ISPO Shanghai 2024: Where Innovation Meets Sustainability

All insights at a glance:

1. From strength to strength every year
2. ISPO Shanghai leads the charge for a new-look industry
3. Hello, innovation? It's ISPO Shanghai calling
4. ISPO's platform allows for new perspectives to grow
5. When one festival isn't enough…
6. But wait… there's more!

The 30% increase in brands and 13% increase in industry visitors compared to 2023 definitely shows that the event continues to go from strength to strength every year. "We see a lot of energy here with good events; the fair always looks crowded." Mr. John Juel Poulsen, General Manager of Nordisk Asian, explained.

No stone was left unturned in the industry, with diverse categories, like climbing and hiking, urban sports, running and cycling, water sports, children's sports, outdoor leisure, lifestyle, sports technology, and new materials, all represented. 

The industry is undoubtedly in good hands, with Ms. Xu Jia, General Manager, Chief Executive Officer–Greater China of Messe Muenchen Shanghai Co., Ltd., explaining, "ISPO continues to drive the transformation of the sports industry by creating new sports consumption scenarios, products, and services that integrate culture, sports, tourism, trade, and exhibition."

ISPO Shanghai 2024 saw a much more diverse look, with international brands making up nearly 30% of the exhibition. So, what's got the attention of all these international brands? A  diverse visitor group, more segmented demands, and foreseeable growth potential. “We have a strong believe that the outdoor market is here to stay we believe that nature is luxury, spending time in nature improves our quality of life. Especially in China，we believe there's a very strong future of the outdoor business.”, Mr. John Juel Poulsen explained.

And the future of this industry was evident in many different areas and collaborations.

The ISPO New Force Area, which doubled its size from last year, focused on market opportunities and challenges for emerging outdoor brands. The industry is transforming, and these brands were able to showcase just how they are seeking progress. 

One area in particular that ISPO Shanghai 2024 focused on was the connection between automobiles and outdoor life. ISPO Shanghai collaborated with the China Automobile Dealers Association and hosted a car travel exchange and networking event.

Further adding to the scale of the event, ISPO Shanghai 2024 doubled its Sports Park Area from 2023. The area featured ten major sports themes and demonstrates ISPO Shanghai’s commitment to broadening exhibition categories and promoting multi-industry collaboration.

ISPO Shanghai 2024 also partnered with 25 sports venues and community sports centers in Shanghai and 33 sports-friendly communities. These partnerships allowed for a much greater reach to keep up with the differentiated needs of this growing sports lifestyle market.

It’s no secret this market is growing exponentially, and a key reason is social media. ISPO focused on this area for the 2024 event, securing collaborations with platforms such as Tmall, Douyin and RED. 

These collaborations promoted professional product categories, highlighted content, and introduced new lifestyles, all in the name of increasing brand and product exposure and expanding the reach of sports lifestyles.

As always, fashion makes its mark on the new-look industry, and ISPO Shanghai 2024 featured the China Fashion Color Association, which released the latest trends for the 2025A/W Asian Sustainable Sports Fashion while also sharing new sustainable designs. Other fashion brands attended ISPO Shanghai 2024 and showcased the changes they are bringing to the industry, with Mr. Zhang Weiwei, General Manager, Zhejiang Shiko Textile Co., Ltd., explaining, "...we introduced a new three-layer jacket fabric that offers excellent water resistance and breathability while remaining lightweight. Our goal is to make our outer fabrics both comfortable and fashionable…"

With the sports lifestyle industry penetrating the mass consumer market, innovation is necessary to cater to consumers' differentiated needs. ISPO Shanghai 2024 played a significant role in facilitating this innovation, allowing brands to showcase their advancements in the outdoor sports market.

Many exhibitors were pleased with the platform they received to discuss innovation with attendees.

