Why a Web Development Company is Attending Outdoor Retailer

Outdoor Retailer is a trade show for, well, the outdoor industry. It’s all about skiing, fishing, camping, manufacturing, retail, and technology.

And that’s exactly why we’re heading there.

We don't design new waterproof fabrics or solar charging accessories, but we do build websites. 

Some of the projects we have are in ecommerce, with companies like Sticker Giant and Obermeyer. But there is a lot more that we can - and want - to learn about working with other retailers and the outdoor industry as a whole.

The decision to attend Outdoor Retailer wasn’t too hard to make but we also had never been before. The questions went like this: How do we get to know the industry better? If we go to Outdoor Retailer, what do we want to do there? What’s our purpose? And, who do we send?

The process was diplomatic, as are most things at Bluespark. Seven people were involved.

Should we attend and see what we can learn? Yes.

Who wants to go? Three people, including myself, identified interest.

Decision made. We bought plane tickets (3,000 other people booked tickets to SLC the same day I did on Travelocity), found an Airbnb, and started sifting through the comprehensive exhibitor list.

We joined the Outdoor Industry Association. We started reading about the Outdoor Retailer events and looking at what technologies companies are choosing for their digital identity. We already know how things like Drupal and Drupal Commerce work but it’s important for us to get into the minds of B2B and B2C companies and look at, for example, how they use content and storytelling to reach their audiences. Or determine the shopping cart challenges retailers face and what improvements we can make. There are a lot of ways to become experts in the outdoor industry and this is ours.  

We leave tomorrow for #ORSM2016 and I have to say, we’re all pretty excited. If you're heading that way, we'd love to hear about your technology conundrums, your commerce experiments, and your business successes. We’ll be there, ready to learn and make new friends!