Twenty-five of the outdoor industry’s biggest brands鈥攊ncluding Patagonia, REI, and The North Face鈥攈ave a message for Outdoor Retailer in advance of the trade show’s decision about where its next home will be: “We will not support or attend an event in Utah,” the businesses say.

The statement, published today in a press release by The Conservation Alliance, cites Utah’s spotty public-lands record as the main reason for the decision.

“Despite widespread industry objections, Emerald [Outdoor Retailer’s parent company] has demonstrated a continued interest in moving the Outdoor Retailer trade show to Utah, a state that leads the fight against designated national monuments and public lands,” the release read. “Industry leaders are expressing their support for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and its longstanding efforts to protect the homeland of the Tribes and Pueblos with cultural ties to the Bears Ears landscape [in Utah].”

A Long-Simmering Debate Boils Over

Anyone following Outdoor Retailer in the news over the past several months might have seen this coming. At the end of 2022, the trade show鈥檚 current five-year contract with the City of Denver will expire, and politicians from both Colorado and Utah are publicly appealing to Emerald to win the next one.

In January, Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Colorado Governor Jared Polis sent a letter to Emerald, urging show organizers to keep the event in Denver. 鈥淭he leaders of the outdoor industry have spoken with an articulate and strong voice that this cornerstone event belongs in a state that shares its values on public land and recreation,” Bennet, Hickenlooper, and Polis wrote at the time.

In Utah, Governor Spencer Cox has been busy with his own appeal. In September 2021, he released a video laying out his case for bringing the show back to the Beehive State. “We’re working with key stakeholders and the Department of the Interior to establish sustainable ways to manage Bears Ears National Monument and other cherished public lands,鈥� Cox said in the video, an indication that he understands how important the issue is to Outdoor Retailer’s customers.

Responding to the news, OR show director Marisa Nicholson told OBJ that Emerald is still weighing its options and hasn’t come to a decision about where the trade show’s next home will be.

“We have been in ongoing conversations with many across our industry and are taking all input and perspectives into consideration,” said Nicholson. “We appreciate the passion and respect everyone’s point of view. No decisions around future dates or location have been decided at this time, and we look forward to sharing our thoughts in the coming days.”

Complicating the situation is the trade show’s already fraught history with the State of Utah. Prior to staging in Denver, the show lived for years in Salt Lake City. In 2018, it moved to Denver to protest then-Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s support of the shrinking of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. Colorado welcomed the show鈥攁nd the tens of millions of dollars in local economic impact it promised to bring with it鈥攚ith open arms.

鈥淲e are ready to roll out the welcome mat,鈥� Hickenlooper, then Colorado鈥檚 governor, said when the show came to The Mile High City. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 wait to greet our new visitors and enjoy the energy and momentum this will bring to the region.鈥�

Continued Resistance to a Utah Trade Show

The announcement about Outdoor Retailer鈥檚 next home is expected any day. After OR Summer in 2021,听Nicholson said听there鈥檚 鈥渁 really good chance鈥� the show stays in Denver, but that if it doesn鈥檛, it will relocate to Anaheim, Las Vegas, Orlando, or Salt Lake City.

鈥淎t the end of the day, this is the industry鈥檚 show,鈥� Nicholson said in August of last year. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to continue to host the show where the industry wants it to be.鈥�

As of this week, that decision might be made simpler for OR. Even if show organizers have softened on Utah, it鈥檚 clear many of their customers haven鈥檛鈥攁nd it鈥檚 difficult to imagine Emerald would go forward with plans for a Utah event with so many of its prominent exhibitors in fierce opposition.

鈥淚n 2017, REI strongly supported the decision to move the outdoor industry trade show out of Utah when the state鈥檚 leadership refused to protect duly designated national monuments and natural treasures,鈥� said Ben Steele, REI鈥檚 chief customer officer, in today鈥檚 release. 鈥淩EI will not participate in any OR trade show in [Utah]鈥攏or will we send members of our merchandising or other co-op teams鈥攕o long as Utah persists in attacking our public lands and the laws that听protect them.鈥�

Ryan Gellert, Patagonia鈥檚 CEO, puts forward a similar sentiment in the release. 鈥淥ur position on the location of the Outdoor Retailer trade show remains clear and unchanged: the show belongs in a state whose top officials value and seek to protect public lands,鈥� he wrote.

