The Weekly - July 30, 2020 - 6

Pulse
S U M M E R

THE

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# W E A R E C O M M U N I T Y

The Show
Goes Online

Attendees were pleasantly surprised by the
robust platform that allowed them to learn,
see new products, and connect with the rest
of the outdoor industry. By Amelia Arvesen
TALKING HOCKEY WITH FRIENDS

and colleagues at Outdoor Retailer happy hours is one of Tom
Hathaway's favorite parts of the
Show and a part he thought he'd
have to miss when the physical
event was canceled this spring.
This year, Hathaway and the team
at GSI Outdoors improvised. As
an exhibitor at Outdoor Retailer
Online (ORO), the company hosted
a virtual happy hour on Tuesday
themed-Stanley Cup Smack Talk
Smackdown Sip & Celly-as an
homage to the banter that normally
goes on at the booth.

From Tuesday through Thursday last week, ORO featured the
traditional Conservation Alliance
breakfast, Camber Outdoors
breakfast, and Outdoor Industry
Association lunches, as well as
gear demos, panels, meetings
between sales reps and retailers,
and exclusive show discounts-all
done over a digital platform. For
those who missed the three-day
Show, take note that the ORO
dashboard will remain open until
Aug. 31, complete with recordings
of events, brand videos and assets,
and the ability to request meetings.

6 THE WEEKLY / OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020

Amelia Leme, founder of Mana
Threads, was skeptical at first,
but the virtual format made it
especially accessible for the small
brand. "It was hard to find Mana
at the OR show, but with virtual
OR, we are listed right beside
other brands and we saw over 500
people visiting our booth on the
first day-much higher than last
year in person!" she says. Another
bonus: "No sore feet."
Hathaway, director of sales at
GSI Outdoors, says, compared to
the $50,000 the brand spends to
attend the show, it only spent a
little more than $2,500. He also
says his sales reps liked not having
to travel and enjoyed meeting with
smaller retailers they normally
wouldn't have. "[COVID-19] may
be with us for a while, and this
could end up being a supplement
to the physical shows, so hopefully
everyone will give it a serious try,"
Hathaway says.
While there's nothing quite like
finding a seat in a conference hall
packed with familiar faces and
getting stoked after a talk about
the outdoor industry, even the Conservation Alliance made do during
a web presentation on Day 2. The
turnout happily surprised Kirsten
Blackburn, speaker and advocacy
program manager at the nonprofit.
"Such a turnout underscores
how much we all crave community during such a tumultuous
time," Blackburn says. "While we
would have much preferred to see
everyone's smiling faces in person,
that wasn't a reality, and we were

grateful for the opportunity to feel
connected for a little bit via Zoom."
Knowing the face-to-face time
is greatly missed, David Karstad,
Polartec's VP of marketing and
creative director, says his team
concentrated on making the
booth interactive and conducive
to conversing. "It's important for
the industry to keep our annual efforts at connectivity," he says.
Emerald Stocker, who does PR
for Polartec, adds that the online
summer show demonstrates there
is still a way to bring the outdoor
community together and establish a semblance of normalcy,
even during a pandemic. "With
increasing reliance on technology, especially now, for health and
safety reasons, I've seen a lot of
articles asking what the future of
trade shows will look like," Stocker
says. "I think it will be interesting
to see how programs develop and
advance over the next few years."
Of course, attendees also had
constructive criticism, such as
wishing for more time to put
together an online booth and
wanting to see more competitors
in attendance.
Karstad says, "All shows are
going through a 1.0 period of seeing
what works and what doesn't. OR
is no different from other shows in
that way." He says he's already looking forward to the 2.0 version. "Its
experience will be light years ahead
of what's being done now. And for
all the uncertainty, that's one thing
we can count on-better and more
digital experiences."

L AU R E N DA N I L E K

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The Weekly - July 30, 2020

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