From January 23 to 26, 2022, ISPO Munich, the world’s biggest multi-segment trade fair in the sports business, will be back at the Messe München exhibition grounds as an in-person event and with new embellishments to its concept. Alongside the new Experience Hall focusing on conference/learning, supplementary offerings for consumers will also be integrated for the first time in ISPO Munich’s history in a B2C2B hall.

Tobias Gröber, Executive Director Business Unit Consumer Goods, explains: “The coronavirus pandemic significantly further accelerated the change in the sports market that has already been emerging for a number of years. We are reflecting this trend in the best way possible with the new concepts and offerings, both in the traditional B2B area and in the new B2C area.”

That means the Experience Hall will be focusing on the megatrends in the sector, such as sustainability and digitalization, in the context of a conference stage and with exhibition areas. The emphasis here will be on conference/learning; the offering in this segment is aimed especially at the typical B2B target group of ISPO.

The new B2C2B hall is being set up under the name ‘Collaborators Zone’ as a partly separate area of ISPO Munich for specifically activating and integrating consumers. Here, consumer experts and (micro-)influencers from the Collaborators Club of the ISPO Group – a further development of the ISPO Open Innovation platform – will encounter brands and customers with a strong B2C focus.

The Collaborators Zone isn’t designed as a classic trade fair hall but focuses instead on interaction. Entertainment, infotainment, moving topics and test opportunities for trends and products provide the framework and ensure a lively exchange between brands and the influential consumers. The concept is not just interesting for sporting goods manufacturers but is also ideal for all organizations related to sport and lifestyle, the outdoors and experiences, or fitness and health – from the retailer with a clearly defined area of expertise to the right food producer, says organiser Messe München.

Although the exhibitors in this area can present special editions for the first time or offer exclusive sales drops, direct selling of products will not be possible. “Here, we will encounter the kind of consumers who are shaping the sport of tomorrow and spreading it to the world,” says Gröber. “For our B2C-oriented customers, this hall offers an ideal presentation space for entering into dialog with the highly active consumers who act as experts for their field in the industry and setting trends together.”

Gröber further stresses: “The new offerings are a logical strategic expansion of the concept. The classic, specialized B2B area at ISPO Munich, in which exhibitors present their products and innovations in the familiar halls to international retailers and experts from around the world, continues to account for the lion’s share of the event.”

More information on ISPO and the various participation opportunities for brands and exhibitors can be found at https://www.ispo.com/en/munich/exhibitors/application.