It鈥檚 possible OR could survive in Utah even without the support of these big exhibitors. Even with a move to Salt Lake City, hundreds of brands would likely still attend. The event also wouldn鈥檛 be alone on the Utah trade-show circuit. The Big Gear Show鈥攁nother of the industry鈥檚 prominent events鈥攈osted its inaugural show in Park City last summer, and plans to return there for a second iteration this year. Big Gear Show show organizers could not immediately be reached for comment about their position on hosting a trade event in Utah.

Brands Joining the Protest

The following brands joined The Conservation Alliance in signing the statement released today.

• REI
• Patagonia
• The North Face
• Public Lands
• Keen Footwear
• Oboz Footwear
• Kelty
• Sierra Designs
• Peak Design
• Toad&Co
• Scarpa
• MiiR
• NEMO Equipment
• Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry
• Smartwool
• Therm-A-Rest
• MSR
• Timberland
• Helinox
• GU Energy Labs
• La Sportiva
• Alpacka Raft
• Icebreaker
• 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫

Concluding the release, leaders from these brands wrote, 鈥淪o long as Utah鈥檚 elected delegation continues its assault on public lands and the laws designed to protect them, Emerald faces a choice: move the show to Utah and ensure that many of the key players in the outdoor industry will not return to Utah with the trade show, or work with the industry leaders to shape a future trade show that balances the interests and values of industry members and partners.鈥�

Does 鈥楴o鈥� to Utah Mean 鈥榊es鈥� to Colorado?

The big question, of course, is whether these signatory brands鈥攎any of which have not attended OR since before the pandemic鈥攚ill come back to the show even if it does stay in Denver. In the last two years, many have found workable alternatives to attending OR. And there鈥檚 some indication that, while once a pandemic necessity, these workarounds are starting to become the status quo.

In the coming days, 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal will be reaching out to the businesses on the above list for more details regarding their trade show plans in 2023 and beyond.

The post Patagonia, REI, The North Face, and Others Say They Won鈥檛 Attend Outdoor Retailer if It Moves to Utah appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The Conservation Alliance today opened applications for its inaugural Confluence Program, which aims to provide grants to historically marginalized people working in conservation. In its announcement of the program, The Conservation Alliance noted its lack of member organizations who represent these groups.听

鈥淕reat things happen when a diverse coalition of voices and perspectives comes together to champion solutions that balance the best interests of land and water, wildlife, and people,鈥� the announcement said. 鈥淵et, our network of partners includes few groups representing historically racially marginalized people. The Confluence Program is a first step in helping to create new systems and structures that bring all of the groups, organizations, and businesses committed to this work closer together to protect our shared natural places.鈥�

The program鈥檚 introduction comes after the Alliance signed the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge in 2020. It plans to focus on racially marginalized groups for the first round of grants, but may expand to others in the future.听

Each grantee will receive $50,000 in 2021 and $50,000 in 2022, but must first meet three criteria:

1. Groups must self-identify as led by historically racially marginalized people. (Asian, Black, Brown, Indigenous, Latinx, and other People of Color)
2. Projects must protect land and/or water in their efforts to foster a planet where natural places, wildlife, and people thrive together.听
3. Projects must elevate voices and perspectives of people working to protect a natural place.

If you believe your organization qualifies, you can learn more and submit an application on their website.

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Earth Day is upon us once more. Ahead of the big day tomorrow, brands small and large across the industry are spreading the word about ways to get involved. As outdoor enthusiasts and businesspeople, our home planet, as Patagonia calls it, supports us in everything we do. Consider taking a little extra time tomorrow to look after that planet in whatever way you can. If you need some inspiration for doing good this Earth Day, here are five ways you can pitch in.

Donate Shoes to Divert Them from the Landfill

Footwear is notoriously under-recycled and terrible for the environment when it ends up in landfills. 国产吃瓜黑料, our parent company, has launched a shoe drive in cooperation with the Tennessee-based organization this Earth Day to collect used footwear and make sure it doesn’t end up in the dump. Each pair donated will either be recycled or shipped to micro-enterprises around the world with the aim of alleviating poverty in developing countries.

Give Your Old Socks Second Life

While you’re at it, you might as well deal with all those ratty, worn-down socks taking up space in your dresser drawer, too. Smartwool has launched an initiative called the Second Cut Project that takes old socks and upcycles them into new products like dog beds.