"It is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts to gather, promoting the development of outdoor activities and lifestyle in China." Mr. Feng Jiajun, Director of the Business Distribution Center, Mobi Garden

"This year, we aimed to showcase more new products to consumers. Many new customers visited our booth to learn about our offerings." Ms. Su Xiaoyun, Sales Manager, Thule Asia Pacific

The enthusiasm for outdoor activities continues to grow, driving the emergence and development of new sports scenarios and styles. Therefore, at ISPO Shanghai 2024, topics such as fashion, home, skincare, and beverages were introduced.

In a transforming industry, many brands have experienced pain points. ISPO Shanghai 2024 gave brands a platform to voice their new perspectives on how to tackle the industry's issues. 

In particular, ISPO Shanghai created industry-specific forums to provide essential policy interpretations, trend forecasts, experience sharing, and case analyses for the industry's healthy development. Many exhibitors were pleased with the forums created at the event.

Mr. Ma Pengfei, Outdoor Category Operation Manager, JD Retail Fashion Division, explained, "As a pivotal event in the industry, ISPO brings together top brand products and the entire supply chain, providing a space for interactive communication."

For the 2024 event, ISPO Shanghai featured five specific professional forums on hot topics in the industry, including:

1. Sports trends
2. Camping education
3. Marine protection
4. Nature education
5. Retail innovation

These particular forums were a hit with industry partners as they offered invaluable insights into sports fashion trends, cultural and sports tourism resource integration, sustainable management, marine protection plans, outdoor sustainability, and consumer insights. The platform allowed new perspectives to be nurtured.

ISPO Shanghai ran several smaller festivals and events throughout the three-day exhibition to give attendees a more immersive experience and appeal to a wide audience. These festivals and events attracted a lot of attention from attendees who wanted to immerse themselves completely in the future of the outdoor sports market. 

The festivals and events that took place this year included:

1. The Energy Lifestyle Festival
This festival, themed around car travel, facilitated the integration of automotive and outdoor activities. Improving from previous years, ISPO Shanghai expanded the event to include children's outdoor sports categories, introducing activities and fun events such as equestrian, archery, and baseball.

2. China Mermaid Open
This inaugural event provided a platform for professional and advanced players to showcase their skills and improve performance. To accommodate this new event, the Water Sports Exhibition Area was significantly expanded. 

Some of the expanded areas included a large pool, a surfing machine, and a diving pool. This allowed for continuous brand product testing, competitions, and activities, working wonders and drawing in numerous sports enthusiasts.

3. The Sports and Cultural Carnival
This festival was once again staged in Shanghai and partnered with various professional organizations to create a Sports Dance Open. Some key highlights included fashion shows, dance competitions, and opera performances, further diversifying the event and promoting fitness trends in China.

4. The Cycling Lifestyle Festival
This inaugural festival explored innovative travel methods in a cycling-friendly environment. For sports lifestyle enthusiasts of all levels, a rich selection of urban sports activities such as rock climbing, yoga, frisbee, pickleball, skateboarding, and summer snowball fights were available, promoting the diverse development of urban sports culture.

There is more to come, though, as ISPO Shanghai remains committed to evolving as a diverse communication platform that supports industrial transformation and business innovation.

If you missed the exhibition, ISPO Shanghai is pleased to announce that the Sports Carnival will open in Nanjing and Xiamen, offering innovative and engaging conferences, events, interactive experiences, and sports options to a broader population.

Mark your calendars for these two upcoming sports carnival events:

1. Nanjing Sports Carnival 2024 - This carnival will occur at the Nanjing International Exhibition Center from September 6 to 8, 2024. It will create a vibrant city-wide sports atmosphere through the integration of sports and education and the linkage of competition and exhibition, promoting commercial innovation, sustainable development, and the integration of sports, cultural, and tourism resources.
2. Xiamen Sports Carnival 2024 - This carnival will occur at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center from November 22 to 24, 2024. It will foster the upgrading of the sports industry in the coastal city clusters in Fujian and promote the integrated development of sports fashion and outdoor leisure culture.

ISPO Shanghai looks forward to advancing and expanding our exhibition in 2025 and welcoming back existing and new sports brands, along with sports enthusiasts attendees.