It's that time of year when local gear geeks do everything they can to "borrow" a credential to get into the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow.
The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2015 kicked off Tuesday with the All Mountain Demo at Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Nearly 50 exhibitors gathered to let retail buyers from across the country — and around the world — try items like skis, snowboards and outdoor clothing in true winter conditions.
About 22,000 attendees have trekked to Utah for the annual winter show, where more than 1,000 companies are showing goods in the hopes of having them stocked by store owners.
But Outdoor Retailer — which also includes a Summer Market held in Salt Lake City in August — does more than provide a sneak peek at the future of outdoor gear for those lucky enough to find a way into the show. It also generates significant revenue for Salt Lake City and the state of Utah.
Surveys conducted by the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research over the past five years determined people attending the show spend an average of $923 each during their stay.
Often, attendees of the show arrive early in Utah or stay after the show for on-the-slopes or backcountry business meetings. Many manufacturers arrange special Utah-based trips to allow possible buyers to try the gear.
"Outdoor Retailer is important because it's the cultural locus of our industry," said Robert Fry, global director of product merchandising and design at Mountain Hardwear. "It's the place where our transactions take place and where our ideas are exchanged."
The Outdoor Retailer show has been held twice each year since 1996 and, according to Visit Salt Lake, has led to $495 million spent by people attending the show. That translates to more than $46 million in city, county and state taxes.
"The Outdoor Retailers' semi-annual events here in Salt Lake City are always a highlight for our community," Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker said in a release. "We not only bear the benefits of a significant, and much appreciated, positive economic boon, but are able to play host to a group of businesses that really share our love of the outdoors and the recreational opportunities that come with Utah's spectacular natural assets."
The show runs Wednesday through Saturday at the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City.
A contract between Salt Lake City and the Outdoor Industry Association, which hosts the show, runs through 2016.
brettp@sltrib.com
Twitter: @BrettPrettyman
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Outdoorsmen for the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers check out equipment display booth of Scarpa ski boots at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. It gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Brian Hannon, an exhibitor witn Bikeboards LLC shows a Bike Board attached to a fat-tire bike at the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. It's a short ski with brackets that attach to a bike allowing it to be ridden in snow. The company is out of Montroe, CO. The The demo gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Outdoorsmen from the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers try out new ski's and hit the slopes at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. It gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Outdoorsmen from the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers pack the equipment display booths at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. It gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Alan Perryman, owner of AlpineExtreme.Co out of Boseman, MT, an outdoor company that caters to backcounty gear for "alpine addicts" checks out a pair of skis from the Movement Freeski Company at the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. It gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune The Winter Market Outdoor Retailers at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20 is reflected in a pair of Zeal Optics ski goggles. The company is out of Boulder, CO. It gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Mike Sleeper, a representative for TSL Snowshoes out of Williston Vt. shows the flexibility of a pair of the company's snowshoes at the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. They are very light and made of polypropylene and carbon fiber. The demo gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Outdoorsmen from the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers take a break around the fire ring after trying out the latest winter outdoor gear at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. It gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune L. Jason Loveland of Lovelands Cycle in Brigham City demos a "Bike Board" at the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. It's a short ski with brackets that attach to a fat-tire bike allowing it to be ridden in snow. The The demo gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Outdoorsmen from the Winter Market Outdoor Retailers pack the equipment display booths at Solitude Mountain Resort for the All Mountain Demo Tuesday January 20. It gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in the environment it was made for to make informed buying decisions.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune The Outdoor Retailers Winter Market trade show kicks off with their demo day at Solitude Mountain Resort on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. Winter gear was on display to demo as, clockwise from upper left, Mike Sleeper, a representative for TSL Snowshoes out of Williston Vt. shows the flexibility of a pair of the company's snowshoes, Brian Hannon, an exhibitor with Bikeboards LLC shows a Bike Board attached to a fat-tire bike and intricate artwork on a pair of Icelantic skis greet potential clients. The demo gives retailers the opportunity to test gear in their winter to make informed buying decisions.
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