Starting today through May 2, consumers can celebrate Earth Day by recycling any brand or material of sock in any condition (as long as they鈥檙e clean) at drop-off bins at more than 250 participating specialty retailers nationwide. A pre-paid postage recycling bag that fits ten to 15 pairs of socks is also available through the Smartwool website when a purchase is made.

Go Earth Day 鈥淧logging鈥� with Fj盲llr盲ven

Plogging is the Swedish activity of picking up trash while walking or jogging. It’s a great way to get out of the house with a purpose tomorrow. To celebrate Earth Day this year, Fj盲llr盲ven will be offering plogging kits free for pickup at any North American brand center. Anyone who picks up a kit will also get a coupon for $50 off their next in-store purchase.

Shop Online to Support Wild Spaces

Starting today and running through April 27, the Conservation Alliance鈥檚 annual #WeKeepItWild campaign is bringing together outdoor brands that will donate five percent of online sales to support wild spaces. Participating companies this year include Backpacker鈥檚 Pantry, Gregory Packs, Helly Hansen, Royal Robbins, Ruffwear, Toad&Co, and more. If you’re planning some online shopping this week, make sure it’s with a brand that has signed up for the campaign.

Make a Pledge to Clean up Public Lands

#PickUpAmerica, an initiative from the RV brand Thor, is challenging outdoor lovers to hold themselves accountable for cleaning up public lands. The campaign includes a pledge measured in garbage bags: 鈥淚 pledge to be the difference and clean up: X garbage bag(s) of trash from public lands,鈥� the promise states, asking users to fill in a number of bags. Participants are prompted to give their name and email address to hold themselves accountable.

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate the planet and make our shared spaces a little cleaner this Earth Day, head over to the website and commit yourself to a few bags.

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Let’s get this out of the way: Banking isn’t sexy. It’s harder to talk about than solar power. It鈥檚 harder to sell than responsibly sourced down. It鈥檚 boring. But think of it like a good mob front: The more mundane the exterior, the more it has to hide. Last year, the Conservation Alliance made waves by leaving Bank of America after a two-decade financial relationship. Four years before that, the Sierra Club Foundation jumped ship on Union Bank for Amalgamated Bank, a little-known institution with limited services. Each of these switches was a cutting-edge, revolutionary statement鈥攁nd a lot harder to pull off than you might think.

What鈥檚 the Big Deal?

For one, it鈥檚 a huge pain to switch banks. There are papers to sign, meetings to attend, payroll and bills to move over. Companies just don鈥檛 do it. So if you鈥檙e a big firm, gathering up your things and walking out is a surefire way to send a message that you鈥檙e not happy. And the aforementioned nonprofits were not happy.

After all, Bank of America was providing more than $48 billion per year in financing to fossil fuel companies. A chunk of that money belonged to the Conservation Alliance, which had spent two decades working to prevent Arctic drilling. When the nonprofit asked Bank of America to pledge not to invest in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge pipeline projects, it refused the request. Like we said: not happy.

The Secret Life of Money

Here鈥檚 how bank investing works: You deposit money in your account. You start making interest, which is a fraction of the interest your bank is making on your money. That鈥檚 their business model: Banks keep your savings safe, and in return, they get to invest them in whatever they want鈥攚hatever they feel will be most lucrative.

Right now, in this global economy, that鈥檚 fossil fuels. It鈥檚 fast fashion. It鈥檚 deforestation operations and palm oil plantations. It鈥檚 Big Tobacco. It鈥檚 single-use plastics. It鈥檚 all the things that the outdoor industry has rejected鈥攁t least, in theory.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want our money to be leveraged to finance the very things we鈥檙e fighting against,鈥� says Dan Chu, executive director of the Sierra Club Foundation, which pulled its $30 million in assets from Union Bank in 2016. At the time, Union had just merged with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which was funding the company behind the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Sierra Club Foundation could keep trying to stop the pipeline, but banking with Union would effectively undo every effort. So, it switched to Amalgamated Bank, which has high sustainability and social-justice investing standards.

Likewise, the Conservation Alliance ultimately moved to Bank of the West, a 1% for the Planet member that has begun divesting from fossil fuels and other environmentally harmful industries.

These switches are great success stories, but in the outdoor industry, they鈥檙e rarities.

Where the Outdoor Industry Banks

In reporting this story, The Voice asked 15 brands where they bank. Brands with Bank of the West, Amalgamated, or credit unions were happy to reply. A few others, like Snowsports Industries America and Patagonia, revealed that they were shopping around for a new institution, but declined to mention their current banking partners.

