in outdoor technology, accessories and fashion.
On a fairground of 50,000 sq m, 617 exhibitors presented their outdoor products and innovations, welcoming over 19,002 trade visitors, an increase of almost 10 percent compared to 2014. The most notable increase in participant numbers was the Night Running Race, held by Asia Outdoor and Sanfo and sponsored by Northland, taking place at Purple Mountain on July 25th for the third year running. Over 1700 enthusiasts joined the race, a number that has more than tripled since 2014. Running Village has enlarged to 729 sq m this year with 30 running brands participating.
Less Growth, More Quality
While the outdoor industry is starting to see less growth than a few years back, experts maintain the quality of growth is still healthy. “I’m very glad to see that the quantity and quality of trade visitors improve a lot this year. 90% of responsible person with the Chinese outdoor specialized stores and distributors come to the Show. Attending Asia Outdoor of Nanjing has become a must for the outdoor people,” said by Richard Li, Project Director of Asia Outdoor.
Stefan Reisinger, Head of OutDoor, was happy to witness the success of Asia Outdoor explained,”Overall growth in the outdoor sector in China slowed down a little bit over the last 2 or 3 years, but that means brands are now coming closer together and use this one single platform to have big presentation for outdoor. That is something that really unites the whole industry. We are able to build a real community over the last 10 years, and that is one big part of our success for the show here.”
The tenth anniversary for the show is certainly cause for celebration, though it comes with the bittersweet aftertaste of having lost one of the main drivers behind the exhibition. Knut Jaeger, whose brainchild Asia Outdoor was, died suddenly in Hong Kong earlier this year. Not even half a year later, the show pays a touching tribute to its visionary founder in form of his own photo booth.
First COA Outdoor China Summit
Aside from the rather gloomy first of having to pull the show together without its head, this year witnessed the first COA Outdoor China Summit, held on July 24-25. It will be held annually at regular intervals with the aim to support healthy growth within the outdoor industry, discuss the future and strategies of local outdoor brands and further solidify unity among the outdoor scene.
