Outdoor Retailer Summer Market '04 Update — Whack tiny balls, get wet and wild, eat a free breakfast, and more

Do you have a trade show event you think is worth noting? If you have a trade show event that’s scheduled, confirmed, and more than just an introduction of a new product (as in, we’ll only promote it if we deem it to be both entertaining and educational), fire an email to the SNEWS® team at orevents@snewsnet.com.

The SNEWS® team has accepted the mission of weeding through all the press release fluffery and mounds of show announcements to bring you only events we believe are really worth the time. To that end, we highly recommend that you mark your Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2004 calendars for the following:

>> Is golf a game, or a sport? To some the mere posing of the question is sufficient to make the blood boil — oh, we do just love teasing those golfers. Game or sport, grab your clubs and plan on arriving at Salt Lake City’s Stonebridge Golf Club on Aug. 10 for the OIA Primaloft Golf Scramble. Teams hit the greens at 11 a.m. and the event continues until 6:30 p.m. The Scramble is played in four-person teams, with each person teeing off and the best shot of the team is used to score each hole. While the official literature claims the format is both friendly and non-competitive, we can assure you that at least it is friendly. Non-competitive? HAH! Hole contests are scattered throughout the golf course and no, windmills or silly clowns are not part of this event. Well, no windmills at least, we promise you. The entry fee is $100 for OIA members and $125 for non-members. All proceeds of the event will benefit projects supporting the outdoor industry. For more information, fire an email to chowland@outdoorindustry.org.

>> We are, after all, the outdoor industry, so put a little “outdoor” into your Summer Market experience by heading to Outdoor Retailer’s Open Air Demo at Little Dell Lake the day before the show and the Salt Palace officially opens. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., you’ll find more new boats than you know what to do with, all waiting for a test ride, or roll, or flip or spill — sometimes, ya just gotta cool off. While the popular adventure race that has been sponsored by GoLite the last two years is a no-go for launch this year, there are a few other dry land adventures to be had. Magellan is sponsoring a Geocaching Area and inviting anyone to bring their own GPS receiver or borrow one of theirs to try to find “geocached” treasure. Magellan promises cool prizes. Wondering what’s up with all this Nordic walking chitter chatter? Wonder no more. Leki, Exel and Swix provide the gear, you provide the body and an appropriate level of curiosity, and either in an organized demo or on a Nordic walking trail set up for the day, you’ll quickly find out what the buzz is all about. Free shuttles for the demo depart from various hotels every 30 minutes from 7 to 9:30 a.m. — all stopping at the Salt Palace so those who need to can register.

>> A free breakfast where you actually get something useful for your business — but only 500 get in so reserve your spot now. During Winter Market, the Outdoor Industry Association launched the first of the semi-annual (read, it will do one of these at each Outdoor Retailer trade show) Industry Breakfasts to unveil the first round of Harris Interactive research data to find out how and why people begin recreating. The goal, naturally, is to find hooks and reference points that we, as an industry, can tap into to grow our respective markets. This summer’s breakfast will include new consumer research from Harris Interactive, as well as a presentation from the Centers for Disease Control on obesity. All who attend will be able to walk away with a complimentary research report which summarizes the new Harris Interactive information. Reserve it, book it, and make a note in your calendar for Thursday, Aug. 12 at 7 a.m. We’ll see you at the Salt Lake City Downtown Marriott — we’ll be the ones staggering to our table with the very full plates of food and huge smiles on our faces. To register, email Cathy Howland at chowland@outdoorindustry.org.

>> ITW is looking for the oldest, ugliest, dirtiest, grubbiest packs to make the company’s Side Release Buckle, which was patented 25 years ago, look really, really good. All you have to do to enter is send a photo of your old pack by email to: itwnexus.packcontest@itw-nexus.com. The deadline for entry is July 23. ITW tells us it will select up to 10 packs for the finals, which will be judged at Summer Market — finalists have to pay to have their own packs shipped to the show, or you can simply bring it with you if you are attending. Either way, the costs are yours. On Friday, Aug. 13, three winners will be determined. What do you win for your troubles? First place grabs a $250 gift certificate to a local outdoor store. Second place garners a $150 gift certificate and third place nabs a $100 gift certificate. No word on if the certificates can be redeemed by store employees at the store-employee discount, but we would hope so. For complete information on the contest, go to www.itwnexus.com.

>> Improving the Bottom Line – It’s a Team Effort. This is the third in a continuing series of industry panel discussions organized by FabricLink and sponsored by GearTrends® — www.geartrends.com — and other industry businesses. Mark your calendars for Aug. 13 beginning at 7:30 a.m. across the street from the Salt Palace at the Downtown Marriott.

>> For the fourth time, the Salomon Freeride Happy Hour will inspire outdoor industry folk to get downright jiggy and rock out with live music, free beer and free gear. Presented by Hooked on the Outdoors magazine, W.L Gore & Associates, Kelty, Confluence Watersports, Gerber and Outdoor Retailer, the amped-up industry gathering will feature the band Cowboy Mouth, a highly regarded New Orleans-based rock group that took its name from a Sam Shephard play. Cowboy Mouth — www.cowboymouth.com — traditionally plays between 150 and 250 shows each year and has opened for Better Than Ezra, Barenaked Ladies, Hootie and The Blowfish, Three Doors Down, Beck, Matchbox Twenty, Stone Temple Pilots, Eminem and Southern Culture on the Skids. The early evening performance is slated for Friday, Aug. 13, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., in the Salt Palace Convention Center Plaza. Trust us on this one — if you missed the three previous jam-packed parties including Frank Black & the Catholics (Summer Market 2002), Dishwalla (Summer Market 2003), and Cracker (Winter Market 2004), you missed a rockin’ good time. We’ll see you this time, right?!