REI did point to its relationship with U.S. Bank, which hosts the REI MasterCard program. And VF Corp. acknowledged working with 鈥渕any different banks,鈥� including Bank of New York Mellon. Every other brand declined to comment.

A likely truth is that most outdoor companies bank with the biggest in the US: JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and U.S. Bank (see sidebar).

鈥淭he banking system is hard,鈥� says Howard Fischer. Fischer is the CEO of hedge fund Basso Capital Management and co-founder of Gratitude Railroad, an investment firm dedicated to impact investing. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e a company with hundreds of billions of dollars flowing in and out of the coffers, you need a pretty sophisticated bank. With that much money involved, it鈥檚 hard not to deal with mainstream banks.鈥� But the status quo isn鈥檛 pretty.

鈥淔or a big bank that鈥檚 a large financier of the fossil fuel industry, five percent of their portfolio might be in fossil fuels,鈥� says Ben Stuart, head of growth and transformation and chief marketing officer at Bank of the West. 鈥淔ive percent is a big number.鈥�

The Carbon Footprint Fallacy

There鈥檚 another, more abstract problem with dragging your feet about a bank switch: The longer banks remain comfortable, the longer the power structure remains intact, says Auden Schendler, senior VP of sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company. That means big banks keep funding Big Oil, Big Oil keeps funding lobbyists, lobbyists keep controlling policy, and things like carbon pricing鈥攚hich听Fischer sees as essential for real climate impact鈥攏ever become law.

Meanwhile, outdoorspeople remain hyperfocused on small, personal steps like biking to work and recycling鈥攚hich, says Schendler, is exactly what extractive industries want.

鈥淭he fossil fuel industry wants a ski resort to aggressively reduce its carbon footprint,鈥� Schendler says. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 impact them at all, and the power structure stays in place. Plus, it means the ski resort is taking responsibility for its own carbon footprint when it鈥檚 really the fossil fuel company that鈥檚 to blame.鈥� Unless coupled with some kind of real power play, campaigns that encourage recycling and biking to work, Schendler claims, are just distractions.

Conversely, when a big firm changes its bank, that sends a strong financial message鈥攖he only kind of message that can really push at power, Fischer says. The switch also sends a message to customers.

An End to Greenwashing

As hard as it is, dumping your bank might be the easiest way to show your brand cares about the environment, says Chu. For one thing, it鈥檚 cut and dried. Ask brands about their DEI efforts or commitment to sustainability, and it鈥檚 easy to retreat into marketing jargon and greenwashing. But ask them where they bank? They鈥檙e either funding fossil fuel extraction, or they鈥檙e not. Responsible banking is the outdoor industry鈥檚 chance to get real鈥攚ith itself and with its customers鈥攁bout its commitment to the environment.

In recent years, the industry has focused largely on greening up its supply chains. Robinson says brands can look at financiers and insurance companies as part of those supply chains鈥攁nd subject them to just as much scrutiny as shipping or manufacturing partners.

Plus, with increased awareness around responsible banking, making the switch can give your brand a competitive edge.

Ryan Hartegan, founder of Golden State Guiding in California, moved his company to Bank of the West in the summer of 2020.

鈥淚 just wanted to do it on a moral level,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want my money, whether it was a drop in the bucket or not, supporting the fossil fuel industry anymore.鈥� What he didn鈥檛 expect: the wave of support and attention his brand got after announcing the switch.

鈥淔rom a marketing standpoint, it was really good for the business. It gave us something else to talk about to show that we鈥檙e more than just a guide service,鈥� Hartegan says.

Harsh Realities

For the Sierra Club Foundation, the whole process of switching banks took around 18 months. For the Conservation Alliance, the process is ongoing. But onerous paperwork isn鈥檛 the only hurdle.

The responsible-banking industry is painfully young. Patagonia says it鈥檚 鈥渁ctively researching鈥� new banks, but few are big enough to handle a complex global business, CEO Ryan Gellert told OBJ.

鈥淭here are divestment activities happening at banks, but I would say there are no green banks of scale,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hat we need is global banks to really embrace a different way of doing things…The harsh reality is I think none of them are all that progressive.鈥�

One issue is that awareness surrounding clean finance is fairly new. Another barrier is that fossil fuels, Big Agriculture, and other 鈥渄irty鈥� industries are so lucrative that many banks aren鈥檛 willing to kick them curbside, even under an avalanche of public pressure.

