Industry: OIA Conference Andrew Denton
substantially reduce the cost of running the OIA and further place the association within the heart of the UK outdoor industry.
From the 12 April, the OIA will sit between retailers in Ambleside and brands in Kendall, and in the central part of the most visited outdoor destination in the UK. The existing OIA executive team, Louise Ramsay and Catriona Rice, who are based in the current head office at Ratho, will not be relocating and have elected to stay in Scotland.
Louise Ramsay, OIA communications director, commented on the move: “While both Catriona and myself have opted to stay in Scotland for family and business reasons, we wish Andrew Denton and the new executive the best of luck with the exciting new initiatives on the horizon for the outdoor industry at large and the association itself.”
With this new measure in place, it is hoped 2013 will see the OIA break even and make a profit in subsequent years. Although a not for profit organisation, the future health of the OIA depends on a healthy purse and so the relocation which will see cuts to overheads, will go some way to ensuring sovereignty.
The other highlights of the conference included Roger Zeng, president of China Outdoor Retailers’ Association, detailing the development, scope and potential of the Chinese outdoor market and Dr William Bird MBE, whose presentation, ‘A Healthier Future for Britain’, was a hit with delegates and members as the presentation had similarities with the ‘Britain on Foot’ presentation earlier in the conference.
Dr William Bird MBE
With £96 billion spent directly on outdoor leisure goods in the UK and £10.5 billion spent on ‘incidentals’ in leisure activities, the outdoor industry obviously has huge potential to be profitable. The OIA should be commended on actively seeking out alternative ways to raise the outdoor industries profile.
It was refreshing to attend a conference where the words ‘recession’, ‘credit crunch’ and ‘deficit’ were seldom mentioned. It is time the retail trade and particularly the outdoor industry looked to the future to encourage growth and the initiatives planned look very exciting. The only worry is that with the key protagonists within the OIA on a part time basis, there is only a limit to how much work they can do. It remains to be seen whether the OIA will indeed increase the exposure of the outdoor industry and ensure sovereignty. However, with Andrew Denton at the helm ,this publication is confident the industry has a bright future.
www.sgboutdoor.co.uk
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