The four-day 2017 Asia Outdoor Exhibition
concluded successfully in Nanjing on July 2
No need to dwell too much on the reluctance in our hearts
just hold fast to our original dreams
and we will meet again along the way
just like this
On June 29, 2017, the 12th Asia Outdoor Exhibition officially kicked off at the Nanjing International Expo Center. This year’s exhibition covered an area of 48,000 square meters, with 617 participating brands (2016: 705). Over the four-day event, it attracted 19,373 professional visitors from around the world (2016: 19,502). This year’s exhibition approached the industry from perspectives such as business trend tracking, insightful discussions, resource promotion, and outdoor fun, reflecting the latest trends in the outdoor sector. It aimed to deliver a comprehensive, highly collaborative, and memorable outdoor gathering for the industry.
China’s outdoor industry has been under pressure from slowing growth in recent years, but it is expected to rebound over the next two to three years. It is predicted that by 2018/2019, China’s outdoor industry may return to double-digit growth. In the context of a sluggish global economy, the exhibition, as an industry barometer, plays an even greater role in expanding markets and leading industry trends.
As Li Hao, Project Director of the Asia Outdoor Exhibition, said: “The Asia Outdoor Exhibition is not only a platform to showcase brands and products, but also a platform that integrates all aspects of the outdoor industry chain and facilitates information exchange across the industry. Therefore, this year’s exhibition featured more themes, forums, lectures, and knowledge-based activities to provide convenience for on-site learning, sharing, and resource matching, thereby promoting the development of the entire industry. In the future, the Asia Outdoor Exhibition will continue to focus on the outdoor industry while also strengthening its attention to external extensions.”
In terms of outdoor gear products, it was evident at this year’s Asia Outdoor Exhibition that the trends of lightweight product design and a business-casual style have become very pronounced. The autumn and winter new arrivals and flagship products launched by major brands, while maintaining outdoor functionality and professionalism, have incorporated more business travel and urban elements, all reflecting the concept of “outdoor going into daily life.” Of course, from basic footwear and apparel to backpacks and tents, from RVs and wooden cabins to campsite construction, the full range of outdoor industry products on display and promoted at the 2017 Asia Outdoor Exhibition had a very direct branding impact.
Guo Junwen, Vice President of Nanjing Biancheng Sports Goods Co., Ltd.: “The Asia Outdoor Exhibition is a very important platform for the development of China’s outdoor industry, and also a communication platform for insiders within China’s outdoor industry.”
Wang Xi, Marketing Director of Hangzhou Liantu Trading Co., Ltd.: “The Asia Outdoor Exhibition is a very professional show that brings us very direct orders. The impact of this exhibition on us is huge. A considerable number of our customers first saw our new products, our brand style, and our team through the Asia Outdoor Exhibition, which gave them more confidence in us and led them to walk the path with us.”
On the first day of the exhibition (June 29), Mr. Zhang Jida, Secretary-General of the China Outdoor Brand Alliance (COA), released the “2016 China Outdoor Products Market Survey Report” in the 5A registration hall of the exhibition hall, providing the industry with the latest authoritative data.
“The COA Outdoor Summit Forum is a very important and core platform for exchange in the outdoor industry. It is currently the most important forum in the outdoor field—there is no other like it.” — Zhong Chengzhan, Founder of Kailas Brand“This year marks the third edition of the COA Outdoor Summit Forum, and everyone’s participation enthusiasm has been very high. This enthusiasm shows the necessity of the COA Outdoor Summit Forum—it meets market demand, provides nourishment, gains recognition from industry professionals, and I think this is very positive news.” — Zeng Hua, Founder of Skyleader Brand
Cao ?, Chairman of Ningbo Snowwolf Outdoor: “Through the exhibition, we met distributors, established sales connections, and shared and exchanged activities with friends in the outdoor circle. The Asia Outdoor Exhibition team also worked with us to brainstorm and make joint efforts to help secure better resources and new opportunities, such as travel and campground projects. Moving forward, we will develop more cooperation and promotion with the Asia Outdoor Exhibition.”
This year, the Asia Outdoor Exhibition continued to launch the [Running Zone], bringing together new forces in running: professional running gear brands, fun yet professional running content sharing sessions, and several mainstream domestic running media. Among them, the “Running Sharing Area,” running throughout the exhibition, was extremely popular—featuring gear brands, trail running, marathons, running media, and running influencers... offering diverse perspectives on the running industry.
In terms of running event planning, the Asia Outdoor Exhibition’s [Nathan Runners’ Party] morning run activity made its debut, and the East China Top Ten Running Clubs competition also garnered significant attention from runners.“The Running Zone at the Asia Outdoor Exhibition is perfect for promoting a professional sports brand like ours, so we prepared experiential products for the exhibition. The exhibition was very well done, including the overall atmosphere and supporting activities such as the Top Ten Running Clubs selection and the on-site running sharing lectures. Through these activities, we can better understand industry trends and facilitate exchanges with peers.” — Shi Weijie, Brand Director of 361 Degrees (China) Co., Ltd.
Among the award-winning products at the 2017 Asia Outdoor Industry Awards, Chinese design and manufacturing shone brightly, with one of the two gold award winners being a product of Chinese creation. The 27 award-winning products covered almost the most comprehensive and popular sports activities in the current outdoor field. The award-winning products not only attracted extensive media coverage at the exhibition but also earned recognition from industry peers, which is undoubtedly one of the original intentions of the Asia Outdoor Industry Awards.
Other highly acclaimed exhibition activities include: the [Business Matching Zone] created by Asia Outdoor by integrating brand and channel resources. This year, it has been expanded into three themed matchmaking sessions: outdoor camping, sports & running groups, and e-commerce. With an efficient and precise rhythm, it highlights the value of Asia Outdoor as a commercial trade exhibition.The [Club House] brings the hottest travel destinations and route resources from both domestic and international sources, and features an activity sharing area to provide detailed introductions to these resources. The [Water Sports Zone] not only displays water sports equipment such as kayaks but also includes a water sports experience area where you can try out kayaks, water bikes, diving gear, and more.
Zhang Longkai, Vice President of Fenix: “Asia Outdoor is the longest-running exhibition in China’s outdoor industry. It enjoys great popularity and helps with brand promotion. The overall setup and various services provided by the exhibition are very appealing to us. Over the past nearly ten years of development, our sales have grown from thirty to forty million to over two hundred million. It can be said that Asia Outdoor has witnessed Fenix’s growth and contributed to our development.”
Ludwig Meier, Marketing Director of Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH (Germany): “I felt that this year’s Asia Outdoor was really good. Especially seeing the innovative products and the changes in the Chinese outdoor market: outdoor is moving into the city, and camping is on the rise. These may all become important factors in the industry’s future development. I’d like to say: the exhibition was perfect, and everyone should participate again next year.”
According to the professional visitor satisfaction survey report from the exhibition site, 95% of visitors expressed satisfaction with the exhibition, and 94% said they would come back to Nanjing to visit the exhibition next year.