Outdoor Retailer shifts dates for Winter Market 2013

Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2013 will shift its schedule to start and finish the trade show in Salt Lake City a day earlier in the week, officials announced Monday.

The event will open with the All Mountain Demo at Solitude Mountain on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, followed by the four-day trade show in the Salt Palace through Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, next winter, instead of the event’s previous Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule.

The upcoming Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2012 will not change dates and continue with the Open Air Demo on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, at Jordanelle State Park, followed by the four-day trade show in the Salt Palace Thursday through Sunday.

“By shifting to a Tuesday-Saturday format [for Winter 2013], retailers will be able to get back to their shops for part of the weekend, while still keeping the current duration that such a large show demands,” said Kenji Haroutunian, vice president at Nielsen Expositions and OR show director. “Any event during the season that takes retailers out of their stores is always a balancing act between having the opportunity to see new products and make buying decisions weighed against being in the store making sales.”

The show typically sees a drop-off in attendance on Sundays.

Officials said that any lodging already secured for Winter Market 2013 through Travel Planners, Outdoor Retailer’s official 2013 housing partner, will be automatically updated to reflect the new show dates. They said communications and confirmations of those changes will be forthcoming.

Nielsen Expositions is considering the Tuesday-through-Saturday format for Summer Market 2013 and all future Winter and Summer shows, but no firm decisions have been made. Beyond 2014, a large part of scheduling will be dependent on where the show takes place, as officials contemplate alternatives to Salt Lake City.

–David Clucas