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Salt Lake's largest convention is back. The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market opened today at the Salt Palace, with more than 20,000 people in town.
Manufacturers of summer recreation equipment are displaying new products that will be in the stores in the months to come, and store buyers are here to place their orders.
New products and gadgets are the main focus for sure, but the outdoor recreation industry is much more than that. In fact, it's become a huge "movement" that promotes a number of causes.
More than 700 attendees heard the message loud and clear: Young people are spending less time experiencing the outdoors. It's a trend that cannot be ignored and one the recreation industry hopes to change.
"Twenty or 30 years from now we will have leaders in this country, leading our public and private and public policy institutions, who will be asked to make policy and budget decisions about our forests and our wetlands who have never been in a forest," said Larry Selzer, CEO of the Conservation Fund.
Reversing the trend is probably the biggest single issue for the outdoor retailers. At this year's trade show, a new campaign is being launched. Convention-goers were shown a video kicking off the "I WILL" campaign. Basically, it's a pledge drive.
At many exhibit booths at the show, people are signing a pledge form agreeing to take at least two children outside to experience an activity during the next year.
"I'm not sure there's another way to get people to care passionately about taking care of the Earth than to get them out into the woods, onto water, in kayaks," said Bob Sipchen, with the Sierra Club.
Erika Bruhn, with GoLite, said, "We feel it's just important to kids to be outside, and really reach out to a younger demographic, and try to get them to become stewards of the outdoors."
The goal is to collect 10,000 pledges before the show ends next Monday. That's a lot of children who will soon experience the outdoors!
By the way, the Outdoor Retailer trade show continues to grow. The Salt Palace is full this year -- all 440,000 square feet -- with no more exhibit space for vendors. So for the first time, it has expanded into the EnergySolutions Arena across the street.
For more information on the show, click the related link to the right of the story.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
