Slide/OTS Preview: Telford UK, 9-11 January

Slide/OTS is the one opportunity for UK retailers to see so many brands under one roof, making it the key event in the UK snow industry calendar and a must visit decision for all UK winter sports retailers. Last year’s show was its biggest edition since it moved to Telford, with the organisers reporting an increase of 12.3% in overall visitor attendance when compared to the previous year. This reflected the enhanced appeal of the show to both traditional snow sports buyers and newer visitors from the outdoor sector since the decision to combine Slide with OTS, as well as the benefits of moving the event forward in the calendar to closer match order deadlines.

Last year 561 visitors came to the show of those 65% were MDs, owners, or buyers. Slide remains very much an order writing show, with brands and retailers holding back to back meetings. With such a good balance of brands and suppliers across both snow and outdoor the show continues to be a very efficient use of buyer’s time.

Floorplan for the show:

The schedule of special side events is as follows:

Networking Drinks will take place at the end of the first day of the show, from 6 to 8pm at the show café in association with the London Snow Show.

On the Wednesday morning the ever-popular Sustainability Breakfast will be held from 7.30am-9.00am. This year’s breakfast is in the Newport Suite and will see industry leaders presenting on inspiring and thought-provoking topics. The Breakfast programme is as follows:

• 7.30-7.55am – Breakfast and Networking
• 7.55-8.00am – SIGB Welcome & Introduction
• 8.00-8.20am – Scott Nelson, Operations Director of the European Outdoor Group, will look at the impact of the EOG’s decision to align its climate endeavours with the UNFCCC’s Race To Zero and on how this will effect your business
• 8.20 to 8.40am – Charles Ross from Performance Sportswear Design, will examine the impact of incoming legislation on winter garments and the new alternative material options available
• 8.40-8.50am – Dominic Winter, Head of Programmes at Protect Our Winters will look at how brands can influence the next governments climate decisions and how you can get support for your operations and training with POW.

To end the breakfast there will be a short general Q&A session. Exhibitors and visitors are encouraged to register their attendance by emailing Full Name, Company & Job Title to the show organisers. There’s a maximum attendance of two people per company.

SIGB Annual General Meeting on Wednesday evening from 7-8 pm will see the winners of the Slide & OTS Awards announced. The Slide & OTS Awards recognise the most talked-about products at the show, with the winners in each of the 6 categories: Outdoor Hardware, Softwear, Snowsport Hardware, Accessories, Fresh Brand and Eco all on display with the other finalists in a dedicated area for the duration of the show.

With visitor registration open, visitors are reminded that everyone will need to register to gain entry to the show which is free to attend for all visitors.

Brands at the show include Patagonia, Dragon, Picture, Rossignol, Aphex, Poc, Oakley, and many more. See the full line up below.

Telford is well served by the road and rail network. A free shuttle from the train station to the exhibition centre helps make the trip a seamless one and car drivers are offered free parking. On-site hotels offer reduced rates for visitors meaning you can easily walk from hotel to show and back. Doors open at 9am and close at 7pm on the first two days and close at 4pm on the final day. So make sure to get to Telford to hook up with all your winter sports brands, see you there.

www.slideotswinter.co.uk