Nikwax’s new Digital Media team member Joe Lamb gives his lowdown on his first OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Having been at Nikwax for nearly two months now, I believed that I was slowly getting to grips with the size of the outdoor industry. It isn’t just full of those that camp, walk, run or take part in adventures, but the companies that provide support for them, whether through equipment, clothing or event organising.
However, my belief that I’d broken the back of my learning was comprehensively blown out of the water by my first visit to the OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
For sheer vastness, this was a sight to behold; a sea of outdoorsy humanity and super structures. Brands from all over the world decamped to the Messe, stretching over 14 halls and various outdoor areas to display their newest products and technologies to potential distributors and stockists.
Nikwax had two stands out there ourselves, one entirely devoted to footwear aftercare (outside, in the rain, entirely appropriate). And as I was one of the two men sent out days before the show to set the stands up, I certainly got a bearing for the size of the event.
When we arrived on Tuesday morning, the venue was a vast space with many, many dozens of loaded crates. By Wednesday evening, the Messe had been transformed into a 3D Outdoor industry wonderland.
So who was at the OutDoor show? Well, just in the immediate vicinity of Nikwax were outdoor heavyweights (that even I had heard of) such as Hi-Tec, Karrimor and Merrel. Slightly further away were cool brands such as Buff, Adidas and Haglofs, while one brand had their own fashion show with dancing models.
I met members of the Respect the Mountains organisation, who are headed to the Lake District over the August bank holiday to carry on the great work that they do. And it was great to meet Nikwax team members from Europe and America to help get a grasp on the sheer size of the organisation that I am now a part of.
Finally, Friday saw the Nikwax press event where company founder Nick Brown unveiled Nikwax’s latest PFC-treatment-free fabrics – Nikwax Fleece and Nikwax Windproof, the latest advance in clothing technology, more on which will be released soon. The event was a great success, for the nibbles and drinks if nothing else, and feedback has been hugely positive.
The whole week in Germany was a bit of whirlwind, and by the time the taxi pulled up outside my house at 2am on Saturday morning, I was more than ready to spend a bit of time indoors. OutDoors was a huge triumph, in more ways than one.