Take Bank of America, for example. Even after a dozen global

banks bowed to public outrage and pledged not to fund Arctic Refuge drilling, Bank of America stayed its course for nearly a year, remaining the only major US bank to do so. It wasn鈥檛 until November 2020鈥攁bout a month after Conservation Alliance left鈥攖hat it formally pledged not to provide project financing for Arctic Refuge oil.

鈥淔rom a bank鈥檚 perspective, it comes down to how much revenue you generate from these activities that harm the planet,鈥� says Bank of the West鈥檚 Stuart. 鈥淵ou have to get to the point where the revenue that鈥檚 leaving starts to outweigh the revenue the bank is gaining.鈥�

The Tipping Point

To save the planet, banks need to change. For banks to change, it鈥檚 going to take a lot: public pressure, bad press, big defections, and a landslide of lost customers, says Fischer. Fortunately, you don鈥檛 have to switch your entire operation to start rocking the boat.

If a responsible bank doesn鈥檛 offer international wiring or other services you need, it鈥檚 probably because they鈥檙e not big enough yet, explains Chu. You can move the bulk of your assets to a responsible investing account without completely giving up your old bank. That still sends a message, and it kicks off positive impacts. Relocating your cash not only shrinks the pool of money that dirty industries can pull from; it also helps responsible institutions grow big enough to offer more services and attract other high-profile clients, he says.

If you can start the process, start. And be vocal about it.

鈥淚f your bank is doing something you don鈥檛 like, tell them,鈥� Robinson says. 鈥淏anks need to know that consumers are paying attention.”

What’s the Damage?

Collectively, the 11 outdoor behemoths we investigated (see below) had $5,885,159,000 in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments according to Q3 2020 SEC reports. If 5 percent of each portfolio goes to extractive industries, that鈥檚 $294,257,950 funding extraction annually.

The post How Banks Are Undercutting the Industry鈥檚 Sustainability Goals appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Earlier this month, The Conservation Alliance announced that it would end its association with Bank of America over concerns about the institution’s commitment to environmental protection, abruptly severing a partnership that has lasted for years.

“Today, we are announcing our decision to divest all assets from our longtime bank and financial partner, Bank of America, in order to align our investments with our values,” the organization wrote in a public statement on October 10.

The Conservation Alliance announced that it would transfer its business to Bank of the West immediately.

“No bank is perfect, but we are impressed with [Bank of the West’s] move away from fossil fuels and support of groups like The Conservation Alliance, 1 percent for the Planet, and Protect Our Winters. We will regularly assess the financial institutions we work with to ensure our investments support our vision of a planet where wild places, wildlife, and people thrive together,” the organization wrote.

This week, OBJ spoke with The Conservation Alliance’s executive director, Brady Robinson, about the reasoning behind the decision.

Why has The Conservation Alliance decided to sever ties with Bank of America?

Our initial concerns had to do with protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We’ve been funding the Alaskan Wilderness League on this work for nearly 20 years, and we’ve been with Bank of America for nearly as long. A number of other banks over the years have taken public stands not to fund oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but there was one that didn’t, and it was the one we happened to bank with.

It just didn’t look or feel good. We respectfully but forcefully engaged with Bank of America, and they listened to us. I think the fact that we represent a coalition of over 200 businesses got their attention. We had discussions with them, and some of our member companies had discussions with them as well, but ultimately they elected not to change their public stance. That’s when听we decided it was time for us to leave.

Can any company truly call itself sustainable without taking a close look at its banking?

Maybe not. It’s time we all examined the issue more closely. A lot of companies have been taking a hard look at their supply chains from a sustainability and听human rights听perspective, and I think financial institutions have, for the most part, been conveniently excluded from that scrutiny. We’re interested in drawing attention to the financial sector in this way. Who you bank with should be included in your supply chain analysis, because banking with a certain institution is a tacit听endorsement of their business activities and who they’re investing with.

It’s also a good way to call attention to issues you care about. For us specifically, the decision helped us draw attention to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, apply some pressure on Bank of America, educate our membership a little bit, and generally elevate the issue.

How hard is it to change banks?

We’re relatively small, so for us it’s easier than for larger groups. But to be clear, even for us it was still a pain in the ass. Banks are sticky. You get used to your checking account and you have all your automatic withdrawals set up. You have all your credit cards tied to various expenses. Banks use that to their advantage.

