Successful relaunch for OutDoor trade show in Riva del Garda

On Wednesday, the European Outdoor Week concluded in the Italian town of Riva del Garda, featuring the new OutDoor trade show. The unanimous feedback from the industry was clear: those who were not there missed out.

Over 8,000 trade visitors, 250 exhibitors with more than 400 brands, and 2,700 buyers from 59 countries – that is the official summary of the OutDoor trade show, which took place for the first time from May 17 to 19, 2026, on the northern shore of Lake Garda. The outcome was what many had hoped for: a successful debut. Although the trade show has not yet reached the scale of past events from the outdoor industry's boom years, the atmosphere was consistently positive. In contrast to previous years, there was a palpable sense of relief that the new concept appears to be working.

“When we introduced the concept for the European Outdoor Week, we were confident that the format we presented would meet the needs of our industry colleagues,” explained Christian Schneidermeier, managing director of the European Outdoor Group (EOG) and the event's organiser. “However, the crucial success factor was always whether they would attend."

They did attend. Exhibiting brands included Gore-Tex, Columbia, Salomon, Patagonia, Merrell, The North Face, Picture Organic Clothing, Mammut, Vaude, Lowa, Meindl, UYN, Devold, Fjällräven, Hanwag, Houdini, Maloja, La Sportiva, La Munt, Salewa, Klättermusen, Mountain Equipment, Rab, Millet, and many more.

New date for 2027

“All of this confirms our clear understanding at the EOG that the industry wants – and needs – in-person events like this,” added Schneidermeier. The date for next year's follow-up event was also revealed at the trade show. It is scheduled to take place again in Riva from May 8 to 13, 2027, and promises to offer an even “bigger and better presentation for the outdoor sector.” The concept of the European Outdoor Week, which was intended to complement the trade show with numerous events for the industry and consumers, was also well-received by brands and consumers alike.

The industry is supportive of the new location, as confirmed by Stefan Stütler, who represents the sport and lifestyle brand Maloja in Austria. “It was clear to me beforehand that the industry would approve of the new location, so it was also clear that we would exhibit here.” Helder Maurao, sales director Europe for the young Italian outdoor label Roa, is also more than satisfied: “I find the trade show to be very positive. It feels like a real outdoor event.” The business perspective also seems promising: “Many retailers do not know us yet and are seeing us here for the first time. The feedback is very positive.”

Trail running as a clear industry trend

In terms of content, the trade show highlighted one thing above all: trail running remains the major trend in the outdoor industry. Numerous brands presented new, particularly lightweight and performance-oriented products. Lowa, for example, not only introduced its new brand concept but also an extremely lightweight trail running shoe. Maloja is also focusing more on this segment in the future, while the Italian label Roa has reduced the weight of the next generation of its trail running shoe from an original 351 to just 218 grams. The Swedish outdoor label Houdini, in turn, presented its very first shoe. Ortovox, on the other hand, introduced its first-ever bike capsule collection.

Innovations in materials and at the European Outdoor Award

There were also innovations in materials and production. The company Notape developed a zip whose teeth are welded directly onto the fabric, completely without a classic carrier tape. The company also offers the corresponding machine for processing. Material innovations were also a focus at the European Outdoor Award, such as a sleeping bag from Nordisk made from bio-based materials with natural colouring from onions. Peak Performance was also recognised for a modular, four-piece anniversary skiing outfit.

The surprise winner, however, was Decathlon. The retailer has developed a device that can locate holes in sleeping mats within seconds. Sleeping mats are among the most frequent complaints at Decathlon, but repairs have not been economical until now due to the difficulty of leak detection. “With this device, we can take our service offerings, such as repairs, second-hand sales, and rentals, to a new level,” said Mattias Schul, service center director for Decathlon Germany.

Challenges: internationality and logistics

Despite the overall positive atmosphere, a certain caution from the brands was also noticeable, at least regarding the staffing of the stands. The stands were primarily staffed by regional sales teams from Italy and the DACH region, with fewer representatives from corporate headquarters. The exhibition halls, which are currently being renovated, also presented challenges due to confusing signage, making navigation difficult at times.

For the most part, however, the main topic of conversation was the question of how to get to Riva at all. The town is not directly accessible by train or plane, but only by bus from places like Rovereto, or by car. This situation had an almost nostalgic character, reminiscent not only of earlier times in Friedrichshafen, where the trade show was held until 2018, but it also sparked the ambition of the outdoor industry. Consequently, some visitors travelled by train and bicycle. The head of the trade show, Christian Schneidermeier, also travelled exclusively by bicycle in Riva. Business consultant and outdoor expert Sebastien Willefert therefore attested on LinkedIn that the industry has an “irrational need” to “gather in some of the most remote places imaginable to hold a trade show”.

Review and starting point for OutDoor

In recent years, there has been intense discussion about the location and precise direction of the OutDoor trade show. After many successful (and more recently, less successful) years in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, the trade show was held for the first time in Munich in 2019 under the title “OutDoor by Ispo”. This was followed by two years of Covid-19, during which the fledgling trade show had to take a forced break. In 2022 and 2023, it took place on a much smaller scale at the MOC in Munich. In 2024, it finally returned to the Munich exhibition grounds on a large scale, but only for a short time: the 2025 event had to be cancelled at short notice due to a lack of interest.

This was the starting point from which the EOG, in cooperation with the trade fair company MagNet, now sought to relaunch the format.

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