Outdoor Retailer Merchandising Tours: Ready, set, go!

Outdoor Retailer Winter Market is just a few weeks away, and while we are all knee- or neck-deep in the holiday season, it’s time to get excited about the many ways you can get your creative groove on at the show. OR is less than two months from now, and it’s time for me to prepare for the next series of merchandising tours, put out feelers for potential best of booth award winners, as well as begin preparation for my visual merchandising presentation.

Here are a few things to put on your calendar to begin to get you ho-ho-ho-ing for ORWM:

Visual Merchandising Tours
ORWM Visual Merchandising Tours — led by moi — are a fantastic way to take some time to focus on specific merchandising elements and add to your inspiration mojo. The goal of the tour is to isolate things like display, lighting, materials used, signage, etc., and talk about how such things could be adapted into your environment. Participants include merchandising and marketing professionals, and the tour provides a fantastic opportunity to network and problem-solve together while finding inspiration to take home. ORWM will have two tours scheduled on Thursday, January 23 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Space is limited so RSVP to me (robin@merchandisingmattersnow.com) as soon as possible to reserve your space.

Visual Merchandising That Inspires: What Story are you Telling Your Customers?
I will be presenting an educational presentation on behalf of Outdoor Industry Association’s OutdoorUniversity that leads attendees on an inspiration-rich journey through interiors, storefronts and displays that compel passers-by to stop. Participate in a discussion on where you might find inspiration for your own environment. Examples will be included from the floor of Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2014, and the presentation will be on Friday, January 24 at noon. No sign-up is necessary, but mark your calendar now!

Best of Booth Awards
Outdoor Retailer would not be OR without the excitement and much-anticipated Best of Booth awards. Best of Booth winners are announced in the OR Daily on the final morning of the show and are awarded based upon a variety of factors, including innovation in design, materials used, ability to snag attention and coherence of brand messaging. With more than 2,000 exhibitors, we need your help! If you will be unrolling a new or renovated booth at the show, please notify us at robin@merchandisingmattersnow.com in advance to be sure we don’t miss it. We will get in touch with you at the show if we think you are standing head and shoulders above your contemporaries. In addition, we are stoked to be seeking nominations during the show for our Second Annual People’s Choice Awards. Watch for instructions on uploading People’s Choice Award’s nomination’s a week or so before the show. The booth with the most votes wins. Simple, right?

So get set, get ready and go mark your calendars and take advantage of these opportunities to grow your merchandising skills!