• High interest in trailrunning and new fitness trends
• Great satisfaction at exhibitors and visitors
• Strong online reach with Tmall collaboration
From the latest fitness and outdoor trends to innovative technologies for textiles through to novel equipment: ISPO SHANGHAI, held on July 6–8, gave around 14,000 trade visitors a glimpse into the latest trends and innovations. The number of exhibitors at the Once again, the trade fair attracted ted a large number of exhibitors in the halls of the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center (SNIEC) has grown to 572 this year. The collaboration with Tmall, China’s largest B2C online retailer, ensured an even higher reach also with end consumers, generating over two million likes and 40,000 comments.
Klaus Dittrich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München, said: “At ISPO SHANGHAI, it was clearly visible how much enthusiasm there is for new sports products and trends in China. The market is enjoying continual growth and there is a real thirst for knowledge.” What technologies will be put in sports shoes in future? Which fabrics and colours are going to be on trend in the new season? And where do experts see the biggest potential for the Chinese market? At the ISPO ACADEMY, representatives from the sports industry provided the audience with valuable insights. The “Football Talk” discussion, with former professional soccer player and FIFA member Wynton Rufer and Emerson Shiromaru from Brazilian sports equipment supplier Penalty, showed that China is well on its way to the top of international soccer. Developing new talent, building infrastructure and new sales markets formed the focus of the discussion.
Running is one of the most popular sports in China, so there was barely a spare seat to be found at the Asia Pacific Trail Running Summit. This popularity was also demonstrated at the ISPO SHANGHAI Morning Run, with around 400 runners taking part. The ISPO Rock Climbing Show demonstrated, among other things, how Augmented Reality can be used in climbing to help get children interested in sports. This also a top priority for the Chinese government. Together with the Shanghai Administration of Sport, ISPO SHANGHAI organized the China Kids Sport Industry Development Forum. Here, government representatives and sports experts discussed possible methods and solutions for motivating the next generation to get involved with sports.
There was also a great deal of interest in the subject of sustainability, which was given its own forum at the trade fair for the first time: “Brands for Good.” As well as showcasing sustainable products and sharing background information, tips on production processes were also provided.
Successful Partnerships
Thanks to the collaboration with Tmall, one of China’s largest online B2C retailers, ISPO SHANGHAI gave its exhibitors direct access to Chinese consumers during the trade fair and thereby online reach beyond the halls. Users were able to purchase exhibitors’ products from the current collection directly online and inform themselves about the latest trends. A total of over two million likes and 40,000 comments were generated, ensuring good interaction between the industry and the consumer.
Sports Tech Asia was held in conjunction with ISPO SHANGHAI for the first time. Under the slogan “Outdoor technology. Smart sports. Future fashion.” visitors were given the opportunity to make contacts from other industries and to learn about technological innovations in the sports sector such as machines for outdoor products like the use of 3D printing in the production of sport shoes.
ISPO SHANGHAI in figures
One day before the trade fair itself opened its doors, the ISPO Open Demo Day kicked off proceedings. More than 270 retailers, distributors, media representatives, and sports enthusiasts took advantage of this opportunity to test the latest products on site and to make some initial new contacts. The lively atmosphere continued in full force over the days that followed. Around 14,000 visitors filled the corridors and halls of the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center (SNIEC). A total of 572 exhibitors, an increase of 22 percent from the previous event, and 668 brands were in attendance to showcase their product innovations across three halls and were more than satisfied with how the trade fair went.
The next ISPO SHANGHAI event will be taking place between July 5 and 7, 2018.
In the meantime, ISPO BEIJING is set to be held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing from January 24 to 27, 2018.
For more information about ISPO, go to visit shanghai.ispo.com.
Exhibitor Statements:
Mr. Alex Koska, Managing Director, Fjällräven
We are in the Chinese market for nine years. China is one of our key markets by now. ISPO SHANGHAI is very important for us to meet our contacts. This is essential for business success in China. We shared this experience at this year’s ISPO Market Introduction Program. These kind of platforms are important in terms of exchange knowledge, create new ideas and to grow globally as a brand.
