The OutDoor Industry Award 2017 process has been concluded and the judges have reached their decisions.
330 entries were extensively tested and evaluated in a two-stage process by a panel of outdoor experts with a wide range of specialist knowledge.
The resulting discussions and debates led to the selection of some very innovative designs. During an intensive two-day panel session, the judges agreed on 38 new products, which they feel have the potential to set new benchmarks for design and innovation in the outdoor industry. Among them are nine Gold Awards that are honoured for their exceptional design and implementation. And this year, three young companies are receiving a Start-Up Award.
For the outdoor industry, innovation means far more than hype about the latest trends. Technical innovations often become important sales drivers that can define the success of an industry. This is why the OutDoor Industry Award is particularly interested in the innovative nature of the products entered. Further pioneering aspects, such as functionality, design or sustainability can also lead to an OutDoor Industry Award.
Katrin Bojarski, textile engineer and one of the judges, said: “We’ve worked our way through a large collection of interesting new products here over two days. They include particularly sustainable solutions and ultralight and extremely robust designs. I was positively surprised by the high quality and performance of our chosen products.”
This year the other judges were the Spanish athlete Mireia Miró, Frank Wacker, gear expert from Germany’s Outdoor magazine, British outdoor photographer and trade journalist Chris Townsend, Terje Malum, head of outdoor purchasing for Norway’s sport retail chain XXL and Mark Held, general secretary European Outdoor Group (EOG).
Dirk Heidrich, OutDoor show director, Messe Friedrichshafen, said: “Everyone was impressed by the panel of judges’ high level of expertise, which was demonstrated in the discussions and debates leading to the final decisions for the OutDoor Industry Awards. There is virtually no other award in the outdoor sector with a comparable expert background.”
However, the outdoor community will have to wait a little longer to find out which companies are to receive an OutDoor Award this year. The winners will be announced on the first day of the OutDoor show in the Foyer East at Messe Friedrichshafen. In addition, the Gold Award winners will be revealed and celebrated at the prize-giving ceremony on day one in the evening (17:30).
The 24th OutDoor is open to industry visitors only from Sunday, June 18, to Wednesday, June 21,(Sunday to Tuesday from 9am to 6pm and Wednesday from 9am to 5pm). For more information, such as the directory of exhibitors or programme overview, visit: www.outdoor-show.com
