No. 37 e
February 2007

F i n a l R e p o r t
Another Record: 5% more trade visitors at ispo winter 07
• Approx. 64,000 trade visitors were counted from February 4 to 7
• Positive trade fair mood: visitor figures demonstrate undiminished interest of retailers in trends and novelties
• More than 50% of the trade visitors interested in purchasing textiles –
sportstyle orientation of ispo confirmed
• New innovation area with Wearable Technologies, ispo Best Ager, ispo Award winners and next generation projects very popular
• VOLVO SportsDesign FORUM and Sport Sponsoring Congress record lots of visitors

ispo winter 07, which took place in 17 halls on 180,000 sq. m. and for the first time on the total area available on the grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from February 4 to 7, 2007, recorded approximately 64,000 trade visitors (2006: 61,087) and consequently approx. 5% more than in the previous year. In addition to records in the amount of area and number of exhibitors, ispo recorded another visitor record, which could already be seen to be emerging starting on the first trade fair day in the number of visitors increasing daily. Despite the unsatisfactory show situation, these record visitor figures confirm the undiminished interest of retailers in new trends, new developments and concentrated preparation for the next winter season.

International participation was high as usual with a 65% share of foreign visitors and an 84% share of foreign exhibitors. The visitor share from Eastern Europe and Russia increased above average, more than 20% more visitors were counted from the Netherlands and Great Britain, 14% more came from Switzerland, 11% more from the Czech Republic, 7% more from Italy and 6% more from Austria.

Increasing visitor and purchasing interest was especially registered from textile and shoe retailers, which confirmed the sportstyle orientation of ispo. While the share was approx. 40% in 2006, more than 50% of the visitors indicated this winter that they wanted to obtain information about the current range of offers for textiles – from functional clothing to sport-oriented fashion for leisure time. About 22% of the trade visitors cited interest in the ski sector, 10% board, 9% outdoor hardware and 9% fitness and running.

The conclusion of Manfred Wutzlhofer, Chief Executive Officer of Messe München GmbH: “ispo winter 07 will go down as a record trade fair in ispo history. In addition to increased amount of area and number of exhibitors, we can now also report a visitor record. The increasing participation and the growing interest from the textile and shoe retail sectors confirm the continued development of ispo as a unique platform for the range of offers for sport-oriented leisurewear in addition to functional clothes and clothes with technical features. The mood at the trade fair was positive despite the difficult winter season. Manufacturers presented a lot of novelties at the trade fair, and trade visitors were very interested in the new trends, products and collections.”

A total of 1,970 exhibitors (2006: 1,633) presented their product innovations and current fashion collections of the coming winter season 2007/2008 in Munich. For the first time, there was a separate innovation area in Hall A2 to provide retailers with a concise overview. New concepts of Wearable Technologies and ispo Best Ager as well as the ispo Award winners and next generation projects were very popular. The ispo organizers have been involved in brand and trend scouting for years, and 50 awards were also presented for the product innovations of fashion, hardware and footwear suppliers as well as to designers this winter.

In addition, ispovision and the new devised sportstyle_ispo halls with their stylish design were especially big favorites. Morgan Boeri, Purchaser, Galerie Lafayette Paris: “ispo has developed very well, and the atmosphere in the halls is full of positive energy. I especially liked ispovision, which has beautiful brands and products. Last winter, I discovered Orage for the first time, and this winter I really like the collections from Luis Trenker and Hell is for Heroes.” This sportstyle focus will be expanded further in the wake of the new ispo SPORT & STYLE, which will take place on the grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from July 8 to 10, 2007.

ispo winter 07 was again the scene of top-rate congresses. Coulthard and Wozniak first-hand, NIKEiD and Quiksilver backstage – that was the 6th Volvo SportsDesign Forum in ICM with the topic “Personal Design”. Topics and speakers attracted a record number of participants; more than 900 people attended the talks on the day preceding ispo winter 07. The ispo Sport Sponsoring Congress of the European Sponsoring Market in St. Gallen, ESB, was also a great success with more than 1,000 participants. The marketing prize and honorary prize of the magazine Sponsors was awarded to the organization committee of the Soccer World Cup 2006 and was accepted in the name of all members by Franz Beckenbauer. ispo itself awarded the ispo trophy to Dr. Vitali Klitschko for his outstanding sports career and resolve, especially as a role model for young people.

Other Voices at ispo winter 07:

Bogner, Matthias Rau, Purchasing Manager at Sport Deutschland:
“The trade fair was significantly better for us overall, and the mood among retailers is better than expected. We had a lot more visitors at our booth on the first two days, especially on Sunday. We were able to establish a lot of new contacts, especially to Eastern Europe.”