Ms. Amy Xu, Project Manager, Shanghai Easigo Outdoor Equipment Co., Ltd
We have exhibited at ISPO SHANGHAI since its first opening. The exhibition is very popular. There is even an indoor pool for professional athletes and customers to test the products personally. The visitor flow is great this year. We will continue to support ISPO SHANGHAI in the future.
Ms. Cassie, Zhang, Channel Manager for Consumer and Home, Sui Sheng Fitness【Anita, CEP, Triggerpoint】
ISPO SHANGHAI is a very good platform for brands, agents and distributors to communicate. We have participated in every ISPO SHANGHAI. Each time we would meet new friends and find new opportunities. The exhibition this year is very popular. We are grateful to have a platform as ISPO SHANGHAI.
Mr. Dean Qi, CEO, SIGG OUTDOORS INVESTMENT CO., LTD.
It is actually very natural for us to choose ISPO SHANGHAI in China, because we’ve been a partner of ISPO for decades. We have a strong connection with ISPO and we believe the bond will become even stronger in the future. We are all overwhelmed by the atmosphere and think this is what ISPO stands for.
Ms. Fiona Wang, Vice President &Marketing Director, ORPC
Specialized in water sports products for 26 years, we exhibit at over 20 exhibitions every year. ISPO is very important to us. We have participated in ISPO MUNICH, ISPO BEIJING and ISPO SHANGHAI in a row. We think ISPO SHANGHAI is particularly aware of its brand image and the promotion of the sports spirit. So it is an exact match of our brand concept. Participation at ISPO SHANGHAI is very helpful for our brand and product promotion.
Mr. Frankie Liu, Brand Director, NANJING YVETTE SPORTS DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD
This is our third exhibition. ISPO SHANGHAI is very well known in the industry and there are a lot of visitors at the exhibition. We received a lot of customers and they have taken nearly all the print materials we had at our booth.
Ms. Jenny Shih, Asia-Pacific Marketing Director, LP
LP has supported ISPO SHANGHAI since its first opening. The visitor quality and number has both grown a lot this year. There are a lot of department store groups and VIP groups at the exhibition. I believe that LP will have more, closer cooperation with ISPO in the future to create more business opportunities.
Mr. Max Liang, Sales Manager, KIZER
For us, ISPO SHANGHAI is the biggest, most high-end sports exhibition in China, which is very desirable. We will also exhibit at ISPO BEIJING, so it is obvious that we are having a close cooperation. We met a lot of fans at the exhibition. There are many brands present. We think the overall result is very good.
Mr. Peng Gao, Marketing Manager, REHBAND
REHBAND’s exhibition at the ISPO SHANGHAI last year was considered a new start of our brand in the domestic market in China, because we had a particularly successful year since then. This is our second exhibition and we feel like growing together with ISPO SHANGHAI. The exhibition has grown rapidly. It is very successful in the promotion of exhibiting brands and visitor recruitment. We will continue to support ISPO SHANGHAI next year and the years to come.
Mr. Pinghua Dai, General Manager, TRESPASS
We believe that, for the outdoor world, ISPO SHANGHAI is a leading platform in China. The exhibition is globally acknowledged and attracts visitors from all over China as well as other parts of Asia. There are a lot of support programs this year: buyers groups, customer groups and Tmall online show. We have collected a lot of customer contacts and the result looks promising.
Mr. Raphael Wang, Marketing Center, Sino Lithium (Suzhou) Electric Technology Co., Ltd.
ISPO SHANGHAI stands for professional and trendy outdoor experience, which is exactly the essence for us. We hope ISPO SHANGHAI will become better in the future and we will certainly give it our best support.
Mr. Ron F. Tong, CEO Asia, LORNA JANE
Given that we’re already in the Shanghai market, it will be the beneficial time for us along with ISPO SHANGHAI. And ISPO SHANGHAI for us today has been really quite good, because we’ve connected with amount number of potential clients for us. We’ll be very satisfied with our time here with ISPO SHANGHAI.
