The Daily - June 11,2022 - 30

Field Notes
O U T D O O R R E T A I L E R T U R N S 4 0
climbing and getting first tracks.
Afterall, they did have their priorities.
And we love them for that.
JOY
Outdoor Retailer has captured the
joy of longtime friendships, the
debut of remarkable technology
that brings people into the outdoor
experience, and provides a
place for a neighborhood to gather
that does not exist anywhere else.
(Thank you, Las Vegas, Reno, Salt
Lake City, and Denver.)
The outdoor industry
marched on
the Utah Capitol
building in 2017.
You've Seen It All
An outdoor pirate looks back on 40 years of the Show.
By Chris Goddard
SCRAPPINESS. JOY. GRATITUDE. COMMUNITY. PASSION. LOOKING BACK
at Outdoor Retailer as it celebrates 40 years, these are the first words that
come to mind.
Seventy-five shows, millons of square feet of exhibition space, millions of
attendees, exhibitors who have gone global or faded, countless members of
the media, and who knows how many marriage proposals.
I have been privileged to be in this community for nearly three decades,
working in the trenches with a selection of iconic brands that are the cornerstone
of who we are today. I have had ring-side seats to the industry's
evolution over time from a collection of mom-and-pop sold-out-of-their-garage
brands to a sophisticated, publicly traded arena that leads the way for
global industries, but where specialty retail is still our DNA.
The outdoor community's storied roots have captured the world's attention
for a very long time, changed along with all of us, inspired us through
hard times, and sometimes broken our hearts. We see the world's ongoing
love affair with the outdoors in countless commercials (oftentimes where
equipment is used incorrectly), reflected in names of cars, on advertising
billboards, and as the backdrop for movies-which is why creative directors
walk the Show for ideas.
30
/ OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2022
SCRAPPINESS
Everyone knows the origins of this
industry are scrappy-outdoor
passionistas doing whatever was
necessary to sell their products
from wherever they could while
GRATITUDE
Gratitude describes how most of
the citizens of the outdoor community
feel about coming to work
every day because, in today's new
normal, it provides a refuge and a
safe haven.
COMMUNITY
The extraordinary sense of community
is unmatched and relentless.
Community makes us special.
It keeps us going. It is the foundation
of our past and the key to our
future. We must do everything we
can to nurture and preserve this,
because it is our heart and soul.
WE SAW THIS AMAZING SENSE
of community when, in 1999,
Outdoor Retailer was hit with a
surprise tornado one day prior to
the Show and a life was tragically
EVERYONE KNOWS THE ORIGINS OF THIS
INDUSTRY ARE SCRAPPY OUTDOOR PASSIONISTAS
DOING WHATEVER WAS
NECESSARY TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS
FROM WHEREVER THEY COULD WHILE
CLIMBING AND GETTING FIRST TRACKS.
DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN
The Daily - June 11,2022

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