Ispo winter will open its doors for the 69th time from February 1st to 4th, 2009. As the leading international tradeshow for the sports industry the ispo winter’s goal is to put the spotlight on industry-specific issues and attract the requisite attention. In addition to offering conferences, workshops and seminars, ispo also publishes the results of representative market research. This concept is in part a reason for ispo winter’s great success. To date, the Munich-based industry event’s 185,000 square meters of exhibition space are fully booked. In 2009 Messe München GmbH expects more than 2,000 exhibitors from over 40 countries, presenting their latest trends to an international audience of industry professionals.

 These positive visitor and exhibitor statistics are in part a result of the ispo winter’s custom-tailored tradeshow concept. Each community offers authentic side events and thus creates a special, individual atmosphere. The different segments are divided as follows: board_ispo (A1-A3), ispovision (A4), ski_ispo (B3/B5), sportstyle_ispo (B1/B2), performance_ispo (C3/C4), SSE (C1/C2), and outdoor_ispo (A5/A6 + B5/B6).

 Board_ispo

Board sports enthusiasts will congregate in halls A1-A3. In this community more than 250 brands present the entire bandwidth of products for the winter 2009/10 season. Among the highlights are 686, Alprausch, APO, Bataleon, Burton, Carhartt, Chiemsee, Dainese, DC, Electric, Ezekiel, Forum, Flow, Head, Holden, Nidecker, Nikita, Nitro, Ogio, Orage, Planet Earth, Ride Snowboards, Rome Snowboards, Skullcandy, Santa Cruz, Sessions, Special Blend, Vans, Volcom, and Zimtstern.

Easy-to follow segmentation allows easy navigation among the many products and newcomers: in addition to the already established board_ispo Shop Summit, covering subjects relevant for store owners, from shop furnishings, inventory control systems to strategic positioning concepts, under the motto “Modern Shop Strategies”, hall A1 will also host snowboard hardware suppliers.

The Active Sports Design Network IDEAS presents a trend preview for the fall/winter 2010/11 season, as well as its new sports color card for winter 2010/11.

The latest developments in technical snowboard apparel and trendy board sports fashions are bundled in hall A2. An art exhibition by Spacejunk Gallery, the Volcom Miniramp Invitational, as well as an authentic surf bar and lounge area complete the offers available in A2. Hall A3 offers an overview of the fashion trends for the freestyle and freeski segments. In addition to high-quality product presentations two fashion shows for sportswear and freestyle will provide additional excitement.

 ispovision

Exhibiting for the first time at ispovision (A4), labels such as Hunter, Moscow Design, and Seed will introduce their latest trends. Brands like Bogner Fire & Ice, Conte of Florence, Hell is for Heroes, Matador, Mäser, Powderhorn, Sportalm, Toni Sailer Sport, and Zai return to the event to present their innovations. The special area “We love Kicks” offers an exhibition of graffiti, collages, and other artworks inspired by the cult theme “sneakers”. One of the highlights at the 2009 event will be the Global Sport & Style Award, presented in the categories Premium Winterstyle, Best Streetstyle, Premium Sportstyle, Brand of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Designer of the Year.

At the ispovision Business Lounge exhibitors and visitors may enjoy culinary snacks and meet in a relaxed environment.

The Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Apparel Industry Foundation) will present the European Fashion Award FASH 2009 under the motto “New Diversity”. The winning designs will be presented to the public for the first time at the ispovision.

 Sportstyle_ispo

The sportstyle halls B1 and B2 will once again host a number of well-known brands, among them Craft, Halti, Kjus, Luhta, Odlo, Spyder, and Vist. Several brands celebrate their premiere, such as Capranea, Cuun, Jilt, Pyua, and Skins. This is the perfect opportunity for retailers to get a comprehensive overview of the latest winterstyle and snow wear trends. On Monday, February 2nd, Promostyl will present the latest innovations for the coming winter season.

 Ski_ispo

Everything in halls B3 and B4 will revolve around ski hardware. The halls host close to 180 brands, among them Alpina, Atomic, Briko, Carrera, Cratoni, Dalbello, Dynastar, Elan, Fischer, Hamax, Head, K2, Leki, Marker, Montana, Movement, Nordica, Reichmann, Salomon, Therm-ic, Tecnica, Uvex, Vola, Völkl, Wintersteiger, and many more. Hall B4 contains several brands from the freeski segment, such as Black Crows, Core, Faction Skis, 4 FRNT, and Liberty Skis. Exhibitors in the crossover hall B5 include Bailo, Diamir, Dolomite, Dynafit, Fritschi, Garmont, Lowa, Lowe Alpine, Naxo, Rossignol, Silvretta, and Sympatex, among others. Ten creative newcomer brands will present their innovations as part of the successful newcomer project Skilift.

