Outdoor Retailer to stay in Salt Lake City through 2018 with new dates

Outdoor Retailer is staying in Salt Lake City through 2018, albeit with some date changes.

Show and city officials announced the decision Monday that will keep Summer and Winter Market where it has been for the past 19 years.

As previously announced, Winter Market 2016 moves up two weeks to Jan. 7-10, Thursday-Sunday; while Summer Market 2016 remains at Aug. 3-6, Wednesday-Saturday.

Newly announced, Summer Market 2017 will move up one week to late July 26-29, Wednesday-Saturday; while Winter Market 2017 will experiment with a new Saturday-Tuesday schedule, Jan. 7-10. Same goes for the following year, with Winter Market 2018 scheduled for Jan. 6-9, Saturday-Tuesday; and Summer Market 2018, July 25-28, Wednesday-Saturday.

Officials are still considering where the show’s demo days will fall, debating whether its beneficial to move the Open Air and All Mountain Demo events to after the trade show portion.

More than two-thirds of 6,000 specialty retail attendees surveyed favored keeping Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City, officials said. Exhibitors also preferred the lower cost of doing business in Salt Lake compared to other locations. Also a factor is Salt Lake City’s renewed efforts to build a new hotel adjacent to the convention center to help alleviate a lack of nearby hotel space. The city is looking for bids from a private-sector partner. The city and state have also helped fund the expanded Pavilions @ OR space during Summer Market.

While all sides heralded the new contract, it’s the second time in a row that officials put in place a shorter two-year deal versus the longer five-year deals of the past. Show organizer, Emerald Expositions, said the two-year period is now standard for its organization. That’s certainly a loss for Salt Lake City or any future host, which would prefer longer commitments.

Outdoor Retailer and the Outdoor Industry Association will take advantage of the shorter renewal period to keep up the pressure on the city and state on a variety of issues — from hotel space to public lands management.

“The Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City has played an important role in the convening and growth of the industry, said Amy Roberts, executive director of OIA. “Outdoor recreation is an important economic driver in Utah and we look forward to continuing the dialogue with the state of Utah around public lands issues. Additionally, we will support continued efforts to increase hotel accommodations and local infrastructure to ensure the city continues to provide a positive attendee experience especially for specialty retailers.”

–David Clucas

Outdoor Retailer, scheduled trade show dates in Salt Lake City:

>> Winter Market 2016 – January 7-10, Thursday-Sunday.

>> Summer Market 2016 – August 3-6, Wednesday-Saturday.

>> Winter Market 2017 – January 7-10, Saturday-Tuesday.

>> Summer Market 2017 – July 26-29, Wednesday-Saturday.

>> Winter Market 2018 – January 6-9, Saturday-Tuesday.

>> Summer Market 2018 – July 25-28, Wednesday-Saturday.