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Ispo 08 Winter
More than 2000 exhibitors and 64000 visitors, the official numbers say; it's easy to believe. The Munich Trade Fair Centre is so vast, you could have accommodated at least double that number of visitors and never hit a crowd.
In organisational terms, the event is staggering. So many mouths to feed - and all around the same time - with non-stop foot traffic from hall to hall, and of course people streaming to and from the event itself. Not once, though, was there any feeling of claustrophobia, of being crammed in; there was barely even a queue for the taxis at the end of each day, so perfect was the organisation.
Different market segments occupied different halls, some more than one. For example, the wonderfully popular board_ispo, for boardsports, filled three halls and was arguably the most popular part of the event; sourcing_ispo, where companies could, for example, find new sources for materials, with many Asian comapnies exhibiting, took up two halls. performance_ispo took a further two halls, as did sportstyle_ispo and ski_ispo. outdoor_ispo took four excellent halls, and ispovision a single hall.
For businesses, it's worth noting that according to the official statistics, 70 per cent of visitors came from foreign countries, with trade visitors from 113 different countries.
Event-wise, we'll only touch on a couple of exhibitors as otherwise it would take up the entire issue. Base- and mid-layer specialists Odlo had an absolutely storming show, with a very busy stand and superb product on display. If the amount of traffic they had is anything to go by, 2008 is going to break records for the company.
One exhibitor, who shall remain nameless, surprised many visitors as they were not allowed access to the stand. Entrance was by appointment only, and the ladies stopping people were less than cheerful about their task. It made for an unpleasant visit on the whole; if exhibitors are worried about piracy to this extent, why exhibit at an international exhibition? Instead, hire a meeting room and conduct your business in private - that way you won't put the noses of potential and existing stockists out of joint, and everybody's happy.
HI-TEC were showing off their new Ion Mask technology, their membrane-free, environmentally sound method of waterproofing which works on a molecular level. Frankly, it was amazing. With the technology on the stand, a piece of kitchen roll was treated with Ion Mask; you've not seen technology at work until you've seen a piece of kitchen roll submerged in a fishtank and pulled out - dry. The machine that treats the subject apparently needs calibration according to whatever's being treated, so we could only see the kitchen roll being done; however, a pre-treated silk tie got the same treatment, and it really is amazing.
A selection of British companies attended - including darts specialists Winmau, and Harrows, and sunglasses company Sunwise, to name just a few, along with the Federation of Sports and Play Associations.
Another highlight was Lotto Sport's presentation of Italy international footballer Luca Toni - now plying his trade as a striker in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich - who is an ambassador for the Italian sportswear giants. The player attended the company showing their new lines of fashion footwear, which was certainly striking (no pun intended) and will no doubt secure further success for the company.
Three days at this show was exhausting, but also informative, fascinating and never, ever dull. If you haven't attended, it comes highly recommended.