Obviously, it’s a lot harder for bigger companies. If you’re a big international corporation, the number of banks that can meet your business needs is probably small. We literally could have gone to a credit union in Bend, Oregon, after leaving Bank of America. The big players in the outdoor industry can’t do that. I think it’s important to note that we’re not trying to pass judgment on our bigger member companies. We’re just encouraging them to ask themselves this question. We are not telling them what the answer is because they have to balance their business needs with their sustainability goals. We’re just calling attention to the issue. And we’re hopeful that our member companies and the industry at large will give this consideration.

Why did you choose Bank of the West as your new financial partner?

We shopped around a little, but ultimately we decided on Bank of the West because we already had a relationship with them鈥攖hey’re a Pinnacle Member of The Conservation Alliance.听They’re really sincere in their support of us and groups like 1 percent for the Planet and Protect Our Winters.

A group like Bank of the West proves that good conservation practices can also be good business practices. They’re making a big stand in this area. They’ve walked away from some lucrative business as a function of their principles. If we can support that by moving our business to them,听that’s great for us.

To be clear, we’re not saying everybody should use Bank of the West. But for us, because we already had a relationship and their commitments align with ours, it was a pretty easy choice.

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How do I apply for a paycheck protection loan? What if I have to furlough employees? How do I pivot my manufacturing to make PPEs? What听if I have to close my business? These are the types of questions the Outdoor Industry Association fielded when its 1,300 member businesses began calculating the economic impacts of the months-long coronavirus quarantine. OIA immediately changed course and established a COVID-19 resource hub, and redirected everyone on staff to work on coronavirus response.

It would have been a challenging pivot in the best of times, but the pandemic came at a crux moment for OIA. The crisis threatens the 31-year-old organization鈥檚 funding model鈥攚hich was already under pressure鈥攁nd OIA鈥檚 new executive director, Lise Aangeenbrug, took office听just a week before stay-at-home orders started shuttering outdoor businesses around the country.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no roadmap for this,鈥� Aangeenbrug said. 鈥淥ur singular goal right now is to help our members survive.鈥�

But by prioritizing its members, OIA is putting off a question of its own, one that it must answer from within: How will OIA survive this? Is OIA itself healthy and strong enough to be the beacon of leadership that the industry needs right now, and in the future?

OIA鈥檚 Complex Relationship with Outdoor Retailer

Even before the crisis, OIA faced a potentially unreliable long-term funding model, with most of its eggs in the basket of Outdoor Retailer. OIA鈥檚 $8.9 million annual revenue comes, in large part, from Outdoor Retailer royalties (58 percent). The remaining revenue comes from Outdoor Foundation donations (18 percent), membership dues (16 percent), and other sponsorships (8 percent).

In many ways, it鈥檚 a smart model because OIA doesn鈥檛 have to constantly ask its members for more money, says Phyllis Grove, OIA board member and VP of marketing and ecommerce at Hydro Flask. (Annual membership fees range from $250 to $30,000 depending on the size and type of the organization.)

However, it also puts OIA at risk. Even with healthy reserves, Aangeenbrug says, OIA needs the national trade show, otherwise it would be in trouble. Now OIA is in that troubling situation. In response to the pandemic, Outdoor Retailer canceled the 2020 Summer Market. A few weeks later, VF Corporation chipped in 15 percent ($55,000) of its Summer Market refund to OIA, recognizing that the cancellation creates 鈥渁 critical funding gap in OIA鈥檚 traditional revenue stream,鈥� Smartwool (part of VF) Brand President Jen McLaren said in a news release. A few other brands鈥擯atagonia, W.L. Gore, Hydro Flask, and NEMO among them鈥攆ollowed suit. And on June 1, OIA made听the tough ask to the broader industry. Nora Stowell, board chair, in a letter urged members to make a donation that replaces the royalty fee brands would have paid through exhibiting costs. 鈥淭he health of OIA is tied to the health of the industry,鈥� she wrote.

鈥淲hen they canceled this year鈥檚 show, I thought, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know how OIA is going to survive,鈥欌�� said Carolyn Brodsky, co-founder of Sterling Rope Company. She has been among those in the industry to question Outdoor Retailer鈥檚 relevance and cost structure, as well as protest OIA鈥檚 dependency on the trade show, but she believes the association has an important leadership role to play.

