"Back and bigger" - Highlights from day 1 of ISPO Munich 2023

Star quarterback Colin Kaepernick inspired the ISPO Munich audience with impressive words. "Be strong and stand up for your values, that's the only way to change the world," said the ex-NFL player. His biggest role model on his own path to becoming an icon of the civil rights movement? Malcolm X. For the modest and likeable Kaepernick, however, it was also clear that the Malcolm X we all know had a development behind him that was anything but straightforward. Just like the former quarterback Kaepernick, whose impressive life story had everyone on the Main Stage in Hall B1 of ISPO Munich captivated and listening spellbound.

"If I've learned anything from my own story, it's that if you're pursuing a goal, what you're doing might not be very popular or meet with resistance - but you'll also get a lot of support and encouragement." Persevering on such a path and consistently standing up for your ideals requires courage and conviction. But you can communicate this much more strongly and effectively today than you could a few years ago. Successful athletes with a wide reach on social media now have the opportunity to speak more directly to their fans, stand up for their ideals - and thus change the world.

Multiple world record holder Jonas Deichmann proves time and time again that this guiding principle can lead to success. In an interview on the Main Stage, he talked about his latest project "Trans America Twice", in which he first cycled the 5,500 kilometres from New York to Los Angeles and then covered the same distance every day in an ultramarathon without a break.

The audience listened spellbound as Deichmann casually recounted that he ran the New York Marathon as the crowning glory after arriving in the Big Apple - the extreme athlete clearly doesn't need any physical breaks. He does, however, consciously take mental breaks, especially with regard to social media: "Social media is important, but it shouldn't rule our lives under any circumstances. I don't post anything after 5 p.m."

Finally, there were some very personal insights for the audience: When asked by Lena Haushofer, Exhibition Director of ISPO Munich, whether he would listen to podcasts or music during his cycling or running sessions, Deichmann replied: "A playlist always helps me to keep going when it gets tough and I have to fight: The soundtrack to Forrest Gump."

The Blue Stage in Hall B1 was also packed at the ISPO Award Gathering. There, the ISPO Award trophies were waiting for the brands whose products had passed the tough selection process of the jury of industry experts. A new film with award angel Nadine Wallner showed how practical and elaborate the evaluation process of the ISPO Award jury is with a lot of humor and self-irony.

Exceptional athlete Nadine Wallner and Christina Rabl from ISPO then presented the trophies to the beaming winners. The awards ceremony continued on the second and third day, including the Public Choice Award - the special prize exclusively awarded by the Consumer Experts of the ISPO Collaborators Club.

At nine o'clock sharp, the gates to the world's largest sports fair opened at the Trade Fair Center Messe München. This year, 2,414 exhibitors from 54 countries welcomed visitors with their products. In addition, numerous workshops, master classes, innovation labs and live pitches gave the trade show a new festival character. "We are back and we are bigger," said Stefan Rummel in his opening speech at ISPO Munich 2023. Together with the two presenters Katharina Kleinfeldt and Derin Adetosoye, the CEO of Messe München welcomed the audience to the impressive Main Stage in Hall B1 in the morning.

Consumer goods trade fairs like ISPO Munich are changing fundamentally, continued Stefan Rummel. "It's no longer just about the typical buyer-seller relationship. Today, we look at the entire value chain and beyond. Things like reach are becoming more important, it's about brands, companies and the stories behind them. Stories about athletes, products, companies, brands, sustainability and digitalization. As a sports industry, we need to adapt - both in terms of how the trade show is perceived and in terms of its topics and segments."

For this reason, ISPO has developed a "future vision", which Tobias Gröber presented. "In line with our motto 'New Perspectives on Sports', we look at sport in all its facets," said the Head of ISPO Group. "We have been bringing people from the sporting goods industry together for 53 years. But sport can do much more: it touches people in many different ways, it supports physical and mental health, it has an integrative effect and ensures that we behave more sustainably. The new trade fair concept takes this holistic approach into account." This also includes new collaborations between ISPO and organizations such as the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation, the changeNOW Summit in Paris and the German Sustainability Award.

The German Sustainability Award was also presented to companies and NGOs from the world of sport for the first time last week in Düsseldorf. Stefan Schulze-Hausmann once again presented the winners to the ISPO audience on the Main Stage. Among the winners were not only well-known brands such as Vaude and Patagonia or retailer Globetrotter, but also small associations such as the Sportvereinigung Feuerbach 1883 e. V., which is the only sports organization worldwide to date to have prepared a public welfare economy report. The ISPO Cup was also awarded for the first time this year as part of the Sustainability Award. It went to extreme mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who is committed to environmental protection in the Himalayas and the well-being of the Nepalese population with his Nimsdai Foundation.

Just in time for the symposium of "Your Winter. Your sport." symposium, the first snow of the year fell in Munich. The representatives of ski tourism, associations and brands, who discussed the challenges of winter sports in the face of the climate crisis on the Red Stage, were in a correspondingly good mood. Because one thing is clear: even if it snows again, the melting of the glaciers can no longer be stopped. Sustainability is therefore at the top of the agenda for all players. Jörn Homburg, Head of Marketing at Bergbahnen Oberstdorf/Kleinwalsertal, summed it up as follows: "Economists know what ecology is worth." Thomas Kemper from Deutsche Bahn drew attention to the fact that 70% of the CO2 emissions of a skiing holiday are currently caused by the journey to and from the resort. New train connections to the Alps should change this in future. Brands are also getting mobile, such as Rossignol. The French brand has developed a ski that is 77% recyclable. The symposium will continue on day 2 at 12 noon.

Wednesday, 29.11.2023:
12:00 - 12:15 pm: Your winter. Your sport. Symposium 2023 - Welcome: A commitment to winter sports
12:15 - 12:40 pm: Your winter. Your sport. Symposium 2023 - New data on the future of winter sports in Germany
12:40 - 13:05: Your winter. Your sport. Symposium 2023 - The latest data on winter sports is available. And now what?
13:05 - 13:30: Your winter. Your sport. Symposium 2023 - Children on the move and out in nature: everyone wants it!

When: Tue & Wed 12:00 - 13:30
Where: Red Stage, Hall A1 📍

To the program

No ISPO Munich without a party, no ISPO Munich without a party. Of course, this was also true on the first day of ISPO Munich 2023. The highlight was the Vaude Sustainability Party, where the numerous guests brought the day to a cheerful close with cold drinks and warm onion bread.