Outdoor Retailer - July 2017 - 42

1990s

The Tornado

Outdoor Retailer 35th Anniversary
as planned. Or three, modify the show plan but
continue. We decided to carry on.

I gently removed the glasses-intact-from
his airway. I tried to cover him up. Even
though it wasn't cold, I knew he was in shock
and needed protection from the elements.
force trauma and a large open wound on the
back of his head that seemed to be the source
of bleeding. On other parts of the street, more
help was arriving.
Soon, a friend showed up whom I knew
could really help. It was Phil Carey (founder of
Atwater/Carey), a legend of wilderness first aid.
He'd brought a paramedic, and she had already
donned latex gloves. I was grateful they had arrived, since I already felt out of my depth. They
went to work on my victim. I moved on.

TWO HOURS OF EVACUATION ACTIVITY
followed. We directed people to medical and
communication resources and Dieter finally
had the chance to assemble our team and make
sure we were all okay. Remember this was
1999. There was no texting. Zero phone calls
got through; the system was overwhelmed. We
relied on walkie talkies for communication.
What's more, we had no fleshed-out plan to
deal with major emergencies, despite the professionalism and experience of those in charge.

42 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ 35th Anniversary 2017

The initial reports coming in were grave. The
entire football field-sized area of the pavilions
was cordoned off indefinitely.Our team had all
been unharmed, but we were overwhelmed. We
spoke in turn about what had happened, and
our unresolved fears. Only then did we discuss
what to do next.
Part of our extended team included Carson
Stanwood and Drew Simmons from the PR
agency Stanwood & Partners (see page 34).
They had met with Dieter just after the fray
and convinced him that a leadership response
from the OR team was urgent. Most everyone
attending the show was already in town or on
their way. Although it would have been reasonable to cancel the event, there was a strong desire to work through the difficulties.
Deiter's message called for all concerned parties to convene at the Marriott Downtown lobby at 4 p.m. The show would announce a new
plan, and we had roughly an hour to figure out
just what it would be. We had three options:
One, cancel the show. Two, continue the show

Kenji Haroutunian is a 30-year veteran
of the outdoor industry who started in retail
at Adventure 16. In 1999, he began working
for Outdoor Retailer. He directed the show
from 2007 to 2014, when he launched Kenji
Consults, his own national agency.

Courtesy Dieter Tremp

PATH OF DESTRUCTION
The evacuated Wyndham
Hotel (now The Radisson)
looms over the completely
destroyed Pavilion 1, with
the paddle tank and climbing
wall still standing.

WHAT ENSUED AFTERWARD WAS THE TRUE
coming together of an industry, and I was lucky
to be part of it. Dieter presided over a meeting/
presentation to a 1,000 or so people who packed
into the Marriott lobby. He announced that we
would take one day to organize a sharing platform so that all displaced companies could still
exhibit with what they had or could get. It would
take a day to organize that so we'd open the show
a day late. The stage was set.
Although there was some grumbling from
people in the crowd that they couldn't get
anything back (the tornado swept away entire booths, materials, products and fixtures),
there was general agreement that this was doable, and more so that it was right for an industry with the spirit of adventure at its heart. A
few companies even stepped forward and volunteered to share their booth space with displaced companies from the pavilions. The OR
lead team of Dieter and Joan Alvarez along with
the folks at Stanwood & Partners, salvaged the
day with their communication and creativity.
The show that we staged over the next three
days was unlike any industry event I've ever
experienced. The spirit of camaraderie was
strong, as was our appreciation that it could
have been much worse (one fatality, 12 critical
injuries, and 80 injuries total). Brands measured their own success by how many companies they could host in their booths (Timberland
won, with 12). For anyone who was there, the
connection was deeper than any Dead show
or Burning Man. The industry was put to the
test, and it showed its true colors. Like so many
Outward Bound adventure programs, we had a
shared experience of hardship in nature.
We realized the best of what makes us special
as an industry, as a community. We can come together in great crisis. In honor of Allen Crandy,
who lost his life during the tornado, let's keep
our band together through the coming rough
patches. We've done it before. O.R.

Outdoor Retailer - July 2017

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