Peter Sachs is of a similar mindset. As the general manager of LOWA and a member of OIA, he relies on the trade show for business. But, 鈥淭o me, [OIA] sold their soul when they agreed to endorse Outdoor Retailer exclusively,鈥� Sachs said. 鈥淚 wish they had owned it and then gotten an organization like Emerald Expositions to run it for them. OIA鈥檚 future is controlled by a corporation that鈥檚 not in the outdoor, ski, or bike industry. They鈥檙e in the trade show industry.鈥�

Wrestling with Revenue

Revenue diversification has been on OIA鈥檚 slate for the entire 11 years Travis Campbell, VF president of emerging brands and Americas platforms, has served on the board. Because the partnership with Emerald Expositions, Outdoor Retailer鈥檚 owner, remains strong, he says, nothing signaled to the board that they needed to make a sudden, drastic change. Change has always been incremental. For example, new programs like the Skip Yowell Future Leadership Academy and the Futurist Project brought in $100,000 in (combined) sponsorship funds.

In January, OIA gathered a task force to discuss funding alternatives鈥攑art of its ongoing efforts to tackle the problem. By March, when it became clear that its members were focused on trying to meet their own basic financial needs, OIA听decided to table the discussion about its own funding model. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to talk to people about money when they鈥檙e hurting,鈥� Aangeenbrug said.

Another new, revenue-producing program, the Outdoor Industry Business Certificate, was due to launch in early 2020. OIA now expects it to go live later in 2020, with university partners like Utah State University and Western Colorado University. Still, the annual revenue it would generate is small potatoes compared to the more than $5 million from Outdoor Retailer.

鈥淚t鈥檚 time to have a more transparent conversation with our members about funding,鈥� Hydro Flask鈥檚 Grove said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very clear that with the cancellation of the summer show, we have to accelerate the way that we request more money from members.鈥�

Shifting to a direct dues model鈥攁 much higher cost for members鈥攊s the only real solution for relieving OIA entirely of its dependency on Outdoor Retailer, says Campbell. But to do that, he said OIA has to be clear on its value proposition: 鈥淵ou have to deliver a lot of value if you鈥檙e going to ask for more money and that鈥檚 the part we continue to wrestle with.鈥�

Shelley Dunbar, co-owner of Neptune Mountaineering and former co-owner of Sea to Summit, says she would much听rather pay a higher OIA membership rate and see OIA put on its own smaller show than pay gobs of money to the for-profit trade show that鈥檚 often unattainable for the smaller brands who make the industry competitive. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the single biggest expense in our marketing budget,鈥� she said.

As Campbell sees it, though, it鈥檚 not an either/or conversation. He believes that while trade shows overall are struggling, OIA鈥檚 cut from Outdoor Retailer will never drop to zero because he has faith in OR. 鈥淲ho knows, they may not even be called trade shows in the future,鈥� Campbell said. 鈥淏ut OR will figure out an economic model that works for them that supports this industry.鈥�

Time to Shine

During crisis, a trade association has the opportunity to be an invaluable resource. OIA was quick to establish a COVID-19 hub, which Grove found invaluable.

Dunbar, however, wishes OIA used this time to refocus on the trade membership. Yes, fighting for public lands is important, she says, but there are other groups that can and should take the lead, like The Conservation Alliance and The Access Fund. Retailers are a subset of the industry that has been underserved, Brodsky and Dunbar say. 鈥淚t would be beneficial for me if OIA enabled retail members to share information like best practices, best software, and point of sale systems, or if they brought back the Retail Benchmarking Report,鈥� Dunbar said.

There鈥檚 also work to do on the diversity front, both internally and externally. OIA knows it has a responsibility to better integrate more BIPOC voices and make JEDI progress across all programs. And to help members do the same, OIA says it will host facilitated sessions this summer with people from diverse backgrounds educating industry leaders.

Once the pandemic crisis settles down, Aangeenbrug says she looks forward听to getting back to moving the outdoor industry forward. She cites the Climate Action Corps, a program launched in January to help companies reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, as one such initiative. And of course, OIA鈥檚 future funding model will be top of mind as the industry moves into an uncertain trade show future.

Whatever the fix, Brodsky wants to see OIA lead and innovate: 鈥淭his is a time when retailers and organizations and members need their association the most.鈥�

This story originally ran in the Summer 2020 issue of The Voice.

