As usual, Messe München put out its Final Report on the last day of the Ispo Munich show, announcing that close to 80,000 industry professionals from more than 100 countries had visited the fair - meaning 80,000 daily passes through the turnstiles. The figure indicated a certain stability as compared to a year ago, but a closer look at the final figures subsequently revealed a final count of more than 83,000 daily passes, an increase of 2.7 percent from last year.
For the time being, the organizers tell us that the number of visitors from Germany went up by around 4.6 percent, while visits from abroad increased by 1.6 percent. They said they were particularly pleased with the higher numbers recorded from China, Turkey, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.
A total of 2,585 exhibitors participated in the trade show from Feb. 5 to 8, setting a new record. They occupied 104,940 square meters of space, and the outdoor industry was well represented, with many new entrants as previously reported. Ispo Munich has reached the limits of growth, but Messe München is planning to add two new halls to its fairgrounds by 2018.
The new Thursday-Sunday schedule was welcomed by many top managers, many of whom spent only the first two days at the show before going back to their families. As a result, Thursday was the busiest first day at the show, and Friday was even busier, creating a lot of stress. Saturday was very quiet, especially in the afternoon. The traffic improved on Sunday, when many German retailers had closed their stores.
The new schedule was due to the organization of many important fairs in the last few weeks. This forced exhibitors to work day and night to set up their stands in what an organizer described a “logistical masterpiece.” Ispo Munich will return to its usual Sunday-Wednesday slot next year, and it will take place earlier, from Jan. 24 to 27.
Many exhibitors complained again that Ispo Munich is taking place too late to take orders. The call for earlier dates has been heard in the fashion clothing and footwear sector, and it has led the German GDS fair to move from March to February, overlapping almost completely with Ispo Munich, and to a consolidation of the fashion fairs in Berlin.
The management of Ispo feels that this consolidation is partly the result of changes in the consumer goods industry, where brands are investing more in online retailing, social networks and other “consumer-direct” initiatives. It's part of the verticalization of the supply chain, which is also affecting the retail sector.
These and other market changes have led Ispo's management to reshape its offer and to introduce a series of all-year-round services for the sporting goods industry, including platforms which, like Ispo Community and Ispo Open Innovation, put it directly in contact with consumers. Toray has just signed up for three Open Innovation projects on the platform, together with Bergans, CEP and Haglöfs.
Messe München is confident about the success of its new Ispo Shanghai fair, scheduled to take place on July 2 to 4. More than 300 companies have already applied to participate, and about two-thirds of them belong to the outdoor sector.
