David Udberg, President, European Outdoor Group (EOG)
“As ever, the Messe Friedrichshafen team and the people in the region welcomed the outdoor community with their customary warmth and kindness. It’s fair to say that that our industry feels at home here.”
Mark Held, Secretary General European Outdoor Group (EOG)
“Prior to the show there was a degree of anxiety about the current economic slow down and what impact it might have on the OutDoor. Well for sure the economic times are tough, but the outdoor industry demonstrated that it is resilient, forward looking and still full of enthusiasm. As a result, the OutDoor was just as vibrant, lively and exciting as ever and the number of attendees was just fantastic. So tough times but the underlying solidity of our sector is still there, still intact and we will continue to develop.”
Michael Rupp, CEO of Jack Wolfskin
“This year’s OutDoor was once again a good show for us and we got a lot of positive feedback from our customers. Dealers took notice that we not only completely changed our presentation at the show, but that we also changed almost two-thirds of our collection.”
Rolf Schmid, CEO of Mammut Sports Group
“The show is going well. Although you can certainly sense some uncertainty in the entire industry right now, we are convinced that this will soon pass and that everything outdoor will remain the mega-trend that it is right now.”
Rolf Reinschmidt, Senior Vice President of adidas Outdoor
“The mood here was very positive. Our decision to change halls, the new concept for our stand and the collection have all been well received. Like every year, the cooperation and organisation with the trade fair team worked perfectly.”
Luca Pedrotti, CEO of AICAD S.r.l. and President of the Italian Outdoor Group (IOG)
“It was a terrific show. We welcomed German as well as international dealers and distributors from around the world. Here you really get the opportunity to get up to speed on the current state of affairs in the industry and to get to know the new trends.”
Bernd Kullmann, Managing Director of Deuter
“The OutDoor is emotional, authentic, collegial - a smashing show, just like always!”
Antje von Dewitz, CEO of Vaude
“2012 is a challenging year for the outdoor industry as a whole, so we’ve been awaiting the 19th OutDoor with great anticipation. The show is going very very well, we have had more visitor traffic than last year and are getting excellent feedback on our collection and our brand. Germany is the vanguard in sustainability and we are pleased that this is something which is becoming more important in other European countries as well.”
Alex Koska, Vice President Global Sales of Fenix Outdoor AB Publ.
“For 2013, Fjällräven decided to reflect on its roots and focus heavily on hardware. About that I can honestly say - and this can also be said about clothing as well - we did everything right. It’s exactly the same for our brands Hanwag, Primus and Brunton, where the atmosphere is excellent and the picture looks very positive, an impression that I can only emphasise and confirm.”
Andrea Tomasini, Managing Director Italy Patagonia
“The show went very well. Our stand was very full, especially in the first two days. There were a lot of inquiries from new customers and markets. The OutDoor offers the ideal platform to work in a very focused way in a very comfortable atmosphere.”
Richard Cotter, Brand President of berghaus
“We had an outstanding trade fair experience. The reactions to our Vapour Storm Jacket were phenomenal and we are very happy with the results of the OutDoor 2012.”
Andreas Schechinger, Managing Director of Tatonka
“For us, everything about the OutDoor went very well. It is obvious that revenues at traditional outdoor specialty retailers are stable and will continue to be so. We are pleased with the very good response to our collection, especially our trekking products, because they fit so well into the traditional outdoor retail setting. We think that a successful future is a result of close interaction between the industry and the specialty retailers.”
Bernd Taube, Sales Director at Bergans of Norway
“Our expectations have been more than met. We have had very high customer traffic, both domestic and international, and are pleased with the strong demand. That has a lot to do with the freshness of our apparel lines, but also with our innovations in backpacks. We are very pleased with our stand and our spot at in the SOG village.
Thomas Lange, Director of Sales Europe at Keen Footwear
“For Keen as a global brand, the OutDoor offers a very attractive platform. So far, visitor traffic at our stand has been super and we are very satisfied. We aren’t noticing any weakening of the outdoor hype, which is certainly also due to the fact that we define the topic more broadly than ‘any place without a ceiling’ and because we, as a brand with a high fun factor, are constantly reinventing ourselves in this field.”
Stefan Gmeiner, Sales Manager Germany at Columbia Sportswear GmbH
“Retailers are searching for innovation. Our new technologies have been very well received and we already got a great reception from our ‘A customers’ on the first day here. For us, the outdoor market isn’t stagnating. In our view, changes, new technologies and innovations always bring opportunities for some growth.”
Tom Ryll, Director of business development at Eagle Creek EMEA
“Even though I’ve been coming for years, it is always great to experience how the OutDoor is able to present the outdoor community, to create an atmosphere and to draw the customers to Friedrichshafen.”
Michael Dörner, Country Manager Germany at Merrell
“Despite a reserved mood in the outdoor industry, the reactions and discussions here at our stand have been very positive. In my opinion, the industry still has strength and pull. Besides that, the quality of the contacts here has risen, especially in respect to international contacts. All in all, everyone is very satisfied here and the outlook for 2013 is very positive.”
Jürgen Kurapkat, Public Relations, W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH
“For us, the OutDoor is the industry meeting, a platform for meeting with our partners, dealers, suppliers and journalists as well. The theme of ‘light and fast’ has solidified as a long-term trend and has been very well received, here at our stand as well as out on the trail running course. And as is the case for hiking and mountain climbing, many of the leading footwear and apparel brands are our partners in ‘light and fast’ activities like trail running and speed hiking.”
Christian Baumgärtner, Key Account Manager, Meindl
“We are very satisfied, just like every year. The number and quality of the customers we’ve been talking with here has been very satisfying and comparable to last year. The reaction to our innovations for our 2013 collection has been overwhelmingly positive. As far as revenues are concerned, we can say that we are holding steady at the same levels as last year.”
Richard Cotter, Brand President berghaus
“We’ve had a great show. The reaction to the Vapour Storm Jacket was phenomenal and we are very pleased with OutDoor 2012.”
Luca Pedrotti, CEO AICAD S.r.l. and President Italian Outdoor Group (IOG)
“It was a great show. We met both German and international retailers as well as distributors from all over the world. I think this is the opportunity to be updated on market situation and trends.”
Fumiaki Masaki, President Montbell
“Montbell brand is not so known in Europe. Winning the award was a big help with lot´s of attention. The presence in Friedrichshafen is helping us finding European Client. We are very happy about this.”
Christian Wanner, Eastside Agency, PR for Cascade Designs
“We won three awards this year, which was of course super for our appearance at this year’s OutDoor. We have experienced wonderful feedback on new products from dealers as well as journalists. Our ingenuity really showed and will pay off in 2012. Function, design and light weight are exactly what the spirit of the outdoor industry is looking for right now. The mood among the exhibitors is very friendly and collegial, despite the fact that they are competitors. That’s what makes this industry so special.”
John Jansen, acting President European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA)
“EOCA's presence at this year's OutDoor got off to a great start with a slot at the International Press Conference where we were delighted to announce that EOCA and its members had reached the incredible milestone of having raised its first €1 million, 100% of which has been put into conservation projects worldwide. The show went from strength to strength, following the unveiling of the 2012 projects. Many happy hours and fundraising events were held on members' stands, complete with limited edition beer glasses to celebrate the 'million'.“
