Outdoor Retailer (OR) is shifting the timing of its annual spring/summer show from early June to the third week of August in 2026. The show is also relocating from Salt Lake City to Minneapolis, as the event’s organizers, Emerald Holding, reimagine the event following years of declining fortunes that began even before the show’s management moved the once-iconic event from Salt Lake City to Denver in 2018.
The plans for the show will be guided by a new internal advisory board, called Leadership Village, that will be co-led by athlete and Summit Scholarship Founder Sunny Stroeer, and outdoor industry veteran Paul Gagner, along with Lindsay Hubley, SVP of Emerald’s Sports and Outdoor Division, to “shape the next chapter of the show.”
The format of the show will undergo some tweaks, including the reintroduction of the Outdoor Industry Innovation Awards and an increased focus on tactical education for independents, as well as a spotlight on emerging brands.
In a joint interview with SGB Executive, Hubley and Stroeer stated that the changes are a result of surveys and conversations with the show’s diverse stakeholders, who expressed a desire for the show to take place later in the summer in a new location, preferably in the Midwest.
“Utah has been a long-time valued partner for Outdoor Retailer, and we made a decision based on stakeholder feedback and industry input that it was time to go and move the show to new dates in August,” said Stroeer. “So really, as we were looking around to find the appropriate solution for the logistical setup for the show, Minnesota had the new dates available. It was exactly the weekend in August that we wanted. Plus, you know, Minneapolis has a fantastic Convention Center, a really good setup.”
She also noted that Minnesota has a “really strong” outdoor economy. Outdoor recreation pumped $13.5 billion into Minnesota’s economy in 2023, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The report showed that Minnesota’s outdoor economy grew faster (+10.5 percent compared to 2022) and accounted for a larger share of the state’s GDP (2.8 percent) than the national average.
Stroeer said, “All of those factors were a really healthy and solid combination for us to move to Minneapolis.”
Hubley added that the move to Minneapolis “also opened up greater opportunities with a lot of stakeholders.”
Hubley cited that Lloyd Vogel, CEO of Garage Grown Gear in St. Paul, and executive director of the Minnesota State Outdoor Business Alliance (MNSOBA), offered a strong endorsement for the move in Emerald’s media release about the show move. She said, “He really represents a lot of small brands and new and innovative brands coming into the business. So, it’s also opened a lot of conversations with stakeholders that had not previously supported us.” Garage Grown Gear is a fast-growing online direct-to-consumer retailer of outdoor footwear, apparel, and equipment from brands that are mostly underrepresented in the current outdoor specialty retail environment.
The August timing also avoids conflicts that arose this year with the numerous shows taking place in late spring.
The Outdoor Retailer show in 2025 ran from June 18 to 20, just after the inaugural Switchback Spring event, which is owned and operated by Diversified Communications, that took place from June 16 to 18. Diversified, which also owns The Running Event, has partnered with the Outdoor Industry Association, OR’s former partner, on the Switchback event that debuted in 2025 for the first time in its own venue after co-locating to The Running Event in December of the first year.
The June show also took place shortly after the Grassroots Connect show presented by the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Spring event that ran from June 9 to 12. There are also concerns from the regional rep shows that happen in May each year, and the paddlesports arm of the outdoor industry, which saw the previous timing of the OR show as ideal.
For 2026, OR will take place from August 19 to 21, while Switchback Spring will occur in New Orleans from June 16 to 18, and the Grassroots Connect Spring event will once again take place in Reno from June 8 to 11.
“June’s obviously become very busy,” said Hubley. “But I will also say that OR used to be in the August timeframe and was extremely successful.”
Hubley said OR heard that the August timing worked for many outdoor retailers in the transitioning month of August, versus a peak summer selling month in June. Many also welcomed a show that could better showcase emerging brands, which were often overshadowed at the other shows. SGB also heard from retailers and brands that the August timing was better for filling the pipeline for the fall/winter selling period, as more retailers look to book goods closer to their needs in the current economic environment.
“One of the things that we really want to focus on is innovative and new,” said Hubley. “There are a lot of shows out there that are really servicing a lot of the big brands very well, but we really want to focus on innovative and new, and some of these smaller brands that maybe haven’t had a chance to be seen by outdoor specialty. That’s really a hyperfocus for us, and we think the August dates are more aligned with that. And for outdoor specialty retail, it’s a good time for them to be able to attend a show.”
Asked if the August move was particularly made to align with paddlesports sellers and dealers, Stroeer said, “We’re not targeting paddle specifically. The show is there for all sorts of different categories and groups, but yes, the timing is going to work out great for paddle. The location is also going to work out great for paddling the Boundary Waters.”
Hubley also noted that Outdoor Retailer only had a commitment to Salt Lake City through 2025 and that provided “an opportune time for us to really re-engage the conversation around the location of the event.”
