These are the three key words chosen by Ispo Munich for its Jan. 26-29 edition, as the world’s leading sporting goods fair is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a new and broader positioning in the world of sports.
We hope to learn more about this during the fair. Meanwhile, Ispo is calling on all the participants to “Be active.” The trade show is inviting retailers, brands and sporting-goods manufacturers to address the worldwide spread of sedentary living and general idleness by discussing the links between exercise, nutrition, health and mental fortitude. Special focus areas, networking spaces and events will all be tailored to this objective.
There will be three special focus areas, partly curated by industry experts to present concepts in sports and fashion and answer some burning questions about developments in sports as they relate to society as a whole.
Body & Mind will take place in Hall B3 and take a holistic approach to humans and their environment. Presentations will run daily, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and cover such topics as “Biohacking & Neuroathletics” and “Yoga & Wellbeing.”
The Alpin Snow & Safety Summit, in Halls A3 & A4, will deal with safety and sustainability on and off the slopes. Panel discussions with sporting goods manufacturers, retailers, representatives from associations, politicians and others will consider sustainability deals and the opportunities and risks of ski tours. Demonstrations will introduce visitors to hard-shell jackets made of recycled materials, pin bindings, ski-tour bindings and airbags.
On a physically less active note, the ES_COM Electronic Sports Competition & Unileague e-Football, at the East Entrance, will cover e-sports, with exhibition matches and experts on hand to explain what this rising phenomenon is all about.
Also planned are the Ispo Munich Sports Week, which we already reported about in the last issue, and the Mobile Health & Fitness focus area (Hall A6). All times, dates and other information are available online from the Ispo Munich 2020 events database.
In line with the motto “Be responsible – Sport for a planet worth living on,” the issues of sustainability and corporate responsibility will by a key theme throughout the fair, increasingly embraced by the sports brands themselves and their suppliers in the Texttrends Hub in Halls C1 and C2. A “Sustainability Hub” in Hall A2 will provide an extensive program of presentations including a talk on Sunday at 10:30 AM about the future of sports fashion by Neonyt, the international sustainable fashion fair recently held during the Berlin Fashion Week. Themed guided tours will be offered to wade through the product displays.
As before, Ispo also wants the industry to “Be creative.” As usual, the 100 innovative products chosen by a jury for the annual Ispo Awards will be displayed in Hall B1, not far from our own stand, which will showcase an innovative way of delivering our news and analysis to the industry at its usual location between the West Entrance and Hall B1. Innovation will be a key topic in the program of conferences of the Ispo Academy at the West Entrance. Innovative start-ups will have their place in the Ispo Brandnew Village in Hall B5.
