The ISPO Leaders Summit will open ISPO 2026 on 3 November in Amsterdam, convening a senior audience of C-suite executives, policymakers and industry leaders from across the global sport, outdoor and winter market.
Positioned as a high level forum ahead of the main show, the Summit is designed to deliver strategic insight, peer exchange and direct access to decision-makers shaping the industry’s future. It reflects a broader shift towards high intent, face to face environments where commercial relationships are formed, strengthened and accelerated.
Strategic focus
Built around three pillars; Participation, Sustainability and Fair Trade, the programme addresses key commercial and structural challenges across the sector, including shifting consumer demand, supply chain pressure, regulatory change and long term growth.
With a strictly senior level audience, the format prioritises focused discussion, business leader insights and actionable outcomes rather than passive presentation, ensuring conversations translate into real world industry impact.
Investment in ISPO’s future
The Leaders Summit forms part of the renewed strategic direction for ISPO, delivered by Raccoon Media Group in partnership with Messe München, underpinned by a €3 million investment programme to strengthen the commercial and cultural foundations of the event. This includes a €1 million content programme, designed to deliver a world-class conference and insight agenda anchored by the ISPO Leaders Summit.
The remaining investment is structured across the following core areas:
- €1 million Hosted Buyer Programme; Connecting 500 qualified buyers with brands through targeted meetings and curated networking, designed to accelerate commercial outcomes. The programme will bring together leading international retail and buying organisations, including: Blacks (JD Outdoor), Ellis Brigham, George Fisher (JD Outdoor), Go Outdoors (JD Outdoor), Intersport, JD plc, Millets (JD Outdoor), Tiso (JD Outdoor), EK Retail, TitleNine, Mountain Warehouse, Backcountry, Hervis, Sports Pursuit and Outdoor Prolink, ensuring direct engagement between global retail decision makers and exhibiting brands.
- €1 million Impact Fund; Supporting participation, grassroots development and the protection of natural environments, managed independently through ISPO’s Impact Council, with grant applications opening in June 2026.
This investment underlines ISPO’s ambition to evolve beyond a traditional trade fair into a connected ecosystem for commerce, content and industry impact.
Speaker line-up
Confirmed speakers include:
- Andy Rubin (Pentland Group): Global brand portfolio resilience, scaling international businesses, and balancing heritage with innovation in volatile markets.
- Hap Klopp (The North Face): Purpose led leadership and long-term brand building, drawing on experience shaping one of the world’s most influential outdoor brands.
- John Lacy (Burton Snowboards): Supply chain transformation, responsible production, and navigating sustainability regulation while maintaining profitability.
- Margit Gosau (Sport 2000): Retail transformation, shifting consumer behaviour, and strengthening brand and retailer partnerships in a changing distribution landscape.
Together, they bring decades of leadership across brand, retail and manufacturing, offering perspectives aligned with the industry’s most pressing commercial and structural challenges.
Limited access
Attendance is strictly capped to ensure seniority and quality of interaction. Early bird tickets are priced at €495, with only a limited number available.
Setting the agenda for ISPO 2026
As the opening event of ISPO 2026, the Leaders Summit sets the tone for the wider show bringing together global decision makers to align on priorities and shape the conversations that will define the industry’s future.
It acts as a catalyst for collaboration across brands, retailers and supply chain partners, turning strategic discussion into commercial direction and measurable industry progress.
Face to face drives commercial decision making
As the industry continues to digitise, in-person engagement remains a critical driver of business performance. According to CEIR research, 85% of B2B buyers say face to face interaction is critical to purchasing decisions, reinforcing the importance of physical environments in building trust and accelerating commercial outcomes.
Buyers consistently require confidence in product quality, brand story and long-term partnership factors that are strengthened significantly through direct interaction. This is why physical trade fairs need to remain central to commercial strategy across the sports, outdoor and winter sectors.
Trade shows are not simply lead generation channels; they are high intent environments where decisions are made, relationships begin, and visibility translates into momentum. The value of these events extends beyond what can be easily measured, unlocking outcomes that emerge when the right people are in the right room for the right reasons.
European trade shows continue to demonstrate this importance, attracting more than 50 million business visitors in 2024 and generating an estimated €80 billion in transactions with ISPO widely regarded as the most comprehensive international platform for the global sport, outdoor and winter industry, uniquely combining trade fair, content, innovation showcase and leadership level strategic dialogue in a single event environment.
In person engagement also consistently outperforms digital channels, with trade show interactions generating higher quality leads and significantly stronger conversion rates than online equivalents. For industries where product experience, performance and storytelling are critical, physical presence remains irreplaceable.
Buyers are also highlighting three key factors driving purchase confidence: product quality, brand story and long-term partnership all of which are significantly strengthened through face to face engagement.
For retailers, ISPO provides a critical commercial touchpoint in the buying calendar, bringing together global brands, emerging innovators and category leaders under one roof. It enables retail decision makers to evaluate product ranges in person, benchmark innovation across categories, and build the supplier relationships that underpin seasonal and long-term assortment planning. As retail models evolve and consumer expectations intensify, this direct access to brands and insights has become increasingly valuable in supporting confident purchasing decisions and stronger margin performance.
Mike Seaman, Group CEO Raccoon Media Group says:
“In an increasingly digital world, the value of face to face interaction has only grown. At ISPO, we’re creating an environment where the right people come together with clear intent buyers, brands and decision makers in one place, at one time. That’s where real business gets done. You can build relationships faster, have more meaningful conversations and make decisions with greater confidence when you’re in the room together. ISPO is designed to facilitate exactly that; high quality connections that translate into long-term commercial value.”
What to expect at ISPO 2026
ISPO 2026 will deliver a commercially relevant and immersive experience, designed to maximise time, connections and return for attendees. Across the show floor, more than 20 activations will bring the industry to life - from snow ramps and running tracks to immersive simulation experiences and product testing environments, creating a dynamic setting for both discovery and engagement.
Retailers and distributors will be able to source for the season ahead through hundreds of product launches, discover challenger brands, strengthen relationships and explore new technologies shaping modern retail.
Brand designers and developers will gain access to the latest materials and innovations, connect with athletes and industry leaders, and explore emerging trends shaping future product development, while building global supply and retail partnerships.
Athletes, influencers and media will be able to engage directly with brands, test new products, create content and build meaningful commercial relationships within a highly concentrated environment.
A global platform, rebuilt with purpose
The 2026 edition will be structured across dedicated halls and zones to improve navigation and relevance, covering outdoor, sports, fitness, sourcing, textiles and sustainability, alongside national and industry pavilions representing key global markets. A continued focus on sustainability will run throughout the event, with dedicated areas exploring circularity, materials innovation and responsible production.
The International Running Expo (IRX), Europe’s only dedicated B2B running event, will also feature as part of the wider show, further strengthening ISPO’s position as a multi-sector platform.
Register now
Tickets for the ISPO and ISPO Leaders Summit 2026 are available now. To secure your place, register here