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Outdoor Retailer brings together some of my favorite people in the world, people I am so grateful to call friends and colleagues. I thoroughly enjoy getting together with these fine people of the outdoor and snowsports industry. But the reality is that the thrice-annual OR shows create an enormous carbon footprint and is woefully behind in bringing an industry clamoring for change into the future. It is wasteful of our money, time, and resources, and if there is not a complete overhaul in the format, it will eventually die, and could stunt the growth of struggling brands in the process.

My experience with OR began nine years ago, when I was a marketing department of one. The heritage French outdoor and ski apparel brands I worked for, Millet and Eider, were known and respected within the industry, but failed to break through at the consumer level, largely due to the fact that 70 percent of my marketing budget and time was allocated to attending three national trade shows, leaving insufficient resources to support sell-through. It was incredibly frustrating.

Last week, as news spread of the massive layoffs at Ten鈥攍eaving many of our media friends without jobs and some beloved titles, like Powder, Transworld Snow, and 国产吃瓜黑料 Sports Network in dire straits鈥攖hat frustration with the hyper-inflated cost of OR evolved into anger. We鈥檙e spending thousands of dollars to rent a piece of cheap carpet for our booths, but don鈥檛 have enough budget to support our struggling endemic publications鈥攚ho, it should be noted, still have loyal readers (a.k.a. our customers) but no longer have our advertising dollars.

We are giving millions of dollars to an exhibit corporation that has in mind the best interests of its profits, not the outdoors, while our grassroots organizations, like POW and Conservation Alliance, work tirelessly to preserve our environment and only receive a tiny piece of our budgets. And as my pal, Andrew Gardner of Press Forward PR, pointed out, brands, organizations like the ones mentioned above, and our industry leaders are telling grandiose stories of our sustainability efforts and achievements, while shipping massive, heavy crates and printing large-scale graphics that are trashed three days later. By continuing in this manner, we are being grossly hypocritical.

There was a time where orders were written at OR and the Snow Show. That is rarely the case these days. Regional shows, buying groups, and Grassroots Outdoor Alliance have proven to be more efficient forums for the sell-in. Sure, press coverage received from OR generates welcome buzz and awareness for brands, but any PR professional will tell you that that can easily be achieved through email, press trips, and just about any setting other than the 20-minute meetings we rush through with dazed journalists at our booths. A place to showcase our marketing stories for next season? Marketers can (and ahem鈥o) create more impactful activations at a lower cost outside the confines of the convention center walls.

That leaves the argument that we 鈥渘eed a national show to gather and stay connected,鈥� and I whole-heartedly agree. The bond the people of the outdoor and snowsports industry share is special. That bond is a love and passion for outdoor sports and good times. So why are we traveling long distances and spending a ton of time and money and carbon to crowd inside a convention center? Why don鈥檛 we converge and showcase our new products in the venue they鈥檙e intended for鈥攐utside. Why don鈥檛 we utilize indoor spaces for meeting rooms, seminars, or small-scale displays and then hit the ski resorts, Nordic centers, town parks, bike paths, hiking trails, waterways, and mountains for our bonding rituals and to check out the latest gear?

This, however, will require boldness. To be true to our values and to see progress, we have to move past an antiquated model that doesn鈥檛 serve our needs or a way forward.

Many in the industry have felt hostage to Emerald Expositions events, but with attitudes shifting, it鈥檚 time for OIA and SIA to make some drastic changes and to mine for a more relevant, affordable, and sustainable format. The alternative looks a lot like Interbike.

The views expressed here are solely the author’s, and not a reflection of 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal or Campfire-Collective clients or affiliates.听

Maro LaBlance, of Campfire-Collective, is a marketing and PR professional in the outdoor and snowsports industries. She values accountability and good times, in that order, and seeing blatant waste gives her a category-five panic attack.

The post Op-Ed: Let鈥檚 Redirect Some of Our Trade Show Dollars to Supporting What Really Matters appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Today, Ibex confirmed its dissolution and liquidation in a letter posted on Ibex鈥檚 website. On November 6, 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal reported that Ibex had begun to lay off some of its Vermont staff. We are sad to learn that management has not been able to drive the results needed to sustain this much-loved brand. It is a sad day, and we wish the best for all of the people whose jobs have been and will be impacted.

Ibex is asking fans of the brand to continue to support causes that they hold dear by donating to Conservation Alliance 鈥渢o help fuel and fund the protection and creation of North America鈥檚 wild places鈥� and Outdoor Industry Association 鈥渢o help folks find jobs in the amazing outdoor industry and to support its Outdoor Foundation, which focuses on getting kids outside.鈥�

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