A Viable Outdoor Retailer Path:
Minneapolis Bets on Emerging Brands
By: Cory Van Auken
I’ll level with you: my assignment was to deliver a general Outdoor Retailer recap for The Darby Edit. But I struggled to type out anything of substance. My initial draft felt like regurgitated fluff, reading like LinkedIn thought-leadership slop. There’s enough of that floating around…so I’ve scrapped the assigned recap and will be asking Suz for forgiveness after I hit publish on this rambling soapbox.
This is less of an Outdoor Retailer recap and more of a ‘continue to support founder-led brands’ lecture. Let’s get the Outdoor Retailer top line out of the way: collectively, we need to quit expecting OR to return to its pre-COVID days of 1,400+ brands and 25,000+ attendees. Large brands stopped needing this show to reach buyers years ago, and that’s ok.
The ‘Minneapolis Era’ is attempting an Outdoor Retailer metamorphosis, hoping it emerges from its cocoon as a more relevant butterfly. This latest iteration leaned into the emerging brand model out of necessity. And honestly, I really loved the vibe; I think the show is on to something.
Evolution on a Small Scale
Back in 2018, I was only weeks into the job when I found myself flying to Denver, furiously studying specs for 30 different products as I prepared for my first Outdoor Retailer.
I remember walking into the main hall and ogling over the pure spectacle of it. A multi-story North Face climbing wall loomed over the surrounding booths, the then-R1T RIVIAN concept truck showed off its saucy little gear-tunnel storage compartment, making all the fly anglers stop and gawk, and Tin Cup Whiskey slung free libations out of its mini-airstream to swarming outdoor industry enthusiasts in need of a drink.
It was fun, energetic, and over-the-top, but if you were a founder-led brand, you were ostracized to the Venture Out basement. Out of sight, and for a large portion of attendees, out of mind.
Cory (R) in Denver for his first Outdoor Retailer.
This year, more than 150 of the 275 exhibiting brands were founder-led, many participating through the Ascent Program, Garage Grown Gear, Founded Outdoors, REI’s Path Ahead Ventures, MNSOBA, and MOB. The Campsite Pavilion sat in the dead middle of the floor, without the threat of being overshadowed by looming rock walls and free whiskey served out of chromed-out campers.
The energy felt scrappier and less ostentatious than in the pre-COVID era. And yes, perhaps less fun. But every booth was welcoming, eager to chat, and appeared proud to play a part in building the ‘Minneapolis Era’ of OR. The experience was a far cry from the intimidating spectacle of the ‘Denver Era’ where I cut my PR teeth.
A Discovery Avenue
According to Circana, the top ten fastest-growing brands in outdoor and sport specialty e-commerce produced more than half of the entire channel’s dollar growth. None of these brands were in attendance because…they don’t need to be.
Yet not too long ago, each of these companies was a scrappy emerging brand. Hoka was two French guys and an odd-looking shoe. Cotopaxi was a Utah startup making brightly colored bags emblazoned with llamas. These fast-growing brands, which now generate more than half of specialty channel growth, would have been assigned to Venture Out in 2018.
I say all of this to cheer on the ‘Minneapolis Era’ of Outdoor Retailer. It’s leaning into the discovery aspect of a trade show, giving founder-led brands a platform to be seen. But it’s a crowded space: Grassroots Outdoor Alliance runs its Discovery Marketplace in Reno, and Switchback embarks on its third year, planting its flag in New Orleans.
Let’s hope the Outdoor Retailer team continues its commitment to putting emerging brands in prime showfloor real estate, underwrites the entry so a booth costs a founder something manageable, and opens the buyer side so a first-year brand can score a meeting without knowing somebody. More than 550 retail buyers came to Minneapolis, past the 400 qualified retailers the show had set as its own bar. That’s a promising start.
We’re not going back to the days of old…but the ‘Minneapolis Era’ might just be on to something.