Joel Makower, Renowned Business Visionary, Sustainability Expert and Chairman of GreenBiz to Keynote Outdoor Industry Association Industry Breakfast

December 8, 2016

Mark your calendars: OIA announces events for Outdoor Retailer Winter Market show

(Boulder, Colo.) December 8, 2016 – Ahead of next month’s Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), the trade association and force for the outdoor industry, releases their schedule of events and seminars. From understanding new recommended vendor sustainability standards to the implications of the election and the nation’s newly elected officials on the outdoor recreation economy and climate change, the topics being explored are timely, informative and inspiring.

Open to all trade show attendees, OIA kicks-off the 2017 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market show by celebrating the Sustainability Working Group’s (SWG) 10^th anniversary at the Industry Breakfast on Day 1, Tuesday, January 10. Speaker Joel Makower, GreenBiz chairman and executive editor, will be addressing the audience and highlighting the industry’s collaborative efforts that have transformed the idea of sustainability from a simple “add on” to an essential business imperative. At the breakfast, OIA will also be launching a new campaign that celebrates the incredible collaborative spirit of the industry featuring real people in our midst doing impactful work together.

OIA is introducing “Industry Lunches” taking place on Days 1, 2 and 3 featuring industry leaders discussing key topics facing the outdoor community.

“The collaborative spirit of the outdoor industry offers, among many other amazing things, a group of leaders and industry professionals who carry with them decades of expertise and experience in a variety of areas. We encourage those attending the trade show to take advantage of this know-how and attend the sessions we’ve arranged,” Amy Roberts, OIA executive director. “OIA also recognizes our industry can learn from other businesses and work to bring thought-provoking and inspiring speakers from outside our four walls to impart valuable lessons.” 

For a complete schedule of events, and more details, please visit the OIA website.

The OIA Industry Breakfast and Industry Lunches will be live broadcast powered by Brandlive. 

OIA Industry Breakfast:

A Force for Meaningful Change
Speaker: Joel Makower, GreenBiz chairman and executive editor
Tuesday, January 10, 7 – 9 am
Salon D, SLC Marriott Downtown at City Creek

Click here to learn more and register for the Brandlive broadcast.

OIA is celebrating the outdoor industry’s sustainability leadership. Business sustainability has shifted from a fringe “add on” to a critical business imperative that is driving the continued growth and success of the outdoor industry within an increasingly resource-constrained world. Come learn about the global sustainable business movement. Leave inspired to take action and utilize the collaborative spirit of the outdoor industry to tackle the challenges we face – together.

OIA Industry Lunches:

January 10-12, 11:30 am – 1 pm
SLC Marriott Downtown at City Creek Participation

Take a break from the show floor each day and join OIA for lunch and industry insider knowledge on key issues.

PARTICIPATION

Doctor’s Orders: Get Outside
Tuesday, January 10, 11:30 am – 1 pm

Click here to learn more and register for the Brandlive broadcast.

Join the Outdoor Industry Association and the Outdoor Foundation for a dynamic roundtable discussion moderated by OIA’s Jessica Wahl about the therapeutic power of the outdoors. As more and more doctors across the country prescribe outdoor recreation to address physical and mental illness, post-traumatic stress and other maladies, what is our role as an industry to support and incorporate messages of health and wellness into our brand stories?

Speakers:

•        Stacy Bare – Director of Sierra Club Outdoors
•        Mark McKnight – CMO, RootsRated
•        Christine Fanning, Executive Director of Outdoor Foundation

SUSTAINABILITY

Higg Index Adoption How-To
Wednesday, January 11, 11:30 am – 1 pm

Click here to learn more and register for the Brandlive broadcast.

Stumped about REI’s and MEC’s request for vendor partners to adopt the Higg Index? Come grab a bite, learn about the Higg Index from OIA experts and hear from REI and MEC on the move to raise their sustainability standards.

Speakers:

•        David Labistour – CEO, MEC
•        Valerie Presolly – Director of Sustainable Business Innovation, MEC
•        Susan Viscon – Sr. VP, Merchandising and Private Brands, REI
•        Matthew Thurston – Sr. Manager, Product & Supply Chain Sustainability, REI

POLICY

You Can’t Do Business on a Dead Planet
Thursday, January 12, 11:30 am – 1 pm

Click here to learn more and register for the Brandlive broadcast.

The surprising outcome of the 2016 presidential election signals a dramatic shift for climate change policy. The next administration has pledged to defund federal climate change mitigation and will withdraw from international climate agreements. What do we do now? Join us for an important discussion about where we go from here and finding a way forward – together.

Speakers:

•        Protect Our Winters
•        Climate Action Campaign
•        CERES/BICEP
•        Outdoor Industry Association

Outdoor Industry Association 

Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry and the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer. OIA unites and serves over 1200 manufacturer, supplier, sales representative and retailer members through its focus on trade and recreation policy, sustainable business innovation and outdoor participation. For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353

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