A new era for ISPO set to reignite the heart of the global Sports and Outdoor Industry

October 28, 2025

A new era is dawning for ISPO - the world’s most influential trade event for the sporting goods, outdoor and winter sports industries.

October 28, 2025 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – A new era is dawning for ISPO – the world’s most influential trade event for the sporting goods, outdoor and winter sports industries. The next chapter will bring a renewed sense of purpose: to unite the global sports and outdoor industries, inspire meaningful connections and reignite the passion that makes this community extraordinary. Led by Raccoon Media Group, in partnership with Messe München, the event will combine insight, innovation and heart to set a new standard for the global trade fair.

From 2026, ISPO will enter a new chapter with a refined strategic concept, taking place on an earlier dateline, 3–5 November, at the RAI, Amsterdam. The new concept addresses the cost base to make attendance more affordable, aligns the event with global buying cycles, and ensures accessibility for a broader international audience. Situated in a globally connected hub and home to many leading brand headquarters, Amsterdam also strengthens ties with the North American market, supporting renewed engagement from US-based associations and brands – reaffirming ISPO’s position as the global gathering place for the sports and outdoor community.

To deliver this transformation, the partners have announced a €3 million investment programme designed to strengthen both the commercial and cultural foundations of the event:

• €1 million into advocacy, supporting non-profit organisations that protect the places we play, increase participation and safeguard the grassroots of sport
• €1 million into a global hosted buyer programme, bringing globally significant retailers and brands into the room to ensure strong ROI for exhibitors and driving meaningful international business connections for manufacturers and ingredients, brands and retailers, and commerce and experience markets
• €1 million into a world-class content programme, beginning with the new ISPO Leaders’ Summit – an exclusive C-suite forum uniting senior executives, policymakers and changemakers from across the ecosystem. The Summit will be shaped around three shared pillars that unite the sporting goods, outdoor and winter sports industries; Participation, Sustainability and Fair Trade.

Confirmed Summit attendees already Jimmy Chin (Filmmaker and Mountaineer), Hap Klopp (Founder, The North Face), Professor Laura McAllister (Vice President of UEFA), Andy Rubin (Deputy Chair, Pentland Group), John Lacy (CEO, Burton) and Pia Heidenmark Cook (Former Group Chief Sustainability Officer Ingka/IKEA).

The new joint venture combines the heart, agility and entrepreneurial spirit of Raccoon Media Group with the competence, scale, and global reach of Messe München. Together, they will deliver a reimagined ISPO that blends data-driven decision-making with community-driven purpose – ensuring the event once again serves as the beating heart of the industry it represents.

“We are incredibly proud to take ISPO into its next chapter,” said Mike Seaman, Group CEO of Raccoon Media Group. “By combining ISPO’s heritage with our community-driven approach, we are creating an event that not only reflects the future of sport and the outdoors, but actively shapes it. For too long, ISPO has been led by the head and lost some of its heart. We’re rebalancing that—making smart, strategic choices while restoring the passion, purpose and community that made it great. The industry needs a platform that unites voices, protects the places we play, and inspires the next generation of brands, leaders and businesses. That’s exactly what we intend to deliver.”

“With the strategic realignment of ISPO, we are purposefully and effectively evolving our long-established flagship trade fair. There is a strong demand for a platform that fosters innovation, exchange, and business opportunities. By joining forces with Raccoon Media Group, we are strengthening this vision — ensuring that this transformation continues to be guided by the needs of our customers and the entire sports and outdoor industry”, says Harald Kirchschlager, Executive Director Corporate Strategy & Development.

The 2025 event will mark a dignified and memorable ISPO show in Munich under Messe München’s stewardship. This year’s edition will define the first strategic cornerstones for the future – a milestone event that provides the ideal launchpad for the next chapter. Following this remarkable event, the leadership team of the newly established joint venture company will take the helm post-2025. For the first time, onsite rebooking for ISPO 2026 will be available, providing exhibitors with a seamless transition into the new era.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact: ispopress@raccoonmediagroup.com

(L-R Mike Seaman, Group CEO at Raccoon Media Group, Doug Emslie, Chairman Raccoon Media Group, Stefan Rummel, Co-CEO at Messe Munchen and Harald Kirchschlager, Executive Director Corporate Strategy & Development at Messe München)

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Translated versions of the release are available  HERE in  French, German, Spanish and Dutch

About Raccoon Media Group

Raccoon Media Group is a dynamic, high-growth media business dedicated to serving passion-led communities across both B2C and B2B markets worldwide. Through its impactful events and media properties, Raccoon delivers year-round content, education and growth and networking opportunities to specialist, self-identifying audiences. Founded in 2018 the company has rapidly expanded its portfolio across health, wellbeing and specialist passion-led markets. Entrepreneurial and disruptive, Raccoon challenges the status quo, invests in exceptional people and creates sustainable events that foster industry growth and meaningful connections. Connect with us at www.raccoonmediagroup.com or for all media enquiries, contact Ashley Cox Ashley.cox@raccoonmediagroup.com.

Messe München

As one of the world’s leading trade fair organisers, Messe München showcases the world of tomorrow at around 90 trade fairs worldwide. These include twelve leading global trade fairs such as bauma, BAU, IFAT, and electronica. The portfolio covers trade fairs for investment and consumer goods as well as for new technologies. Together with its 1,300 employees in the group and its subsidiaries, it organizes trade fairs in China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the USA. With an international network of subsidiaries and foreign representatives, Messe München is active worldwide. More than 150 events each year attract around 50,000 exhibitors and approximately three million visitors domestically and abroad. This makes Messe München a key economic driver, generating purchasing power effects worth billions.