OR officially moves to Denver starting in 2018

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Jul 7, 2017

Outdoor Retailer (OR) parent company Emerald Expositions Events, Inc. has announced that the large trade show will officially find its new home in Denver starting next year.

After ten years in Salt Lake City, last year saw OR back out of doing business in Utah after backlash about the state's politics over its environmental policy. Patagonia led other OR mainstay brands in protest when the Utah state government supported the Trump Administration's new land use policies, which threatened to remove protection of federal lands.

The trade show was faced with a decision to lose its lucrative market presence and core exhibitors or move to another more environmentally friendly market. After exploring various cities, it has now found a permanent home in Denver.

Outdoor Retailer show director Marisa Nicholson recognized Colorado's governor, Denver's mayor and state politicians for the emphasis they put on policies to promote outdoor recreation. Colorado's outdoor industry generates $28 billion dollars of consumer spending annually and hosts over 229,000 industry jobs.

“Denver is the undeniable industry choice" Nicholson said. "Bringing these organizations together and basing the show in a state that places such a high value on outdoor recreation is the best move we can make for the outdoor industry."

OR brings over $20 million dollars to the local economy through direct spending during the event. Over 20 thousand people attend the industry-leading trade show for each market. Studies have shown each delegate attending spends on average close to $1,000 per show. Annually the show generates over $40 million dollars for the host city's economy.

Emerald Expositions also runs the annual SIA Expo and Snow Show which includes on mountain demo days at Copper Mountain, CO. Beginning in January, 2018, OR will be joined with the SIA Expo in Denver. OR Summer Market is slated for the end of July 2018 and Winter Market will be moved up into early November 2018.