Paddle Sports Show Preview Strasbourg, France 24-26 Sept

After shows in 2021 and 2022 in Lyon, The Paddle Sports Show, moved to Strasbourg for the 2023 edition and returns to the same venue for 2024. This international show attracts buyers from specialist shops, rental centres, holiday centres and central purchasing agencies from across Europe and all over the world. The Paddle Sports Show (P2S) has around 150 exhibitors of kayaks, canoes, stand up paddles, foil & wing foils, inflatable beach structures and associated equipment. Expect the usual big players alongside smaller and super innovative companies with the whole industry to be gathered under one roof for three days to share in shaping our future and to demonstrate the collective strength of the Paddle Sports industry.

New for this year is the Paddle Sport Film Festival which will take place on 23rd September at 7pm the evening prior to the show. The Festival is open to kayak, foil, sup and canoe films, so join us in bringing the entire paddle sports community under one roof for an amazing evening of Paddle Sports cinematography. The film program includes presentations from directors and athletes, with time for Q&A. It is also a competition, with €2000 cash prize for the winner, decided by a jury with the winners being announced during the industry gala dinner two days later. The Paddle Sports Show Film Festival is open to everyone and will be held at the Palais des Congrès Strasbourg Pl. de Bordeaux, across from the exhibition centre. Films must feature or be related to a paddle sport, be under 30 mins and in English, if not then English subtitles and voice-over in English is a requirement. The final selection of films for the night will be announced on 2nd September. There will also be a world premiere of a big water expedition movie shot in Gabon, Africa this spring.

Opening hours for the first day of the show are 10am – 10pm, on the 2nd day from 9am – 7pm and 9am – 3pm on the third and final day. On the first evening from 7pm – 10pm exhibitors will host informal drinks parties and invite their customers to look around their stands. On the second evening the industry party and awards ceremony takes place, featuring the Paddlesports Product of the Year awards and the annual Hall of Fame ceremony will be held with food and drinks from 7pm till 12am.

The 14 categories in the Paddlesport Product of the Year Awards, presented by Kayak Session Publishing, are chosen by a panel of independent judges. The awards highlight products that are making a difference through innovation, performance, design, and utility and the lucky winners are announced during the industry dinner.

This year’s conferences and talks busy program is as follows:

Starting on Tuesday at 13.00 with Dams in Question with Beatrice Alducci .The Dam Removal association advocates for the dismantling of dams on rivers, leading fights and commitments on numerous sites. A presentation followed by a debate that will raise many questions: What future for our rivers? How can we preserve and defend them? What are the ecological and energy challenges Then at 15:00 Freya Hoffmeister a legend of expedition sea kayaking, having traveled over 80.000 kilometers. She will present her latest journey, the “First Circumnavigation of North America“. Finally at 17:00 River classification with Francesco Salvato. River kayaking has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, but the classification of river difficulties has not kept pace. Francesco Salvato and a panel of whitewater professionals will discuss the possibilities of evolving this classification.

Day 2 starts at 13:00 with the Free River Fund Presentation , Marieke Vogt and the Free River Fund team and guest will engage a conversation that will remind us why we need free flowing rivers! Then at 15:00 there’s Whitewater Parks with Scott Shipley Scott Shipley, Olympic athlete and former World Cup champion in slalom kayaking, started S2o Design and now leads Calibre Engineering’s Whitewater Team. .Scott will present the differences in design between traditional Olympic Venues and the more profitable American model for whitewater park design. Then at 17:00 Oscar Chalupsky Oscar Chalupsky, a legend in ocean racing and surf-ski, 12-time winner of the famous “Molokai,” will share his battle against a severe illness, showing the same tenacity and combativeness as in competitions. He will also present his book “No Retreat, No Surrender.”

Final Day starts at 09:30 with Eric Jackson on Re-Engaging Lapsed Paddlers: A Low-Cost, High-Return Opportunity. In this presentation EJ will develop a rather simple theory that there’s a largely untapped market that offers immense potential: the lapsed paddlers—those who once loved the sport but have drifted away due to life changes. The barriers to re-engage them are minimal, yet the rewards are substantial. Followed by at 10:30 Recycling Paddle Sports Industry Products by Bob Timms. This discussion follows up on the one initiated in 2023: where does the reflection stand? Does the industry have solutions to propose? The debate is open, and the discussion continues, with the possibility of discussing the creation of a label or other specific actions.

Screenshot 2024-09-22 at 13.19.00

Strasbourg is an easy location to access with its international airport, connections to the motorway network and the TGV train system. With all the local tram stops once you reach Strasbourg there is no need to use a car. There are quite a few hotels in walking distance to the show and the heart of the city of Strasbourg, is only a few trams stops (less than 10 min.) away and 5 mins drive by taxi.

Acton sports retailers and distributors should take the time to visit the show and look at this market whether it be for hardboards or inflatables. The Paddle Sports Show is a ‘one-stop-shop’ window for all there is to buy in the paddle business. The show format is under one roof, in a single hall, simplifying the selection and buying process for retailers which is a significant advantage for all visiting shops. See you in Strasbourg.