2025 marks the end of a 55-year chapter for ISPO Munich. For decades, the fair has been one of the central meeting points in the outdoor, sports and performance industries. But shifting consumer patterns, new sustainability expectations and an increasingly pressured retail landscape have created a need for rethinking what a tradeshow should be.
This is the challenge now handed to Mike Seaman, CEO and Founder of Raccoon Media Group, who takes over the event as it relocates to Amsterdam in 2026. Speaking with Scandinavian MIND, Seaman is direct about the need for change.
– When we talk about events, we talk about the heart and the head, he says. The heart is what people love about ISPO. The head is about building a format that works for the future.
He describes how the old model struggled with declining footfall, shrinking exhibitor numbers and rising costs. The industry, he argues, needs a platform that is more efficient, globally connected and culturally relevant. The move to Amsterdam is only one part of that shift.
One of his first announcements is also the most unexpected: a permanent €1 million annual impact fund.
– We want ISPO to become a force for good, he says. Every year we’ll invest a million euros in participation, conservation and advocacy. The fund will be governed independently, and ISPO will also become a sustaining partner of EOCA. For Seaman, this is about establishing structural responsibility rather than symbolic initiatives.
Only after discussing the fund does he explain the strategic reasons behind the relocation. The new dates, 3–5 November, avoid the Thanksgiving bottleneck and fit better with global retail timelines.
– Munich didn’t have the earlier November timeline we wanted – and moving away from Thanksgiving is crucial if we want global participation. Amsterdam was the obvious choice.
The revised format begins with a one-day executive summit, gathering CEOs, CMOs, sustainability leaders and policymakers. Confirmed speakers include Lindsey Vonn, Jimmy Chin and senior leaders from Intersport and The North Face. “If you’re part of the C-suite in sports, winter, or outdoor, this event must be on your calendar,” Seaman says.
A second €1 million investment will fund a hosted buyer programme, covering travel and accommodation and guaranteeing pre-arranged meetings. “This is probably the only marketing spend where you know your ROI before activating,” Seaman says. “If your customers are in the room, you should be too.”
But beyond structure and logistics, Seaman repeatedly returns to culture. Many people he has spoken to recall ISPO’s past energy: the sense of community, momentum and fun.
– Everybody we’ve spoken to has great memories of ISPO. The energy, the fun, the community. We want to bring that back. But it is easier said than done and it is not something we can do on our own, this is where we all need to collaborate, organizers, brands and industry people.
The early prototype for this approach came from the International Running Expo (IRX) in Amsterdam, now merging with ISPO. “IRX proved this can happen,” he says. “The optimism we have is shared by the industry.” It also highlighted how challenger brands can energise established categories, and how running and outdoor cultures reinforce one another.
Across conversations with brands at ISPO Munich, from Gore-Tex and Peak Performance to Houdini and Snow Peak, one conclusion stood out. Digital communication can support business, but it cannot replace the cultural and emotional value of meeting in person. The industry still needs physical spaces where ideas collide and networks form naturally. The challenge is evolving those spaces to meet new expectations.
When asked what he wants to carry forward from the Munich era, Seaman doesn’t hesitate. “If I pick three things, they’re all the same: the people. The communities that gather here. That’s the soul we want to keep.”
The transformation of ISPO is therefore less about geography than purpose. It reflects a broader shift in how the outdoor industry meets, collaborates and defines its responsibilities. ISPO Amsterdam has the potential to become a blueprint for that future, but only if brands commit early, Seaman says. Many held back from Munich this year, choosing to wait and see. For the new format to succeed, the industry cannot wait until year two or three.
Because what is being rebuilt is not only a tradeshow. It is the cultural and commercial infrastructure that binds the outdoor community together.
Fredrik Ekström is our Editor-at-Large for Outdoor & Sustainability and founder of the brand agency Above The Clouds.
