Fifteen Years – Change and Innovation
――2020Asia Outdoor Exhibition and2020ChinafitSports & Fitness Conference
Joint Press Conference Held in Beijing
On December 23, 2019, the joint press conference for the 15th Asia Outdoor Industry Exhibition (Asia Outdoor) in 2020 and the 2020 Chinafit Sports & Fitness Conference was held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing.
Representatives from the Chinese and German organizing parties and supporting organizations attended, including Mr. Zhang Jida, representative of Messe Friedrichshafen Shanghai Co., Ltd.; Mr. Lü Hui, Chairman of Beijing Yuexing Culture Development Co., Ltd. and Vice Chairman of Beijing Demans Exhibition Consulting Co., Ltd.; Mr. Yan Sihai, Chairman of Beijing Tizhi Technology Development Co., Ltd. (CHINAFIT China Fitness Conference); and Mr. Li Yangjun, Chairman and CEO of Nanjing Yuanya International Exhibition Co., Ltd. Also present were representatives from well-known outdoor brands and institutions such as Toread, Sanfo, Skyroam, Bisoul, Gore-Tex, Blackice, Anfieloon, Garmin, and the Golden Snowflake Ski Alliance; leaders and representatives from the fitness industry such as the Chinese Bodybuilding Association, Beijing Bodybuilding Association, Jin Smith, Guangzhuquan, Beijing Bancode Interactive Technology, and Yiji Physical Fitness; as well as nearly a hundred guests and media reporters from 20 major mass media outlets including Sina, Sohu, Phoenix, and China Daily, and specialized media in the outdoor and sports industries such as 8264, Green Trail, Outdoor Adventure, China Sporting Goods News, Global Times, Sports Business Journal, Hiking 100, and Sohu Outdoor.
The press conference, themed “Fifteen Years – Change and Innovation,” saw the organizers officially announce details and key changes regarding the 2020 Asia Outdoor Exhibition.
Mr. Guo Qinghong, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Bodybuilding Association and Secretary-General of the Beijing Bodybuilding Association, delivered the opening speech. Chairman Guo extended heartfelt congratulations on the official partnership between Chinafit and Asia Outdoor. He noted that the efforts and proactive exploration by the organizers to foster interaction between the closely related fitness and outdoor industries are highly meaningful and are bound to yield unexpected results. Following that, Mr. Li Yangjun, Operation Director of Asia Outdoor, Chairman and CEO of Nanjing Yuanya International Exhibition Co., Ltd., announced that the 15th Asia Outdoor Exhibition in 2020 will officially move from Nanjing, Jiangsu to Beijing, relocating to the China National Convention Center. The exhibition dates are set for July 12–13 (Sunday to Monday). The 2020 Asia Outdoor Exhibition will be held concurrently with the 2020 ChinaFit China Fitness Conference.
In his speech, Mr. Li Yangjun mentioned that in 2020, the exhibition has put forward “Two Missions of Asia Outdoor” – “Creating Value for Customers” and “Exploring and Leading Industry Development.” Based on these, Asia Outdoor has initiated significant reforms and innovations, manifested in the following aspects:
New Direction: Asia Outdoor will expand from previously serving solely the outdoor products industry to encompassing the broader outdoor lifestyle sector, committed to integrating outdoor products with fashion lifestyles represented by the outdoors, including outdoor sports, outdoor travel, outdoor education, and more.
- New Focus: Bridging fitness and the outdoors, building an integration of the foundational aspect (fitness) and the contextual aspect (outdoors) of sports.
- New Home: Moving from the Nanjing International Exhibition Center to the Beijing China National Convention Center, upgrading both hardware and influence.
- New Model: 1+N – one main event + nationwide tour, combining various formats to meet diverse objectives and deliver refined outcomes.
- New Heights: Summits, training sessions, competitions, events, and experiences aimed at elevating the practical effectiveness and prestige of the Asia Outdoor Exhibition as an industry platform.
- New Team, New Blood: Starting in 2020, the organizing entities of Asia Outdoor remain Messe Friedrichshafen and Beijing Demans Exhibition Consulting Co., Ltd.; the executive organizer is Nanjing Yuanya International Exhibition Co., Ltd. and Beijing Tizhi Technology Development Co., Ltd.; the co-organizer is Beijing Yuexing Culture Development Co., Ltd. Meanwhile, China’s leading outdoor industry all-media platform Outdoor Adventure and China’s most prominent fitness industry exchange platform, ChinaFit China Fitness Conference, will serve as strategic support organizations, providing full support and collaboration to Asia Outdoor in areas such as exhibition promotion, cross-industry buyer invitations, professional conference planning, and execution.
