The ISRA Winter Show takes place on January 18-19 for the second time at the wonderful Heritage Hotel and Golf Resort in the small village of Killenard, less than an hour from Dublin.
The ISRA show takes place twice a year – in winter and summer – and has been consistently full, with over 100 brands exhibiting at each event.?The near-100 per cent turnout by ISRA members has made the shows a huge success.
Retailer participation is the highest of any trade show.?Commenting on the upcoming show, ISRA coordinator, Tom Foley, points out: “We are at the tail-end of probably the worst six months in retail that Ireland has seen in some time. There is some optimism that the second half of 2010 will see us emerge from this downturn.
“To see our show full and members eager to attend and participate in the current climate is very encouraging. Our retail members are working well as a group, buying in a more focused fashion, and as a result some of our key suppliers who have reacted well to our needs and requests are in turn showing good growth with us.??
“Our show will feature a strong cross-section of sports categories to match the varied needs of members. We have introduced some new suppliers to the show – an interesting addition is the participation of the national GAA body, who have taken a stand.” ? ?
Daricia was recently announced as ISRA Supplier of the Year for 2009, as voted by members. Other suppliers to perform well were Nike, Under Armour, Lee Sports, Mizuno, Sportech and Techni Sports. ? ?
January is a busy month for ISRA members. They travel to Dublin on January 13 for their Adidas/Reebok Q3 show and the following day members are in London for the Nike Q3 ISRA/Allied show. The ISRA two-day show then kicks off on Monday, January 18, and as official retail partners to ISPO a representative group of members have been invited as guests of ISPO to attend the show in Munich in early February.? ?
The new ISRA website has expanded its range of facilities to members. The site is also integrated with Allied Partners’ new site, offering retailers from both groups the ability to communicate with each other online, and suppliers the opportunity to post offers to the individual groups or to both groups simultaneously with single currency or dual currency options.
ISRA was instrumental in developing the new Allied Partners website. The ISRA group was the first buying group to introduce a fully interactive website for its members. The innovative approach has set the standard that others replicate.
