From January 11 to 13, 2026, the winter sports industry gathers at Fiera Bolzano for Prowinter, the key meeting point for rental, retail, and mountain professionals. In this interview, Brand Manager Geraldine Coccagna explains how the event has grown into a space for connection, innovation, and the future of snow sports.
SGIE: Geraldine, the next edition of Prowinter will take place in January 2026. The show has changed quite a bit in recent years – how would you describe this evolution?
Geraldine Coccagna: Prowinter has transformed significantly since before the pandemic. The last pre-Covid edition took place in April 2019 – at that time, the show was mainly a rental-focused event, held at the end of the winter season. Back then, it made sense: rental shops could reorder equipment in spring to have it delivered by December. But with Covid, everything changed. Supply chains became longer and more complex, and an April show was simply too late.
Our exhibitors were the first to ask for a change, and they asked for something radical; to move the show right after Christmas, into January. It surprised us at first, but it turned out to be the best decision. Suddenly, not only rental professionals but also retailers were interested. The January timing fits perfectly for both winter sports and outdoor companies. Some find it a little early, others a bit late, but for most it’s just right.
Since moving to January in 2023, Prowinter has grown every year. The focus is now on retail and on rental business. For 2026, we’re expanding with a second hall, reflecting strong demand from exhibitors.
“Our philosophy is ‘small but high quality.’ We want to offer an efficient experience with less noise and spectacle, and more substance and human contact. For many brands and retailers, this atmosphere is the main reason to return year after year.”
Geraldine Coccagna, Brand Manager at Prowinter
What will be new in 2026?
The biggest change is the opening of the new Hall AB, which will host outdoor companies and the Scandinavian Village. This new space gives Prowinter a more international face. Scandinavian brands have long had a strong presence at ISPO, but when ISPO changed its direction, many of those exhibitors looked for a new platform and they found it in Bozen.
They came to visit Prowinter 2025, liked the concept, and asked to join us. Together with the Italian Outdoor Group, they will create a vibrant area that combines the Italian Outdoor Village and the Scandinavian Village, complete with a shared lounge and short presentations. It’s a great symbol of how North and South can meet in Bozen.
Which brands can visitors expect this time?
A very strong line-up. Several international brands that used to be represented only by their Italian distributors are now exhibiting directly with their headquarters. To give a few examples: Stöckli, Kästle, Ziener, Reusch, Hestra, and Montura are all coming with their international teams this year.
When brands invest in bigger stands and send their European sales teams, that automatically attracts more international retailers. Dealers from Germany or Austria are more likely to visit when they can meet their international sales contacts face to face. It creates a virtuous circle: brands attract retailers, and retailers attract brands.
What can visitors – retailers and rental professionals – expect from the show?
Prowinter is a cost-efficient trade and test event. That means a compact format where visitors can see the entire market in just a few days. All major ski manufacturers, accessory suppliers, and outdoor brands are there. The focus is entirely on the product and on personal exchange.
Our philosophy is “small but high quality.” We want to offer an efficient experience with less noise and spectacle, and more substance and human contact. For many brands and retailers, this atmosphere is the main reason to return year after year.
And we remain faithful to our origins: even though retail has become dominant, rental remains a vital part of Prowinter. Around 15 percent of visitors are still from the rental business, and we maintain close dialogue with them through surveys and ProwinterLab, our Rental Observatory project, which gathers data from over 800 Italian rental shops every year.´
The ski tests in Carezza are a long-standing highlight. What can we expect this year?
The PROWINTER TEST DAYS powered by ITASnow in collaboration with Pool Sci Italia, remain a core element. They will take place on Monday and Tuesday, January 12–13, with extended testing hours. We focus on alpine skis – and while there have been requests to expand to other product categories, such as snowboards, we’re keeping it specialized for now. Last year we had around 250 professional testers, mainly retailers. We expect even more this year.
“Our vision is to make Prowinter the meeting point for the winter sports and winter outdoor industry in Europe.”
Geraldine Coccagna, Brand Manager at ProWinter
Sustainability seems to be another strong focus for 2026.
Absolutely. Fiera Bolzano is committed to becoming the most sustainable exhibition center in Italy. We’ve been working on this for years and already hold an EarthCheck Silver certification. For ProWinter, that means integrating sustainability into every aspect – from operations to the ProWinter Award.
This year, for the first time, one external jury member will specifically evaluate the sustainability of each product and brand’s production chain. Additionally, we’ll host two major sustainability events during the trade show: the Winter Sports Sustainability Network Meeting and the Ski Industry Climate Summit, that will be hosted by Atomic in collaboration with Protect Our Winters Europe and the Wintersports Sustainability Network (WSN).
What about other highlights in the event program?
Besides the sustainability summits and the awards, we’ll have the Prowinter Party, an open get-together for all exhibitors and visitors. The new Outdoor Lounge will also feature short product talks and networking sessions. We tested longer workshops in the past, but visitors told us clearly what they value most: products, testing, and personal meetings. So we focus on that.
How do you see the future of Prowinter in five years?
Our vision is to make Prowinter the meeting point for the winter sports and winter outdoor industry in Europe. If we can bring together the key players of the continent for three days in Bozen each January, we’ll have achieved a lot.
We stay true to winter – to skiing, outdoor, and the mountains. We want to grow, but not lose the personal atmosphere that makes Prowinter special. The focus will always remain on the products, the people, and the industry dialogue.
