The European Outdoor Group (EOG) has pulled the plug on this year’s OutDoor show, which was to be held from May 19 to 21 Messe Munich.
The company, which also runs the ISPO outdoor trade show in December, cited not meeting 20 per cent growth targets as its reason for the cancellation. Some large outdoor companies had already confirmed their attendance at the event.
“Sometimes, courageous decisions are needed,” said Christian Schneidermeier, who recently took on his new role as director of the EOG at the beginning of February.
“But beyond being courageous, our decision not to hold OutDoor in 2025 is logical. Despite our best efforts – ranging from a new trade fair concept to thorough discussions and appeals – the number of registrations that we have received to date indicates that we will not achieve the goals set for OutDoor 2025. If we cannot meet these targets of 20 percent more exhibitors and visitors, I believe that not holding the trade fair this year brings us greater opportunities than risks. At the same time, we are also expanding our strategic partnership with Messe München to strengthen our future endeavours.”
Messe München has also recently undergone organizational changes. Harald Kirchschlager, executive director strategy and development, has taken overall responsibility for the ISPO Group.
“Careful analysis of the facts has shown that we have not achieved what we had hoped for. Christian and I looked each other in the eye and agreed to pause OutDoor. We see this as a significant opportunity for a fresh start, allowing us to allocate all necessary resources on further strengthening ISPO Munich as the central global platform for the sports and outdoor industry. Under the leadership of exhibition director Lena Haushofer, we will consistently pursue and develop this approach.”
“We are undeniably disappointed, as we invested considerable energy into developing and promoting the new concept for OutDoor 2025,” Haushofer said.
“Nonetheless, we are confident that ISPO Munich 2025 will serve as an effective platform for addressing the pressing and relevant future issues of the outdoor community, both for exhibitors and visitors, given the current circumstances.”
Registration for ISPO Munich 2025 will open next week.
For the EOG, 2025 is about transformation. After the announced postponement of the European Outdoor Summit, the appointment of a new director and the upcoming re-election of board members and the presidency, pausing OutDoor is a next logical step.
Schneidermeier said: “We will use 2025 to conduct necessary analyses and develop all measures needed to get off to a flying start again in 2026 – with new names on the board, fresh ideas and compelling formats that will offer real added value for industry participants.”
One task will be the conceptual development of the two formats, ISPO and OutDoor, within the framework of the strategic partnership between EOG and Messe München.
The outdoor industry has emphasised the importance of a global platform for networking and information exchange. In 2025, despite the cancellations, there will be two opportunities for this: the EOG support the Sustainability Hub at ISPO 2025. Additionally, work is under way on a “Sustainability Conference,” which will provide an opportunity for personal exchanges on the numerous sustainability topics within the industry around the originally planned OutDoor date.
“We cordially invite all stakeholders in the outdoor industry to attend both the conference and ISPO 2025, and we look forward to productive discussions within the community,” Kirchschlager and Schneidermeier said on behalf of Messe München and the EOG.
All brands that registered for OutDoor within the early bird discount period will be contacted and informed about booth bookings for ISPO Munich 2025. Existing registrations will be cancelled free of charge. Registration and further information about ISPO Munich can be found at: https://www.ispo.com/munich
