Exhibitors are pleased with the 9th edition of Asia Outdoor that took place from 23-26 July 2014 in Nanjing, China. The show welcomed 17,298 visitors and 613 exhibitors, who, according to the trade fair organisers, have reported a positive outlook for the future of the industry.

Knut Jaeger, Chairman of the Trade Show Company, in conjunction with colleagues from the outdoor industry, officially opened the trade show with a press conference and the latest market figures.

According to the latest market report, sales of China’s core outdoor brands rose by 16.2% in 2013. Total sales in the industry grew by 12.9% – from RMB 32.6 billion to RMB 36.8 billion (approximately EUR 4.4 billion).

Satisfied with figures

Industry players were satisfied with the figures, particularly as for the first time in two years growth at sales outlets was below market growth. Back in 2012 these were increasing by 43.1% on average, opposed to market growth of 20.4%.

“This is a key step towards normalisation and consolidation, even if the vast imbalance from the previous years has not been reduced by a long shot”, said Knut Jaeger commenting on the official market report of the trade show.

We need fresh air

With We need fresh air motto, China's market leaders presented their 2014/15 outdoor PR campaign to huge applause and publicised a t-shirt promotion across China for outdoor sports.

The promotion was presented by Kailas President Baggio Zhong during a press conference. In relaunching the logo, Ludwig Meier, Member of the Board at Messe Friedrichshafen, created the link to next year's event. In 2015, Asia Outdoor will be ten years old.

Show highlights

With dedicated areas for kayaking, rafting, diving and running, the trade show featured the industry’s trending sports this year. Running was one of the most popular themes at the show and the space was visited by around 10,000 guests during the four-day event.

In addition to showcasing their products at the trade show facilities, representatives from the industry and retailers showed that running is important to them outdoors as well. On the eve of the third day of the show 600 runners assembled for the 2nd Asia Outdoor - Sanfo/Northland running event in the Purple Mountains close to the city.

Exhibitor and visitor figures

In 2014, the number of exhibitors was about the same as the previous year and visitors totalled 17,298 industry professionals. Some textile producers bid farewell to the fiercely competitive outdoor market.

On the other hand, prominent newcomers like Gore Tex, Mountain Hardware, Primaloft, Asics, Technica, Salomon, Suunto, Columbia, Odlo, Skins and Li Ning made their debut in Nanjing.

A survey showed that in 2014 the quality of visitors rose sharply and this was confirmed by 87% of exhibitors. Jochen Lagemann, Managing Director Europe & Asia Primaloft INC, commented: “It is the first time for us to exhibit here at Asia Outdoor 2014 in Nanjing. But it is not the first time we work with the show, as we have visited the show before and we know the environment, and lots of customers here are our existing customers. It is absolutely the right move and right decision for Primaloft to join in Asia Outdoor.”

www.asian-outdoor.com