MUNICH — Climate change was on almost everyone’s mind at the ISPO trade fair here, as the sporting goods industry is being forced to adapt just like every industry.
“Everybody is struggling with it,” said Claudia Klingelhöfer, head of marketing for Messe Munich, the trade fair company that runs ISPO. As a result, the sports industry is changing at a fundamental level, putting increased focus on non-seasonal products and becoming more environmentally friendly. These developments are also impacting ISPO, Klingelhöfer confirmed.
“We are trying to evolve ISPO from a trade show for winter sports into a broader platform, to move it from purely functional to aspirational,” she noted.
That means expanding the event’s audience. Since last year, ISPO has been running a summer edition, called Outdoor by ISPO, which reflects the trends in the sector and also attempts to bring other stakeholders to the table. “Clubs, foundations, think tanks, even mobility stakeholders and people who think about city infrastructure,” Klingelhöfer noted. For example, this was the first year brands like Toyota and Sony came to ISPO, she said.
Around 80,000 visitors made their way to ISPO. Although the numbers reflected a slight decrease from last year, the feedback was excellent, ISPO chief Jeanette Loos
“Everybody is struggling with it,” said Claudia Klingelhöfer, head of marketing for Messe Munich, the trade fair company that runs ISPO. As a result, the sports industry is changing at a fundamental level, putting increased focus on non-seasonal products and becoming more environmentally friendly. These developments are also impacting ISPO, Klingelhöfer confirmed.
“We are trying to evolve ISPO from a trade show for winter sports into a broader platform, to move it from purely functional to aspirational,” she noted.
That means expanding the event’s audience. Since last year, ISPO has been running a summer edition, called Outdoor by ISPO, which reflects the trends in the sector and also attempts to bring other stakeholders to the table. “Clubs, foundations, think tanks, even mobility stakeholders and people who think about city infrastructure,” Klingelhöfer noted. For example, this was the first year brands like Toyota and Sony came to ISPO, she said.
Around 80,000 visitors made their way to ISPO. Although the numbers reflected a slight decrease from last year, the feedback was excellent, ISPO chief Jeanette Loos
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