Klaus Dittrich, Chairman & CEO of Messe München, is pleased about how ISPO BEIJING is developing: “The growing significance of sports in the Chinese population can be seen in the development of ISPO BEIJING. In addition, major sports events like the 2022 Olympic games are spurring on the industry. That was clearly noticeable during the four days of the exhibition.”
Of the 728 brands, 357 were international brands. The international pavilions from Austria, Korea, Switzerland and the Czech Republic show how important the Chinese market is. All halls were booked to capacity in 2017, so even more exhibition space at the China National Convention Center (CNCC) will be made available for ISPO BEIJING 2018.
The exhibition's success is also the result of long-term partnerships including that with Alpitec China. Organized by Bolzano Trade Fairs, the International Trade Fair for Mountain and Winter Technologies allows it to present the entire value chain, from infrastructure to sporting goods—that is, from international mountain and winter technologies such as ski lifts and machines to products such as clothing and equipment.
The ISPO AWARD showed how much innovative strength the Asian sports industry has. More than 500 participants from around the world submitted applications. The applicants are a clear indication of the enormous potential that Asian sports brands have to offer. More than 100 brands from Asia submitted their product innovations, and 73 of those innovations were from China alone. To support the potential of young companies, for the first time ever the Startup Village took place. A total of seven newcomers presented their latest products there. As a result, ISPO BEIJING is one step closer to establishing ISPO BUSINESS SOLUTIONS—which are already well known in Europe—in Asia.
The extensive supporting program also helped to keep the aisles full. One of this year's highlights was the Asia Pacific Snow Conference (APSC). For those who has missed the conference, the lectures are available online. The China Ski Resort White Book 2016, which examines the status quo of ski resorts in China, was presented there. A tour of ski resorts that took place after the exhibition and allowed participants to get an impression of Chinese ski resorts on location, also generated a great deal of interests.
Another event on the agenda was the ISPO Sports Industry Forum, which featured information on the latest trends and developments in the Chinese sports industry. Finally, the Sports Fashion Trend Forum gave designers and products managers an opportunity to gather information about current international trends in sports fashion for the 2018 Spring/Summer collection.
The next ISPO BEIJING takes place from January 24 to 27, 2018.
This summer, ISPO SHANGHAI takes place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) for the third time from July 6 to 8.
