The annual Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is officially canceled for 2020.
The Outdoor Industry Association announced today that the Outdoor Retailer trade show scheduled for June 2020 will no longer occur. The decision to cancel rather than postpone came from growing concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic and federal measures regarding events and traveling.
“After having extensive conversations with many of you, we made the difficult decision to cancel Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2020,” wrote Marisa Nicholson, senior vice president and show director.
Here’s the announcement:
Life around the world has changed rapidly, and the way we live, interact and do business have all been radically disrupted.
While we did investigate potential alternative dates for the show, due to logistical issues, as well as clear feedback from retailers, reps and brands, we were forced to cancel and not postpone Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2020.
Despite cancelling our in-person summer show, we are committed to keeping us all connected because it’s with the help of each other that we move forward. As the largest network of outdoor businesses, we are doing everything we can to leverage that for the health of our industry.
We’ll keep you informed as details come together and plans become actions.
We’re going to come out of this eager to connect on a human level, and anxious to celebrate everything we value as a community. We can’t wait to bring everyone together again and see you all in January.
Nicholson ends the letter with this reminder: “Stay safe and take care of one another. A community together wins.” The association will soon post a detailed and updated action plan.
During these times, it’s important to not only stay connected (virtually), but also to stay positive. We can all continue to look forward to the next Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, scheduled for January 27-29, 2021.
