Report on ISPO MUNICH 2018, Europe's largest outdoor and sports goods exhibition - A collection of items that stimulate material desires and attract attention from the future -
Written by Yasushi Hisatomi
We've finally got to see ISPO MUNICH 2018, known as Europe's largest comprehensive sports goods exhibition! I've been participating.
Until now, OGZ has covered outdoor gear exhibitions around the world, such as the North American "Outdoor Retailer" and the Europe "The Outdoor Show", but when it comes to "ISPO MUNICH", the quality and quantity are different compared to those exhibitions. This is a monster event among the monsters who are the final bosses of sports business fairs around the world.
This time, I would like to report on the current situation of the world's outdoor and sports industry, including introducing popular items, from the events I experienced for the first time, 120,000 steps, over five days, and the events I felt through.
table of contents
table of contents
- What kind of event is ISPO?
- Introducing popular items Part 1: The latest gear that has become smarter with digitalization
- Introducing Featured Items Part 2: Eco-conscious items
- Introducing Featured Items Part 3: Latest Winter Gear (Page: 2)
- Introducing Featured Items Part 4: Latest Outdoor Gear Others (Page: 2)
- Summary (Page:2)
What kind of event is ISPO?
ISPO, an international sports exhibition that has been around for over 40 years
ISPO MUNICH, which began as an international sports goods exhibition in 1970, began with 816 companies in 25 countries. After about 40 years, in 2017, it grew into a huge sports goods and business fair with over 2,700 exhibitors and exhibitors from all over the world reaching approximately 85,000 visitors from 120 countries.
The forefront of all kinds of sports goods-related businesses in the world are right in front of you
Due to the regional and seasonal nature, the main focus is on exhibiting mainly in the winter sports market, but in reality, ISPO has been open to the entire sports business from its founding until today.
As a result, it has grown into an event that boasts a unique range of broad and scale, bringing together a wide range of sports-related products, including winter sports, outdoor sports, action sports, team sports, health and fitness, and lifestyles, as well as consumer products, not just materials and parts manufacturers, and is constantly changing today.
In addition to the exhibition booths for each brand, the venue also features areas that attract particularly notable topics, such as the "ISPO Award" and "ISPO Brandnew" areas, which showcase the innovative items of the year, as well as digital specials, sustainable specials, textile specials, and wool specials.
This year, as we did last year, we also focused on the theme of "sports and women," and held discussions by key female athletes and celebrities, as well as tours of manufacturers' booths that are branded with women in mind.
Some parts have posted "Job information" and "University Recruitment Guidelines," which gives you a sense that all kinds of information about the sports industry is gathered here.
The ISPO Academy, where lectures and talk shows are held, provides a wide range of information and insights on the latest trends in the sports business, from digitalization to social media to new ways of branding, and more than 300 programs were held this year.
Looking outside the event venue, the entire city of Munich will be "Sports Week" for a week during the period, with events such as workshops, presentations, autograph sessions and more being held at many Munich sports goods stores. Also, on January 27th, 2018, the day before the ISPO was held, a trail running event called ISPO Munich Night Run was held at Olympia Park, which is what Yoyogi Park is called in Tokyo.
In other words, ISPO MUNICH is an event where you can experience the cutting edge of sports business and industry, and all the industries involved in the creation and reaching the hands of users as a whole, "connection." As far as I know, you can only experience this kind of experience here, not only in Japan but also around the world.
We'll introduce some of the most popular items we've encountered at ISPO.
That's all for the introduction, and now we'll start off with the thousands of exhibits! We will introduce some of the items that we thought were.
Just to be safe, the products introduced below are only listed models that are scheduled to be released in each local market, based on local coverage permission. Please note that it has not yet been decided whether it will be available in the same way (regularly) here in Japan.
Introducing popular items Part 1: The latest gear that has become smarter with digitalization
The wave of "digitalization" of sports goods has finally come into play in recent years. This time, the momentum has been accelerating even more rapidly, and for better or worse, the digitalization of all elements of the sports business has progressed to the stage of "when to do it" rather than "whether to do it or not." I couldn't help but get the impression that these things, which I had just thought were conceptual, had come to an almost practical level before I knew it.
O-Synce USEE
This is the future...The world's first head-up bicycle display to be worn on a helmet, developed by a German startup. Useful information such as driving speed, distance, and navigation information, as seen on a regular cycling computer, is displayed three-dimensionally from the small irradiation light, allowing you to check without distracting your attention. (ISPO Award Gold)
Talking Head
This is also from Germany, and is the world's first smart ski helmet that can be connected via Bluetooth and can be used for phones, music playback, intercoms, etc. These helmets can communicate with each other on their own, making them extremely convenient for parties such as backcountry.