Ms. Shine Liu, Marketing Manager, Jiangsu Fenix Outdoor Inc.
We have exhibited at every ISPO SHANGHAI and ISPO BEIJING. This year, we have met a lot of outdoor sports fans and reporters from different sports media. We are satisfied with the results.
Mr. Soo-hoon Chae, General Director, Korea Outdoor & Sports Industry Association, Korea
We can see a big improvement compared to the trade show last year. The new hall structure with its three theme words work very well. And we can see a huge potential for some focus areas like Wearable Technology here at ISPO SHANGHAI 2017.
Mr. Tomas Tauchman, General Manager, Alpine Pro, Tschech Republic
We have decided to come to ISPO SHANGHAI to expand our presence in the Chinese market. There is a huge potential in the youth and also the government is supporting this development. We want to be part of this development and one of the first ski brands in China. Together with ISPO we want to explore and develop this market.
Mr. Victor Chen, Market Center, Thaiwoo Lifestyle Properties Co., Ltd. Chongli
We trust the ISPO brand very much. At ISPO SHANGHAI 2017, we have met many new faces as well as old friends. It is truly a great event for the entire industry. We have not only made contact with very good users, but also many winter sports enthusiasts. So we think the result is very satisfactory.
Mr. Vojtech Burianek, CEO, Haven, Tschech Republic
We are at the first time at ISPO SHANGHAI. Our aim is to find distributors we can work with. The Chinese market is growing enormously. People living a healthier lifestyle and they want to buy good and high quality sport products and equipment. ISPO SHANGHAI is a good platform to show our products and hopefully entering the market.
Mr. Wayne Howarth, Brand Manager, Gola Sport , UK
It's our second time at ISPO SHANGHAI. As we found good contacts here last time, we've decided to come back. The networking opportunities are great and we're looking forward to the next trade show in 2018.
Mr. Xiaosong Gao, Deputy General Manager, SHUHUA CO., LTD.
We have exhibited at ISPO for many years. Our exhibition this year at ISPO SHANGHAI is a new attempt to promote SHUHUA’s concept “make sports simpler” to more people in China. I believe we will have more cooperation in the future and we plan to exhibit again next year.
Mr. Yonglin Bao, General Manager, Tecnica China
This is our third participation at ISPO SHANGHAI. It has grown better every year, so we will continue to support the exhibition in the future.
Mr. Zichao Ni, Sales Director, Rich Loafer【Marmot】
We have contacted with a lot of new clients as well as old friends at ISPO SHANGHAI this year, which make us achieve the desired goal. We are looking forward to cooperating much further with ISPO in the future.
About ISPO
SPORTS. BUSINESS. CONNECTED. As a global sports business platform, ISPO acts as a partner to the sports industry. The ISPO family of brands includes the largest multi-segment trade fairs for sports business professionals in the world, encompassing ISPO MUNICH, ISPO BEIJING, and ISPO SHANGHAI, the ISPO.COM online news portal together with its own editorial team, and the ISPO ACADEMY, ISPO OPEN INNOVATION, ISPO BRANDNEW, ISPO AWARD, ISPO JOB MARKET, and ISPO TEXTRENDS BUSINESS SOLUTIONS. By bringing together all of these strands, ISPO is able to offer companies support at every stage of development on the global sports markets all year round—identifying relevant market developments, driving forward innovation, and pooling specialized consumer experts so that guidance on the international markets can be provided.
Messe München
Messe München is one of the world’s leading trade fair companies. It organizes over 50 exhibitions for capital and consumer goods and new technologies. Each year, more than 50,000 exhibitors and some three million visitors take part in over 200 events held at the trade fair center in Munich, the ICM—Internationales Congress Center München, the MOC Veranstaltungscenter München, and abroad. Together with its subsidiaries, Messe München organizes exhibitions in China, India, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria, Vietnam, and Iran. Messe München has a global presence with a network of affiliates in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America and around 70 representative offices abroad serving more than 100 countries.
