Prowinter 2025, Fiera Bolzano’s B2B event for the mountain sports industry, concluded its 25th edition with record attendance and an expanded focus on outdoor activities. The event, held at the Bolzano Exhibition Center in South Tyrol, Italy, attracted over 4,000 visitors and 170 exhibitors.
This year’s milestone edition integrated the newly launched Prowinter Outdoor initiative, reflecting evolving market demand for products that transcend seasonal boundaries. “Prowinter has proven its ability to adapt to changing market conditions in recent years – from digital formats during the pandemic to repositioning itself in the trade fair calendar to better reach retailers,” said Geraldine Coccagna, Prowinter’s Brand Manager. “With the same logic, for this 2025 edition, we opened up to the outdoor segment, which represented a new opportunity for us. Companies took up the challenge, and the figures speak for themselves: over 170 exhibitors represented 300 brands, 50 of which were from the outdoor sector.”
Test Days and networking success
The Prowinter Test Days, held in collaboration with ITASnow and Pool Sci Italia at Carezza ski resort, provided 250 participants with a hands-on preview of equipment for the 2025/26 winter season. The informal setting fostered industry dialogue, with participants discussing challenges and future opportunities. “Prowinter has the potential to be a leading platform,” commented Christian Thaler, Managing Director of Wintersteiger Italy. ”The feedback has been consistently positive, with time here well-invested.” And former World Cup and Olympic Champion Kjetil André Aamodt, representing the Norwegian ski brand Stereo Skis, added: “Expectations for Prowinter were high, and they were not disappointed. The Italians are known for their passion for skiing, and here we had the opportunity to meet many interested people. We also spent time in Carezza, just 30 minutes away, to test skis: it was a pleasure to meet extraordinary people, including many skiers of my generation, who still share the same enthusiasm as before.”
Market insights from Prowinter Lab
At the seminar “Understanding the Outdoor Customer”, Prowinter Lab presented the results of its annual survey, which was conducted in collaboration with numerous Italian retailers and rental companies. The aim of the survey was to analyze the current season and to forecast future market trends. The data collected by Alfredo Tradati and his team and presented on Jan. 14 underlines the positive development of the market.
According to the survey, 43.7 percent of the retailers said the current season shows a positive trend, while 36.4 percent reported a stable situation. In addition, 44 percent of the stores have expanded their product range to include new brands and product categories, highlighting the dynamics and innovative strength of the sports retail sector. Another interesting finding concerns market demand: 56 percent of the retailers stated that customers are increasingly looking for products that are versatile, innovative and, above all, geared towards the outdoors.
Looking ahead
Prowinter will host its Season Finale (the traditional event marking the end of the winter sports season) in April 2025, with the next B2B trade show scheduled for January 2026. For more information, visit www.fieramesse.com.