- At the same time, as the organizer of Asia Outdoor, Beijing Demans Exhibition Consulting Co., Ltd. will also be infused with new energy and vitality.
Mr. Yan Sihai, Chairman of Chinafit, introduced in his speech the origin of the collaboration between Chinafit and Asia Outdoor, and how these two industry leaders from different sectors will integrate their resources in the outdoor and fitness industries, leverage their respective strengths in exhibitions and conferences, create a complementary and symbiotic relationship between the two platforms, and ultimately achieve the shared goal of a flourishing industry platform for fashion, health, and leisure sports. “Everything for Health” will become the common mission that Asia Outdoor and Chinafit strive for together.
Mr. Lü Hui, Vice Chairman of Asia Outdoor, pointed out in his speech that it is an indisputable fact that Chinese society has entered an era of consumption upgrade. Sports and the outdoors are among the most representative content and concrete directions of development, with the state having elevated mass sports and Healthy China to the level of national strategy. Against this backdrop, the outdoors is no longer just about extreme sports but has become a scene of a new lifestyle. Fitness, too, will gradually reveal and return to its essence—from a vertical sports category focused on body sculpting and aesthetics—to being the foundation of all sports and personal health. The combination of the newly reimagined 2020 Asia Outdoor Exhibition and Chinafit is a concrete step in our exploration and deep cultivation of the future mass sports industry and the broader outdoor industry.
Finally, Mr. Li Yangjun, Project Operation Director of Asia Outdoor, provided a detailed introduction to the 2020 Asia Outdoor Exhibition’s exhibition area planning, key supporting activities, and other information.
Background Information
Asia Outdoor is a professional trade exhibition jointly developed by Chinese and German teams through market-oriented operations, specifically targeting the Asian outdoor market. It is the most professional and largest-scale exhibition platform for outdoor products in China and even Asia. In 2013, Asia Outdoor obtained certification from the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (UFI), becoming China’s first UFI-certified professional outdoor exhibition. Over fourteen years, Asia Outdoor has served over 2,300 domestic and international exhibitors and more than 100,000 professional buyers, making outstanding contributions to the healthy development of China’s outdoor industry.
As China’s most important exhibition and showcase service platform, Asia Outdoor has driven and witnessed the rapid development of China’s outdoor industry, and has experienced tremendous changes within the outdoor products sector: from the era of “heavy outdoor” or “professional outdoor,” marked by high-altitude climbing and long-distance trekking gear, to the “light outdoor” era represented by lightweight hiking, running, self-driving tours, and weekend leisure trips, and then to the “trendy outdoor” era embodied by lifestyle-oriented functional apparel. The outdoor industry has permeated various fields including sports, leisure, and daily life. The relationship between the outdoor industry and related sectors such as tourism, fitness, running, and education has grown increasingly close, making cross-industry integration not only inevitable but a shared demand across these industries.
From its inaugural edition in 2006 to the 14th edition in 2019, Asia Outdoor has always been held in Nanjing, yet its influence extends nationwide and even across Asia and globally. Data shows that in the past five years, over 1,700 overseas buyers from 26 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, and the Americas have visited Asia Outdoor for exhibitions and procurement, with the proportion of overseas buyers increasing year by year. From a domestic market perspective, northern and western regions have consistently been key markets for the outdoor industry. The 2020 Asia Outdoor Exhibition’s move to Beijing is aimed at better adapting to this trend and further enhancing its national influence. CHINAFIT China Fitness Conference was established in 2012, and the CHINAFIT Beijing Spring Fitness Conference has been held for eight consecutive editions. The conference covers a total area of over 60,000 square meters, with over 10,000 registered participants and more than 40,000 professional attendees per edition. In 2019, it was renamed the “CHINAFIT Beijing Spring Sports & Fitness Conference” and was comprehensively upgraded to a BBC model: encompassing both commercial fitness and the sports industry.
In the realm of mass fitness: presented through a blend of six formats—“participant training, forum summits, thematic reports, exhibitions, sporting events, and public fitness”—to create the IP of a “sports and fitness” platform.
ChinaFit was founded in 2012, and the CHINAFIT Beijing Spring Fitness Conference has been held for eight consecutive years. The overall scale exceeds 60,000 square meters, with over 10,000 registered students and more than 40,000 professional attendees per session. In 2019, it was renamed the “CHINAFIT Beijing Spring Sports & Fitness Conference,” fully upgraded to a BBC model covering both commercial fitness and the sports industry.
In the field of mass fitness: presented through a fusion of six formats—“participant training, forum summits, thematic reports, exhibitions, sporting events, and public fitness”—to build the IP of a “sports and fitness” platform.