Learning opportunities at Outdoor Retailer Summer 2021 kick off this month with free online sessions to keep you informed and help attendees prepare for the in-person show. The education sessions run twice weekly covering outdoor industry trends, consumer data, and actionable insight from Outdoor Industry Association (OIA).
The pre-show webinars are available for anyone to attend and all sessions will remain available on demand to watch later. The full schedule below includes links to register for each session.
At the Outdoor Retailer Summer show in Denver, education continues with in-person sessions. Find the full online and in-person schedule at outdoorretailer.com, and register here to attend Outdoor Retailer Summer this August 10-12 at the Colorado Convention Center.
PRE-SHOW SCHEDULE
Paving Your Path to Success with NPD
July 8 at 2 pm ET
Once we are past the pandemic, what will retailing look like? Will online shopping continue? And where will it peak? What is the role and future for brick-and-mortar retailing? What innovations did we see during the pandemic, and which will stick? What are the factors to monitor and navigate in 2021 to be successful? NPD’s Sports Industry Analyst Dirk Sorenson wants to help prepare you for Outdoor Retailer Summer so that you can deter- mine where you are as a brand or retailer, focus on where you want to be, and help pinpoint opportunities to help your business grow.
OIA – Climate Action in the Outdoor Industry: 2020 Progress, 2030 Ambition
July 13 at 2 pm ET
More than 100 companies representing more than $25 billion in annual sales revenue have united through the Climate Action Corps to tackle the outdoor industry’s most pressing threat. If you are a member of this group, we commend you. If not, it’s not too late to join. Collectively, Corps members made real progress despite the challenges of 2020. During this session, we’ll share results from our inaugural year and recognize some notable leaders in transparency, partnership, community, and overall impact. Join this session to gain insights from industry leaders and special guests on our new path to be climate positive by 2030, and how collaborating to reduce your GHG emissions, remove what you cannot reduce, and advocate for systemic change can drive real impact and business value.
Fashion Snoops – Spring/Summer 2022: From Culture to Product
July 15 at 2 pm ET
Join the Fashion Snoops Active Team, led by Director Jessica Harman and Strategist Tamara Esquiliche, and FS Materials Director Nia Silva for an exploration of three seasonal design aesthetics. Jessica, Tamara, and Nia will take you on a deep dive into cultural insight and consumer needs, design direction and inspiration, material innovations, and pattern and graphic callouts. In this analysis of the Spring/Summer 2022 activewear and outdoor market, the FS team will explain the newness, highlighting the connections, from the why to the how.
OIA – Building an Outdoors for All: How Outdoor Youth Programming is Helping Address Equity Barriers in Communities Across the Country
July 20 at 2 pm ET
The Thrive Outside Initiative is focused on reversing the trend of decreasing outdoor engagement among youth. Through community investments and groundbreaking research, the Outdoor Foundation works with partners across the country to address equity barriers and help make the outdoors accessible for all. While engaging in advocacy is critical for systemic change, it is also imperative to support community outdoor programs that address equity barriers such as safety, transportation, and cultural inclusion on the front lines. Join a diverse panel of outdoor leaders and moderator Stephanie Maez for a discussion about how youth outdoor programming can help address these barriers. Heather Rossetti with the San Diego Foundation will provide an overview of its findings on equity barriers from the Parks for Everyone 2.0 report, followed by a conversation with Thrive Outside youth participants and program providers. They will share how they’re using outdoor-programing strategies, community-engagement efforts, and other practices to address equity barriers in their communities.
Circularity Now – From Fiber to Funeral: Recycling, Circularity and End of Life Planning for Outdoor Apparel & Bags
July 22 at 2 pm ET
Join Downlite, IDFL, and deBrand as they walk you through recycling, circularity, and end-of-life planning for outdoor apparel and bags. In this session, we look at filled outerwear and bags—from fiber to funeral—by exploring Life Cycle Assessments (information gathering and application possibilities for your brand); fibers, from beginning to breakdown; opportunities for Circularity (moving a product backward through the supply chain); what your brand can do with unsellable merchandise/goods/waste; and what you can do, yourself, to buy better, wear better, and help Mother Earth protect and maintain her finite resources.
OIA – Implementing 30×30: The Essential Partnership of State and Local Stakeholders
July 27 at 2 pm ET
In May, the Biden administration released the Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report, which outlines guidelines for conserving 30% of public lands and waters by the year 2030, the so-called “30×30” initiative. Since the President first expressed his support for 30×30, much of the focus of this ambitious goal and the debate around how to implement it has been at the federal level. Yet, as the report makes clear, if we are to fulfill this historic opportunity, there has to be an emphasis on locally driven conservation projects across the country. What works in Virginia may not be suitable for Montana. Join OIA for a discussion on the next steps to implement the president’s blueprint and how the input of state governments, private landowners, state-based outdoor business associations, and other key stakeholders is critical to enacting conservation goals, assuring equitable access, and combating climate change.
The Gear Guide
July 29 at 2 pm ET
Join Outdoor Retailer magazine’s gear guru, Cameron Martindell, and Adam Ruggiero, Gear Junkie’s editor-in-chief, as they showcase some of the new gear they’re excited about. Tune in to hear about the latest launches, innovative products you need for your store, and what you’ll see on the floor at Outdoor Retailer Summer.
OIA – A Historic Opportunity on Climate and How Outdoor Companies Can Help
August 3 at 2 pm ET
Join OIA for a discussion with key administration officials and congressional leaders on the prospects for climate legislation and key provisions of the American Jobs Plan, and how outdoor companies and consumers can help ensure they are signed into law.
Outside in the Roaring ’20s presented by WGSN
August 5 at 2 pm ET
Join Joe McDonnell, head of WGSN Insight, the world’s leading trend forecaster, as we discuss how COVID-19 has permanently changed the outdoor industry. Armchair adventurers are getting outside and looking for new challenges, while influencers are impersonating national parks on TikTok. As more and more people emerge from lockdown, their needs have changed. We explore the outdoor future—from luxury cocktails in a can to alfresco living rooms—and how to align with these new attitudes.
