Outdoor Retailer, ISPO Shanghai, Circular Textile Days: The Q3 2026 events calendar

The Main Event: Outdoor Retailer | Aug. 19–21, 2026 | Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis

The leading outdoor sports business event in North America and in the sporting goods trade shows calendar has a new home and a new date – the Minneapolis Convention Center, Minnesota, from 19–21 August. It’s a significant reset for the show, with a reimagined format and timing that has been deliberately positioned after peak summer selling and before fall production, giving buyers more breathing room to plan and purchase rather than rushing through orders.

The show floor has been restructured around themed zones – Ascent for emerging brands, Outdoor Lab for design and materials technology, a Community Hub for networking and education, plus activity-focused zones covering Camp & Hike, Run & Cycle, Climb, Water and Lifestyle.

Aiming to be more than a trade show, there’s also a full day of education before the floor opens, covering topics from sustainability to AI and supply chain, along with guided outdoor activities in the Minneapolis area. It’s shaping up to be a more purposeful event than the traditional trade show format. Minneapolis, with its strong outdoor economy, is a genuinely fitting new base.

Why you should go: The 2026 program is particularly strong for anyone looking to discover what’s next. The inaugural Ascent Summit brings together more than 200 founders of independent and specialist outdoor brands, showcasing the emerging brands who are shaping what’s to come in the industry.

Retailers also have their own dedicated stream, with the Retailer Playbook Lab offering nine workshop sessions across four tracks covering AI, e-commerce, digital media and circular resale, each capped at 20–25 participants to keep conversations practical and peer-led.   

ISPO Shanghai | July 3–5, 2026 | Shanghai New International Expo Center, Shanghai

The 2026 edition of ISPO Shanghai is shaping up to be its biggest yet. Pretty much every corner of the outdoor and active lifestyle market will be represented: hiking, climbing, camping, water sports, cycling, running, urban sports, women’s and kids’ outdoor – even pet outdoor, which has long since reached the scale of the global sporting goods market. There’ll also be a strong textile and technology thread running through it all.

Why you should go: ISPO Shanghai is a serious B2B platform – brands come to find new channels, meet manufacturers, and strike deals across categories. However, the “public engagement” focus gives everyday sports enthusiasts a chance to see what’s coming next and the industry an insight into consumer choices..

With ISPO’s global network, it’s also a smart place to get a read on where the Asian outdoor market is heading – and that’s a conversation the whole industry probably needs to be a part of right now.

Functional Fabric Fair | July 7–9, 2026  | Javits Center, New York

The Functional Fabric Fair connects brands, textile mills and component suppliers, showcasing technical fabrics, sustainable materials and manufacturing innovations.

As in its previous iterations, the event from the Performance Days family of performance fabric trade shows is driving the move towards responsible innovation in performance fabrics. The July 2026 show is no exception and sustainability remains a guiding principle.

What to expect: The “Summer Spotlight” provides a special focus on fabrics for outdoor activities, all weather gear, bodywear and shapewear and more.

Visit: Functional Fabric Fair

Traceability and Sustainability Conference | July 9–10, 2026  | Wyndham Atlanta Buckhead Hotel and Conference Center, Atlanta

If supply chain transparency is on your agenda, the AAFA Traceability & Sustainability Conference in Atlanta is worth two days of your time. Organised by the American Apparel & Footwear Association, it brings together the brands, technology providers and compliance specialists who are actively working out what traceability looks like in practice, not just in policy documents. 

Reason to attend: A keynote speech from VF Corp’s Chief Supply Chain Officer Stuart Pond heads up an agenda that includes navigating due diligence requirements, fibre verification, and the growing pressure to prove sustainability claims rather than simply make them.

Visit: Traceability and Sustainability Conference

ICAST | July 14–17, 2026 | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando

ICAST is the world’s largest sportfishing trade show, run by the American Sportfishing Association. It brings together manufacturers, retailers, buyers and media from across the fishing industry, with the show floor covering everything from rods, reels and tackle to apparel, accessories and the latest fish-finding technology.

A new State of the Industry Breakfast has been added to the 2026 programme, giving retailers another reason to attend.

Don’t miss: the New Product Showcase, where the best new gear across categories is voted on and awarded.

Visit: ICAST

MADE Bike Show | August 21–23, 2026 | Zidell Yards, Portland, Oregon

Three days dedicated to the art of bicycle framemaking at the self-proclaimed world’s largest handmade bicycle show. With over 200 builders and brands and an expected audience of 5,000, the event brings a relative niche corner of the cycling ecosystem out of the garages and into the public.

Health Optimisation Summit | Sept. 11–13, 2026 | Business Design Centre, London

Three days of speakers, brand exhibitions, workshops and networking. With 35+ speakers drawn from biohacking, nutrition, longevity, fitness and functional medicine – including adventurer Bear Grylls, biohacker Ben Greenfield and neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart.

A dedicated Business Day on Friday – limited to 500 attendees – is aimed specifically at founders, investors, practitioners and industry leaders. Every session is designed to focus on opportunity: Where the consumer health and longevity market is heading, and who in the sporting goods space is already positioning themselves within it. 

Why you should go: The event sits at the intersection of performance science, consumer health technology and the fast-growing wellness economy.  The exhibiting brands span recovery tools, health technologies and performance innovations – the exact adjacent category that is increasingly blurring into active lifestyle and outdoor product ranges.

Visit: Health Optimisation Summit

Surf Expo | Sept. 16–18, 2026 | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

Covering surf, paddle, skate, swim, shoreline outdoor, and more categories, the twice-yearly Surf Expo is the go-to buying event and watersports trade show for retailers serving coastal, adventure and lifestyle customers.

Why you should go: The show’s reputation for highlighting emerging brands alongside established names gives it genuine discovery value for buyers in the watersports and outdoor categories. 

Visit:  Surf Expo

Southampton International Boat Show | Sept. 18–27, 2026 | Mayflower Park, Southampton

Now in its 56th year, the Southampton International Boat Show returns to its marina venue for ten days of boating, watersports and entertainment. With over 250 boats, hands-on water activities including paddleboarding, kayaking, dinghy sailing and try-a-boat experience all included in the ticket price, it as much a live product showcase as a trade event.

Reason to attend: A dedicated Trade Tuesday for industry professionals provides a more focused environment away from the consumer crowds. But with so many enthusiasts in attendance (100,000 expected), it offers a useful read on consumer appetite for water-based active lifestyle products heading into the 2027 buying season.

Visit: Southampton International Boat Show

Circular Textile Days | Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2026 | Koepelhal, Tilburg, The Netherlands

“Where circular textiles move from ambition to application.” Based in the historic center of Dutch textile production, Tilburg, Circular Textile Days looks to the future of the entire textile value chain.

With over 200 sustainable and recyclable textiles on show, alongside the latest recycling technologies and an Innovation Forum showcasing materials and processes at pilot and commercial stage, it provides practical, reliable answers on circularity.