Editor's note | Welcome to a new era of trade show coverage
Outdoor Retailer is taking production of The Daily "in-house" and SNEWS is launching a new venture that will cover our trade shows in a deep, independent, no-spin manner.
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For the last nine years, SNEWS has been the editorial power behind the show’s official daily magazine. Known over the years as OR Daily, O.R.D., and most recently just The Daily, we treated the magazine like it was our own, building it up with solid content, strong voices, awesome photos, and a dynamic layout, all thanks to our incredible team of editors, reporters, designers, and photographers. I am deeply proud of the work we we’ve done on behalf of The Daily, but in reality, it was never our own. It belonged, and still belongs, to Emerald Expositions (EEX on the New York Stock Exchange).
The five magazines we created for the November Winter Market represent the end of a fruitful partnership that ran its course. Our industry is evolving. Our trade show calendar is evolving. Our trade shows are evolving. And so, too, will our trade show magazines and media.
Outdoor Retailer is consolidating its messaging, cutting costs, and bringing production of The Daily in-house to the same team that puts out Outdoor Retailer magazine.
Our industry is at an interesting juncture. Brands and retailers are rightly questioning the value of a three-times-a year, big, national trade show, and whether it should be revenue stream for a publicly traded company with shareholders or owned by the members of the industry itself. How many big shows per year do we need? Is the expense worth it? Is it the most efficient way to get business done? Or do smaller, more intimate gatherings—like regional shows and Grassroots—bear more fruit? How do we evolve and grow as an industry and best support our brands and retailers?
These are the conversations that are happening today—and were happening in the very aisles of an eerily quiet Outdoor Retailer November show.
We at SNEWS are grateful for the many years of partnership and collaboration, and we are honored to have worked alongside Emerald and Outdoor Retailer to bring the outdoor industry together at a single, communal event. We firmly believe that our industry truly does need a strong, healthy, relevant national gathering where we can come together, connect, celebrate, and get work done.
We are also grateful to the many brands, retailers, reps, non-profits, and PR agencies who have entrusted us with their stories, opinions, and ideas and have supported us in creating this magazine over the years.
We will continue telling your stories, and we will continue writing about trade shows. The format is changing – more on this soon – but you can expect to see the independent, hard-hitting, and actionable reporting that made SNEWS the go-to source for outdoor industry news.
You can also expect to see a new business model that will center around giving back to the industry itself, in particular the nonprofits and causes that protect our playgrounds and work to grow our core audience through diversifying outdoor participation and getting more kids to fall in love with the outdoors.
It’s an exciting time for us. Change is in the air, and we look forward to all the many opportunities it will bring.
Onward and upward,
Kristin Hostetter, Editor-in Chief
