August is an exciting month for downtown Salt Lake City as it’s the time of year when thousands of people from the outdoor industry converge for the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is the largest outdoor recreation convention in the world where retailers, exhibitors and the media come together to promote summer recreation, the latest gear, and the outdoor industry as a whole.
Thousands of companies set up a sea of booths on the convention floor, showing off products from brands such as The North Face, Patagonia, Kuhl, Columbia Sportswear, Marmot, Chaco and thousands more. Wandering the aisles and exhibits are retailers and outdoor store owners checking out and buying the latest gear, clothing and accessories to stock their store shelves with next year.
The media also plays a large role in the Summer Market as they look for the coolest new gear, latest trends and exciting events to cover for hundreds of online and print publications. Overall, the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is a gear-head paradise. The only hitch? The convention is not open to the public.
The OR Summer Market is much more than just a convention. There’s also the Open Air Demo at Jordanelle Reservoir near Heber City, where the latest summer gear is tested outdoors so retailers and the media can get a feel for which products work and what gear customers will want to buy. Other highlights include the Project OR Design Center, slacklining demos from Gibbons, the Mammut Bouldering Championships, Tent City, the Endurance Zone, the Climbing Zone, the Paddle Zone and the Source & Design Center.
Here on UtahOutside.com, we’ll be attending the Outdoor Retailer 2010 Summer Market and will bring you photos and info about gear that won’t be available in stores until spring of 2011. We have a full schedule lined up with well-known companies such as Salomon, Tecnica, Canada Goose, Camelbak, Suunto and Timex. Lesser known brands we will feature include: Polarmax, Klymit, Easton Mountain Sports, Terra Nova, Fishpond and Simple Shoes. Other events and surprises always catch out attention on the convention floor every year, so who knows what else may en up on this website.
Over 21,000 people attend the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, making it a huge financial boost for Salt Lake City as attendees stay at downtown hotels, eat at local restaurants and explore the mountains around the city during off-time. So even if you’re not able to walk through the Salt Palace doors during the convention, the benefit Outdoor Retailer has on Salt Lake City residents can be seen all over the city. But if you are lucky enough to get in, you’ll wonder if you died and went to outdoor recreation heaven.
For more info: visit the Outdoor Retailer homepage.
Related articles:
Day 1 at Outdoor Retailer 2010 Winter Market: Salomon, Five Ten, Gordini and Karhu
Day 2 at Outdoor Retailer 2010 Winter Market: Klymit, Talus, Lorpen and Kombi
Day 3 at Outdoor Retailer 2010 Winter Market: Tecnica, Smartwool, Dale of Norway and Thorlos
Day 4 at Outdoor Retailer 2010 Winter Market: Patagonia, Black Diamond, Blizzard and EK USA
Having previously worked in the downtown restaurant industry, we always loved the Outdoor Retailers Convention. It was always great for local business.