Another factor influencing the decision to move was the expected disruption, as Salt Lake City’s convention center is scheduled for major renovations beginning in 2027, with the goal of completing the new Salt Palace by 2031 to prepare for the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Still, she said, feedback from outdoor industry stakeholders was already leaning towards a move. Hubley said, “We received a lot of survey data showing interest in a refresh of the location, and it was identified that something in the Midwest would be ideal. Obviously, Minnesota fits that bucket.”
For now, Emerald has only committed to one year in Minneapolis. Hubley said, “Honestly, we’re not sure. We have the full intention to stay in Minneapolis for a while, but we haven’t committed to anything. We want to see what this looks like and how the show performs in the state and in the city.”
The show’s direction will be guided by a new Leadership Village steering board that is co-led by Stroeer, a professional endurance athlete who founded AWExpeditions, a mountaineering expedition company for women; co-owns a regional guide service in Southern Utah called Dreamland Safari Tours; and was a former strategy consulting manager at Bain & Co. Beyond Hubley, Leadership Village is co-led by Paul Gagner, Stroeer’s partner at Dreamland Safari Tours and principal at Successful Summits Consulting who formerly was president of Sierra Designs, served as a Board member at OIA, led sales at a number of key outdoor brands, and helped found the Boulder office location for SGB Media and SSI Data as president of its Sports and Outdoor business.
In addition to Stroeer and Gagner, Leadership Village also includes Dana Caraway, founder and principal of Caraway & Co, an independent sales agency; Sasha DiGiulian, champion climber and global outdoor adventure advocate; Peter Sachs, a 46-year outdoor industry veteran and former GM of Lowa Boots; and Mike Massey, founder of Locally and owner of Massey’s Outfitters, an outdoor specialty retailer located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Additional members are scheduled to be announced by October 30.
“The Leadership Village is an internal steering committee, essentially, that’s going to help us to reflect the viewpoints and voices of various parts of the industry that are critical and crucial for the show and within the show, so we have representation from everybody – from long-term industry veterans like Peter Sachs and Paul Gagner to fresh and emerging voices like Sasha DiGiulian,” said Stroeer. “And we have representation from retailers, independent specialty retailers. We have representation from sales rep agencies. We have representations from brands, large and small, and from the athlete community and non-profit sector to really be able to bring in the voices and the perspectives of all those folks as we’re helping to refine and shape the strategy of the show in 2026 and beyond.”
For 2026, the show features a few changes, including the return of the Outdoor Industry Innovation Awards. Stroeer said, “The Innovation Awards is something that’s been really important for the community, and I’m super excited to see it coming back in a new and re-envisioned format.”
Other priorities with the Minneapolis show include the launch of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Scholarship supporting specialty retailers; complimentary exhibit space for Minnesota-based and mission-driven non-profits; and an Industry Day conference on timely topics such as AI, sustainability, and supply chain.
Other features on the show floor include The Ascent, a section showcasing emerging brands, and Outdoor Lab, which focuses on forward-thinking product design. Among other exhibits arriving at the show, Camp Forward will focus on startup pitches and futurist keynotes while Campfire will highlight storytelling and video content.
Stroeer said, “The two key elements that we are doubling down prominently for the 2026 show and beyond is first, a focus on new and discovery. I think that’s an important segment. We’re going to have several programming pillars that speak to that, including The Ascent, which is essentially an innovation district for new and discovery brands. The other part of the equation is a laser focus on the education component for independent specialty retailers. I was involved in the Industry Day this year, and we saw healthy attendance and great feedback. So, we’re going to be doubling down on Industry Day to provide programming and education to the independent specialty retailer base that is not just high-level conversations and kind of conceptual discussions around trends in the industry, but also hands-on tactical workshops that are helping those retailers to future-proof the businesses.”
Hubley added that Emerald’s conversations with stakeholders, including many of the major outdoor brands that have left the show in recent years, is the need for a national show.
“The one resounding piece that we hear in a lot of those conversations is that the industry does want a national show,” Hubley said. “Something that brings the entire community and the industry together. And I think that our new show format, with the first day, Industry Day, being thought leadership and really being about retail development, really helps us to solidify how we’re going to move forward. And then obviously, with the focus around new and discovery on the show floor, we think that the new aligned format will help us to build Outdoor Retailer back.”
Among the comments in Emerald’s press release, Randolph Briley, director of Outdoor Recreation Industry Partnership, said, “Moving Outdoor Retailer to Minnesota creates a fresh stage for collaboration, creativity, and the outdoor community to thrive together. This step underscores the strength of our outdoor economy, driving billions in impact, supporting tens of thousands of jobs, and inspiring people to get outside.”
Lloyd Vogel, CEO of Garage Grown Gear in St. Paul, Minnesota, and executive director of the Minnesota State Outdoor Business Alliance (MNSOBA), said, “Independent retailers are the frontline of the outdoor industry, connecting communities with the products and experiences that get people outside. Having Outdoor Retailer in Minneapolis provides a vital platform for retailers and brands to collaborate, share ideas, and shape the future of outdoor recreation. As a St. Paul-based company, Garage Grown Gear is proud to be part of this conversation.”
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