LIVALL BH51M Helmetphone
The smart helmets are already moving forward in all areas. These are smart headphones for bicycles that allow you to make hands-free calls, turn signals, and listen to music. I'm no longer surprised that a Chinese brand would create such sharp items. (ISPO Award Product of the Year)
MY ESEL
I want it...A completely custom-made bicycle made using local wood frames. You can easily create a machine that fits you, by choosing not only your body shape, but also frame types such as city-facing, cross roads, and other frame types, designs, and coloring. The stylish design is also great! (ISPO Brandnew)
FitStation powered by HP
A "original running shoe manufacturing system" that is jointly developed by Brooks, Superfeet, and HP, from 3D leg type collection to finished products. Once you enter the data, you'll be able to get running shoes that are sizing and colored to your own foot shape in just a few hours. The manufacturing machines are large enough to be available in a slightly larger mass retailer in the suburbs, and it's moving to think that there is a future where this will come to fruition a few years from now. (ISPO Award Product of the Year)
ICAROS ICAROS Home
Born in Germany, this training machine uses VR to train your core like a game. Apparently it has already been featured in Japan several times, but this was my first time trying it out at the venue. This is a VR game in which you become like a flying Iron Man, using your whole body to lift, sink, and twist your body, passing through the rings in front of you. It was a three-minute course, but the sweat was unexpectedly oozing out on my forehead, which certainly looks good on my core, and most of all, it's fun! The website is here . (ISPO Award Gold)
myontec MBODY
These are also smart spats by a German venture that uses sensors woven into the fabric to record the activities of each muscle from the waist to above the knee (including data such as heart rate, of course) in real time and in detail. It is said that coaches who mainly coach full-scale athletes use this to improve the efficiency of athletes and prevent injuries through training. We were shown a demo, and it was refreshing to see the image on the screen showing the "what muscles are used and how much tension" of a person squatting in front of their eyes displayed in shades of color on the illustration on the screen.
HYDRO_BOT
An electronic humidity management system developed by a Swiss technology company that allows the humidity inside the clothing to be automatically controlled by processing the back of the outerwear (light blue in the photo) into a special fabric. As you can see from the demonstration, when sweating, moisture inside was quickly draining water into water and was expelling it to the outside. For now, it has a breathable speed that I've never seen with an existing membrane. On the other hand, in a mild environment and situation, it is said that it is possible to keep it mildly warm (cool) without excessively increasing the breathability.
Introducing Featured Items Part 2: Eco-conscious Items Edition
While it is difficult to understand in Japan, there are some aspects of the world of outdoor and sports in Europe, and in reality, the shift towards materials with a low environmental impact is progressing at an incredible rate. This year, many models that use a lot of natural materials were awarded to great products.
When I come here, the attitude that we can only pursue convenience and economics that have continued to this day is gradually being reconsidered, and I feel the seriousness of the industry as a whole to position the use of products that can fulfill our responsibility to maintain the field we enjoy for the future.
To be honest, as someone in a region like Japan, where there is little awareness, it is still unclear whether the user's awareness will actually accept this. However, it is almost impossible to rely on individual change in their own sense of values, and it can be said that the entire industry should work together as a whole. We will continue to look forward to seeing how far this major trend can progress.
Patagonia Capilene Air
A highly functional base layer made by seamlessly knitting recycled polyester and merino wool into a unique uneven structure that combines heat retention and breathability...and actually, this has been around since last year. I was wondering if it was a problem last year, but since this year the country of origin of merino wool has also changed (Patagonia to New Zealand), so perhaps there have been issues with procuring raw materials. (ISPO Award Gold)
VAUDE Green Core
VAUDE, a long-established German outdoor brand, has been a brand that has been particularly focused on eco-friendly in the world for the past few years. This is a multipurpose backpack made from organic ingredients, including organic cotton, castor oil and milk, which seems to have finally arrived. Not only the fabric, but also the zipper, buckle, and hooks, all return to the soil. (ISPO Award)
Bergans Stranda
From Nordic outdoor brands with many environmentally conscious brands, Norwegian Bergans' latest down jackets are made of 100% recycled polyester "SpinDye" on the front and back, and 100% recycled "Re:Down" on the padding down, making it a model that is focused on the environment. "SpinDye" is an excellent new material that maintains high quality despite reducing the amount of water used to produce and dye polyester by 75%, chemical use by 90%, CO2 emissions by 25%, and electricity by 30%. (ISPO Award Gold)
ORTOVOX ZEBRU JACKET
An insulation jacket made from high-quality Swiss wool, which is extremely elastic, lightweight and provides maximum insulation. Animal hair insulation such as wool has become more common in recent years. Needless to say, they are more environmentally friendly than synthetic fiber padding. (ISPO Award Gold)