 Performance_ispo

Hall C4 hosts the exhibits of renowned brands, such as Garlando, Garmin, Polar, Stiga, Suunto, Timex, and Victor. The fitness segment is represented by other well-known exhibitors: Accell fitness, Hammer, Kettler, Reebok, Royalbeach, Style fitness, and many more.

The “Runner’s World Action Point” in hall C3 offers a multi-faceted side event program: in addition to the presentation of the new ispo certification with a get2together to follow, the program also includes a “Heart Rate Summit”, where leading manufacturers will introduce their latest heart rate monitoring devices. This year’s Runner’s World Action Point partner is navigation equipment specialist Garmin.

 Sport Source Europe

The Sport Source Europe (C1/C2) will extend over two exhibition halls at ispo winter 09. The fully booked hall C2 will host exhibitors from China, India, Pakistan, and Taiwan. Exhibits include various types of equipment for ball sports, fitness & gymnastics, golf, indoor and outdoor sports, skating & skateboarding, track & field, water sports, winter sports, and more. There will also be exhibits for publications & services, safety equipment, and athletic footwear. In hall C1 visitors will find more exhibitors, as well as a specially designated product testing area, for first hand testing and demonstration of a number of innovative products. Lastly, there will also be an opportunity to sample some tasty Far East cuisine.

 Outdoor_ispo

Thanks to very positive feedback for 2008, the outdoor_ispo will once again cover the halls A5/A6 and B5/B6 close to the East Entrance. The snow ice & rock summit will be held for the third time, this year endorsed by Marmot and Schoeller Textil AG, long-time partners. On four days the participants will discuss current subjects, trends, and issues relevant to the ski, outdoor, and backcountry segments, take part in workshops, and enjoy the latest film material.

On February 1st, 2009 the German climbing elite will prepare for the DAV Boulder Cup (A6), on February 4th, young stars will prove their mettle at the DAV Kids Cup. Another highlight is the presentation of the ispo awards (European Ski Award, ispo Outdoor Award) for extraordinary product innovations from the outdoor and ski segments. The “freeheel village” at the East Entrance is a new feature at ispo winter, presenting the latest products from the Telemark/freeheeling segment.

 Best Ager:

The fashion show at the “ispo Best Ager Gallery” offers a preview of the latest outfits for this demanding target group. Interested retailers will be able to gain new inspiration for POS. During an open panel discussion on Tuesday, February 3rd, 09, experiences with and advice for business with Best Ager customers will be discussed.

 Active Kids

Children and youths in particular spend increasing amounts of their free time with computer games and television instead of being active in sports. This is the reason for the focus on “Active Kids” at ispo winter 09, and a number of related projects are planned. An example are the special children’s categories included in the various awards. There is increasing demand for children’s apparel and ski equipment, and such products have to satisfy high levels of functionality and safety aspects with the help of intelligent technology and durable materials.

 Eco Responsibility Award by ispo: sustainability wins

For the first time ever ispo winter presents a special award on the subject of sustainability. The Eco Responsibility Award will be presented to companies that act as role models and pioneers for the industry in regards to environmental awareness. Due to the serious climate changes we are facing this award is geared to sharpen the awareness for this highly critical subject. The selection is dependent on evaluation according to scientifically substantiated criteria. A jury consisting of scientists, consultants, and journalists will select the winners in the categories Hardware / Textile / Footwear and Accessories.

 Brand New:

Hall B3 will host exhibits by young brands from all sports segments entered in the ispo BrandNew Awards. Eight winners were selected from close to 300 entries in the world’s largest newcomer competition in the sporting goods industry. Only the best will receive the use of a booth in the popular ispo BrandNew area – this year located in ski_ispo hall B3.

Thanks to the ability to scout out the latest trends and developments, and a consistent objective to present the best innovations, all signs are “go” for ispo winter 09.

Tobias Gröber, Business Unit Leader, has reason to be pleased: “We are very excited about the status of registrations. It is an indication for the future, validates our concept, and is proof of our acceptance throughout the market.”