ISPO Preview ISPO: ISPO, to be held in Munich at the start of next February, will provide the sporting goods industry with a meeting place to shake hands and catch up with partners and distributors from around the world.
Around 60,000 visitors from more than 100 countries are expected to attend, looking to meet up with some 2,000 international exhibitors. Exhibition space has grown 10 per cent from the 2010 show, when a record amount of space was required by exhibitors, and will see the show grow to cover an additional hall unused last year. The UK sports industry will be well represented at the show, with the Federation of Sports and Play Associations (FSPA) organising a UK pavilion within the Performance Hall at ISPO 2011. This will play home to 13 companies from across the industry, equalling last year’s record number of businesses based in the UK pavilion. An FSPA spokesperson says: “The dedicated UK pavilion has become a prominent feature in the performance hall as our island stand has grown steadily year-on-year.”
Sportswear brand 1000 Mile, which will be exhibiting its sport and outdoor sock ranges at ISPO 2011, says it found the UK pavilion ‘very rewarding’ in 2010, a view shared by others who have exhibited as part of a UK contingent at previous shows.
FSPA adds that it has helped 30 other UK companies to gain £1,000 export grants from the UK Trade & Investment’s Tradeshow Access Programme,which will help them meet exhibition costs and reach out to an international audience. It is this ability to target an international audience with one hit that makes ISPO such a valuable event according to many. A 1000 Mile spokesperson describes ISPO as “the premiere sport and outdoor show in Europe”, concluding: “It’s a must.”
Richard Evans, sales director at mouthguard manufacturer Opro, says: “If we only did one show it would be ISPO.
“We’ve got distributors in the likes of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Canada, so it’s a great chance to meet up with them. We might not be able to do so otherwise, as the costs can be prohibitive.”
Where everybody knows your name
ISPO has been an integral part of the sporting goods industry for more than four decades, with exhibitors and visitors recognising the opportunity it provides to meet and greet partners, and maybe pick up some new business along the way. David Pittman reports
Dart brand Winmau’s head of marketing, Simon Hall, says: “ISPO is the main trade show that we target for the whole of Europe, and so it’s very important for us to have a good show and feel that there is value in exhibiting. “Several of our competitors have had many years off from the show, and they have come back in and out over the years, as I guess they’re trying to figure out how we make it worthwhile. “The many relationships we have make it common sense to see so many distributors in one place.”
Winmau will be leading with its new Blade 4 dartboard at ISPO this year, as well as showcasing
other products from its 2011 collection, such as the SightRight vision correction darts tool, new dart sets and other accessories.
Hall adds: “ISPO has become something of a permanent fixture in the calendar and a great date to benchmark from for our meetings. “ISPO represents a chunk of investment but we’ve always got great value from the long-term relationships with our distributors that we get at the show.”
UK businesses are also hoping to pick up new customers from ISPO. Opro has attended ISPO for the previous three years, adding 10 new distributor partners in the last two through contacts made at the show.
Evans says: “ISPO has been a great success for us and we’d like to use it to add more partners.”
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