Outdoor Retailer is leaving Salt Lake City once again, but for another outdoorsy state this time around.
Organizers of North America’s largest outdoor gear show announced late last week that they’ll hold their next show in Minneapolis, ending a three-year stint in Salt Lake City that began in 2023 after the show moved to Denver in 2018 over politics.
Next year’s show, planned for Aug. 19-21, 2026, will feature a new “Leadership Village” that will “guide an inspired team of brand leaders, designers, sustainability experts, athletes and emerging voices to shape the next chapter of the show,” according to Emerald Expositions’ Sports and Outdoor Division, which oversees the annual event.
“Moving Outdoor Retailer to Minnesota creates a fresh stage for collaboration, creativity and the outdoor community to thrive together,” said Randolph Briley, director of Outdoor Recreation Industry Partnership, in a statement. “This step underscores the strength of our outdoor economy, driving billions in impact, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and inspiring people to get outside.”
It wasn’t immediately clear why Outdoor Retailer pulled out of Utah again, but the two sides were nearing the end of an agreement reached in 2022. Leaders of Outdoor Retailer and Visit Salt Lake — Salt Lake County’s tourism wing — confirmed to KSL.com in June that they were negotiating over a potential extension in Utah, but nothing was set in stone at the time.
Both sides were hopeful despite uncertainty with the Salt Palace Convention Center looming. Utah lawmakers approved a $1.8 billion funding mechanism for a rebuild of the convention center earlier this year, adding to plans of a “sports, entertainment, culture and convention district” in and around the Delta Center that Smith Entertainment Group unveiled in 2024 as it brought the NHL to Utah.
Salt Lake County officials announced last month that they had secured a pair of firms to oversee the redesign of the building, as well as a pair of construction management and consulting firms to assist with other logistics. Partial demolition of the Salt Palace’s massive exhibit hall is expected to begin as early as 2027, following the county’s sale of 6.5 acres of land to Smith Entertainment Group for a little more than $55 million in April.
In a statement to KSL.com, Visit Salt Lake president and CEO Kaitlin Eskelson said she wishes Outdoor Retailer “continued success in their next chapter” as the county prepares for the Salt Palace’s next chapter.
“While Outdoor Retailer has evolved post-pandemic, Salt Lake remains focused on opportunities that align with our strengths and vision for the future,” she said. “Our significant investments in the downtown convention district, including a transformational reimagining of the Salt Palace Convention Center, will create new opportunities and ensure Salt Lake is positioned to host world-class events for decades to come. We are excited to write the next chapter in the global convention and tourism economy.”
Outdoor Retailer first moved to Salt Lake City in the 1990s, blossoming in Utah’s capital city before its tumultuous departure. Officials announced in 2017 that they’d move the show out of Utah after meeting with then-Gov. Gary Herbert and various companies over concerns the companies had with Utah’s stance on public lands, such as a push to shrink Bears Ears National Monument.
The show ultimately ended up in Denver but returned to Utah after five years. While state and local officials called its return a “huge win” at the time, it never attracted the same numbers it once did. Approximately 300 brands from dozens of countries attended the show this summer, as compared to the 1,600 exhibitors who came to Utah’s capital city in 2015.
Some of that was tied to big-name brands like Patagonia, REI and The North Face following through on threats to boycott the show if it returned to the Beehive State. Budget uncertainties tied to tariffs and lagging numbers in trade shows since the COVID-19 pandemic may have also factored into the fewer participants, Sean Smith, director of Outdoor Retailer, said in June.
Salt Lake City is “disappointed” by Outdoor Retailer’s decision to relocate again, but its “commitment to outdoor recreation and public lands will remain,” said Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesman for the city. Like Eskelson, he said the city is focused on major renovations to its convention district, which could draw Outdoor Retailer or related events back to Utah in the future.
“As work begins on our new sports, entertainment, culture and convention district, we know the convention landscape will continue to evolve,” he said. “However, these changes are setting the stage for even more opportunity, and we look forward to working with Emerald Expositions on future events.”