Voices From the Show

MARGO DE LANGE, SECRETARY GENERAL, IT’S GREAT OUT THERE COALITION

Is there anything in particular that you will pay extra attention to at this trade show?

With the It’s Great Out There Coalition, we will keep our eyes peeled at the show for brands and retailers that explore the topic of diversity and inclusion and truly want to invest in participation. We are only really reaching a small percentage of all outdoor enthusiasts that are out there. The potential of all those others is yet to be discovered.

ALEXANDRA DENKER, CATEGORY MANAGER FOR OUTDOOR BY ISPO & ISPO MUNICH, ORGANIZER OF THE SUSTAINABILITY HUB

Besides the Sustainability Hub – what else should visitors keep an eye out for?

OutDoor by ISPO allows you to touch and feel the latest innovations and developments and listen to inspiring panels in the speakers corner or participate in workshops. Particularly interesting will be the program of the EOG on Monday morning, where there will be a lot of like-minded people and familiar faces to meet and exchange ideas about ecological and social responsibility.

SCOTT NELSON, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, EUROPEAN OUTDOOR GROUP

Do you see a need for physical get-togethers about sustainability? Why or why not?

The feedback and data overwhelmingly indicate that in-person meetings like OutDoor by ISPO are still absolutely critical. We’ve learned that much of the communication, project management, or administration of sustainability work can be shifted to a digital medium. However, the network effects, community, trend development, and energy found in the interpersonal exchanges that occur at these events consistently proves to be vital for progress.

MELANIE GRUENWALD, HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY, YONDERLAND

From your perspective – what are the main benefits of OutDoor by ISPO?

Sustainability issues urgently require vertical as well as horizontal collaboration across our industry. Whether we talk about reducing the carbon footprint of our products, creating more circularity, reducing single-use plastic or improving the transparency and accuracy of green claims, we cannot do it without our brands and our brands cannot do it without us. Outdoor at ISPO is a great platform to discuss and encourage, to learn from each other and to push one another to take action.