ISPO Re.Start DaysISPO Re.Start DaysISPO Re.Start Days

ISPO Re.Start Days

Today is the first day of ISPO Re.Start Days, a virtual conference platform organized by ISPO (the leading sports tradeshow by Messe München). In a series of conferences, the sports industry is discussed under the viewpoint of Covid-19 and how to re-start best.

The conference launched with an impressive tale by mountaineer Jost Kobusch and former cyclist Kristina Vogel who both underlined the importance of moving into a more sustainable period post-crisis. Brand panelists amongst others Dr. Oliver Pabst – Mammut, Martin Riebler – Deuter, Mark Held – EOG, and Michael Levi – Columbia Sportswear Company went on to discuss the industry and gave more vital insights.

Mark Held of Outdoor Group Survey (EOG) pointed out that the biggest sales impact was in March and April (83% for the latter), however that the speed of recovery in the outdoor industry is remarkable. This is underlined by Mark Riebel (Deuter): “People are now eager to go out, live a free life, enjoy nature whilst getting fitter and improving their health.”. His prediction is that both the online and offline retail is now in a position which it did not think it could be in back in April and that sales are up. Also Michael Levi (Columbia) said that their sales meeting delivered more than they expected and through the use of new technology it was not only at a fraction of the costs but also more sustainable. EOG included a survey whereby 69% of companies said they could survive for 12+ months in the dire situation of the crisis and 98% of respondents said they are confident their business will survive. Overall this points towards a healthier recovery of the outdoor and sportswear market.

Dr. Pabst started explaining Mammut’s response to the situation by outlining that they call it a ‘momentum’ – not a crisis. It was clear to him that his team embraced this time and liked to be challenged by the unknown to make something special out of it. Their latest campaign, The Local Adventure Challenge, focussed on motivating people to locally explore their environment and ultimately this encourages consumers to be more sustainable. This campaign has built a closer relationship with Mammut’s end-consumers.

To underpin this with the EOG’s research: 56% of companies want to change the delivery cycle of products and 51% committed to increasing sustainability KPIs as a result of the crisis.

Pabst pointed out: “This momentum is an accelerator of all megatrends we have seen before: digitalization (we all know it is the way forward), CSR (nature is hitting us back, we have to take care of the environment) and also topics like black life matters, gender equality came in an acceleration, which we wouldn’t have seen before. A special momentum full of challenges but also opportunities.”

The ISPO Re.Start Days will continue until the 1st of July and WeAr will continue to report.