In a move that will shake the outdoors trade to its very foundations, the OIA has announced that the Harrogate outdoors trade show will be replaced by a Harrogate outdoors trade show, confused?
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WARNING:
DULL STORY OF INTEREST ONLY TO OUTDOORS TRADE
PEOPLE!!!!
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The OIA (Outdoors Industry Association), the UK outdoor
industry's trade body, if you were wondering, has announced that this
year's GO Outdoors show in Harrogate in September will be the last
ever.
Instead, next year will see a second outdoorpreview show in
July, though unlike this year's version, it will be staged in
Harrogate. Confused? You will be.
It's the latest installment in a riveting trade show saga that's
been dragging on for several years now. Originally the Harrogate
autumn show was a chance for the big brands to sell their next year's
range to retailers. Increasingly though, it's fallen too late in the
year and the biggest companies have simply stopped going along.
Two years ago the OIA brought the date of the show forward only to
back-pedal in the face of trade opposition and reinstate the original
autumn date. Last year, amid rumours that the show was dead, the
organisers released an official denial and pointed out that
attendance was up a stonking three per-cent over the previous
year.
This year in a masterpiece of compromise, a new July show,
outdoorpreview, was launched at the NEC. Our impression was
that it was very quiet, however new OIA Chairman Mark Held says it was a case of never mind the width, feel the quality:
'outdoorpreview 2005 attracted really high quality visitors,
and exhibitors took good orders and enjoyed productive time
discussing ranging issues well in advance of when these normally take
place."
The conclusion is that July is the best time for a show, though
how it will fit in with the major European outdoors trade show at
Friedrichshafen in Germany, which happens at around the same time,
remains to be seen.
Fight For Your Right To Party...
So there you go trades peeps. Held adds: "We feel Harrogate is the
spiritual home of the outdoors industry, with a better choice of
accommodation and more opportunities for the important social side
that this industry thrives on."
In other words, Harrogate is a pretty good party town, the
difference is that next year, the party will be happening a few
months earlier than normal...
Outdoorpreview 2006 will take place at Harrogate
International Centre on July 4 - 6 next year.
More info www.go-outdoors.org.uk
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NORMAL
SERVICE IS NOW RESUMED
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