a pause in the OutDoor by ISPO show<\/a>, after low exhibitor and visitor participation, planning a possible return in 2026. ISPO itself had to rethink its format and underwent a complete overhaul, repositioning itself as a broader business platform connecting different segments of sports and lifestyle. This movement reinforces that the traditional trade show model has been challenged worldwide.<\/p>\nIt is within this context that Switchback emerges, bringing back the energy and anticipation that many industry veterans had been missing.<\/p>\n
![\"Outdoor](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/switchback-feira-outdoor-eua-2025.jpg\")
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Switchback Spring 2025 – Max Photography, Austin<\/p>\n
What is Switchback?<\/h2>\n
Switchback was born out of The Running Event (TRE), a trade show specialized in running. After a \u201ctest run\u201d in November 2024 within TRE, it held its independent debut in June 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Switchback](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/switchback-feira-logo.webp\")
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Numbers from the first edition:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- 1,300 participants<\/li>\n
- 194 exhibiting brands<\/li>\n
- 290 retailers from 41 states and 9 countries<\/li>\n
- 2,787 m\u00b2 of exhibition space<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A solid start, but the most important aspect was the sense of reunion \u2014 the feeling that the industry finally had a vibrant place to connect again.<\/p>\n
What makes Switchback different?<\/h2>\n
Switchback positions itself clearly and strategically:<\/p>\n
\n- In-person connection first<\/strong> \u2013 After years of virtual meetings, the show gave the industry back the chance for face-to-face encounters, something many describe as \u201cthe soul of the sector.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Intimate and inclusive format<\/strong> \u2013 Booths were limited to 6.1m x 6.1m, leveling the field between major brands like Merrell, The North Face, and Arc\u2019teryx and emerging companies. This ensured that no one was \u201covershadowed\u201d by massive marketing budgets.<\/li>\n
- Focus on specialty retail<\/strong> \u2013 Small retailers took center stage, with discussions on real challenges such as Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies and tight margins in the face of direct brand discounts. The goal is to build community through local initiatives \u2014 from running clubs to happy hours.<\/li>\n
- Relevant educational content<\/strong> \u2013 Panels and talks covered topics such as tariffs, sustainability, partnership strategies, and consumer behavior. Jim Weber, former CEO of Brooks Running, opened the event speaking about the industry\u2019s \u201cmoment of change.\u201d<\/li>\n
- New look at the consumer<\/strong> \u2013 Kelly Davis, from the Outdoor Industry Association, presented a segmentation into Core (5.1%), Active (49.7%), and Casual (42%). The message: it\u2019s not enough to speak only to \u201chardcore\u201d enthusiasts. The strength of the market lies in the Active and Casual audiences, who also seek well-being and nature-based experiences.<\/li>\n
- Strategic partnerships<\/strong> \u2013 The show partners with OIA, Leave No Trace, 1% for the Planet, and The Conservation Alliance, reinforcing its alignment with conservation, diversity, and inclusion themes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"Switchback](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/switchback-feira-outdoor-eua.webp\")
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Switchback Spring 2025 – Max Photography, Austin<\/p>\n
What the organizers say: lessons from the first edition<\/h2>\n
In an interview with the Rock Fight podcast \u2013 *The Switchback Post Mortem*, Christina Henderson, director of Switchback, highlighted three key points:<\/p>\n
\n- The event\u2019s energy was so strong that even brands that didn\u2019t participate were talking about it in the weeks that followed.<\/li>\n
- The main challenge for 2026 will be establishing Switchback as a fixed event on the calendar, not just a novelty.<\/li>\n
- The long-term vision is for Switchback to be more than \u201cthree days in a convention center\u201d \u2014 to become an ongoing connection platform, with content, data, and networking throughout the year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These statements reinforce the idea that Switchback aims to be more than just a trade show \u2014 it wants to become the new hub of the outdoor industry.<\/p>\n
Switchback vs Outdoor Retailer: who leads today?<\/h2>\n
Outdoor Retailer still exists and continues to hold editions \u2014 OR Summer 2025, for example, gathered over 290 exhibitors. However, the event no longer includes the major outdoor brands, compromising its relevance as the \u201cmain trade show.\u201d Switchback, on the other hand, arrived with a streamlined, modern, and collaborative format, quickly winning over retailers, suppliers, and key associations. In practice, it is taking on the role OR once had: the industry\u2019s central meeting space, but now adapted to a new reality.<\/p>\n
When and where are the next editions?<\/h2>\n\n- Switchback @ TRE 2025:<\/strong> December 2\u20134, in San Antonio, TX.<\/li>\n
- Switchback Spring 2026:<\/strong> June 16\u201318, in New Orleans, LA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Conclusion: a promising future<\/h2>\n
Switchback is already being recognized as \u201cthe trade show the industry needed.\u201d Its inclusive format, educational focus, and emphasis on specialty retail immediately resonated with attendees.<\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t attended the show yet, but I have a feeling I\u2019ll relive the energy of the great trade shows of the past \u2014 only in a more human and connected format.<\/p>\n
As Christina Henderson said, the success of Switchback will be measured by the energy and atmosphere it creates \u2014 and judging by its debut, the future looks bright.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The outdoor industry in the United States is undergoing a profound transformation. For decades, the Outdoor Retailer (OR) was the main gathering point for the sector, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, the show lost momentum, attendance dropped, and in its most recent editions, it no longer featured the major brands of the industry. This gap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1096,"featured_media":35296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1334],"tags":[1335,1825],"class_list":["post-35424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-events","tag-trade-shows"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1096"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Switchback](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/switchback-feira-outdoor-spring-2025.webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Outdoor](\"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/outdoor-retailer-2024-EUA.webp\")
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