Every year some of the largest brands share their upcoming product lines at a few trade shows around the country. One of these major trade shows is Outdoor Retailer Winter Market which is held yearly in Salt Lake City, Utah. We made the trip out this year to get the latest news on upcoming products from brands like Vibram, Merrell, New Balance, and many more. We also will be venturing through the trade show floors to find new brands and products our readers will be interested in.

The show, running the same weekend as the Sundance Film Festival, is a big deal in Salt Lake City. The plane I flew in on from Washington, D.C. was filled with individuals coming to show of their company’s latest and greatest products and it was great getting a chance to meet and talk with industry insiders before the trade show even started.

This morning I approached the Salt Palace, the hosting location of OutDoor Retailer Winter Market, and as I got closer I started to see a number of tents lined up together. I thought to myself “How awesome is that, people camping out to get quick access to the show”, but as I got closer to the tents I noticed a big red symbol on each of the tents that said “Occupy”. Oops, these aren’t people interested in new products,they are Occupying SLC to protest Wall Street. Who protests Wall Street in Salt Lake City anyways?!

Guess These Guys Aren't Camping out for ORWM 2012...

Banners have been set up around the Salt Palace announcing the Trade Show and thanking those brands that have gone the extra step from just buying a booth, but also being a sponsor. Looks like Vibram is on the list!

Vibram Helps Sponsor Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2012

There are thousands of people at the show. Many are participating as representatives for their company but also a large number of retail store owners and media representatives are here to see what’s available and what’s coming to the market in 2012.

The line to get your badge was long but moved quickly

While many of the participants in the event are showing of skiing and snowboarding products, there are also a significant number of shoe, hiking, and backpacking companies present. After walking the show floor briefly it became clear that this year is going to be the year that a significant number of shoe manufacturers start to heavily advertise and push their minimalist & zero drop shoes.

The show features lots of displays from companies newer to minimalist shoes, including this one for Skechers GoRun

We’ve already spent time meeting up with some of the larger brands, including Vibram, Sole, Rockport, K-Swiss, and others and we’ll be providing insights into what they have coming to market this year. Check back for more details as we’ll be sharing more from Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2012 over the next few days!

If you’re here and want to sync up, tweet us @myfivefingers your booth number and we’ll come find you!