Ellesse, Irene Celli, Marketing Assistant:
“The mood at ispo was very positive. Above all, the quality of contacts was very good and very international. We were able to establish a lot of contacts to new customers, especially from Eastern Europe, USA and Canada. Visitor frequency improved considerably overall.”

K2 Ski Sport + Mode GmbH, Andreas Weiss, Marketing Manager for Europe:
“We had expected a much worse mood due to the poor snow conditions this winter. But we didn’t notice anything of the industry-internal, pessimistic mood described in the media. To the contrary, we were able to record a lot of visitors and got extremely positive feedback from retailers at ispo winter 07. The number of international visitors also increased. For example, more traders and customers from Eastern Europe and South America asked for information about our products. We consider the tendency to all-mountain topics and to typical niche products as new stimuli. For example, ladies collections are continuing to increase in popularity.”

Mountain Hardwear, Michael Wallenfels, President:
“Unfortunately, retailers are very uneasy this year due to poor weather conditions. But we are still very satisfied with the quality of our contacts at ispo winter 07. Basically, all important traders and customers were at our booth, so that we can speak of a positive overall result in the end. With respect to new trends and ideas, we were able to ascertain that the various textile brands are becoming increasing similar, especially in the selection of materials. At the same time, this means that we have to concentrate more on technical details in our products. We can only stand out from our competitors in this way in the long term.”

Marmot, Marc Wachter, Marketing & PR:
“Fortunately, the trade public was not reticent despite unfavorable weather conditions for winter sport fans. The predictions that retailers might not even come by and look were not confirmed. To the contrary, our booth had a lot of visitors the whole time. Of course, we are very pleased with the unexpectedly good and relaxed mood. In addition, we are also very happy that we had visitors from all countries and were able to address a very international public with our products and collections. ispo winter is always a great chance to meet those traders and customers, whom you do not meet otherwise or cannot meet due to the great distances. The positive response of retailers confirmed to us that we are on the right path with our collections. Especially our colorful ladies lines were very well received. It can be seen that colorful outfits remain very much in trend and that the selection of colors is extremely important from stylistic viewpoints.

Salewa, Herwig Reus, Marketing Manager:
“Despite the lack of snow, we have had positive results. Of course, retailers were a bit more reticent and cautious in the areas of ski and hardware than we would have liked. But in principle, interest is still there, and the mood was very pleasant and positive. Our expectations were completely fulfilled, and the quantity and quality of contacts were also very good. We are leaving this event with a very positive impression. We find nothing at all to criticize about the holding and conception of the trade fair. As in the past years, we are very satisfied both with our booth and the surrounding area.”
Salomon, Thomas Hartmann, Product Manager for Boardsports/Bonfire Salomon Germany:
“We had fewer visitors at our booth overall this year than previously. But a bit more space always provides a better overview too, and consequently we are very satisfied with the course of this year’s trade fair despite poor snow conditions. The quality of contacts was completely positive. In addition to numerous current customers, we were able to establish a lot of new contacts and stimulate the interest of many retailers, whom we really did not have in our planning previously. We were also surprised at the completely positive mood in the industry. As result, ispo winter 07 has taught us that there are still chances for business deals even when the climate is mild and that things are never as bad as they look.”

Falke KG:
“The atmosphere at our booth was good in spite of the difficult winter, especially because the fashion sector is not affected by that. The demand and the need in this product area are very strong. The quality of contacts is very good at the trade fair, and we were able to establish a lot of international contacts and get new customers, mainly from the USA and Korea.”

Dates:
ispo Russia winter 07: February 19 – 22, 2007 (Moscow)
ispo china winter 07: March 14 –17, 2007 (Beijing)
ispo SPORT&STYLE: July 8 – 10, 2007 (Munich)

37/MK/sg

“Buscar sin detenerse, experimentar sin repetir. El resultado es un catalizador para una nueva reacción de mis ingredientes artísticos”
Luís de Dios M.

Luis de Dios Mellada produces a work where creation is the juxtaposition of materials, shapes and colors in a constant changing process.
With a progressive vision open to any technique and searching inside of an informal tendency Luis makes a changing process to reach a defined goal with the intention of making a recognizable work of art through his particular way of comunication. He is always in company of a strong desire of experimentation and motivation of provoking a visual pleasure on the audience.

“Searching without rest, experimenting without repetition. The result is a catalyst for a new reaction of my artistic ingredients”
Luis de Dios M.

Xandi Kreuzeder is a free-lancing photographer working in the fields of extreme sports, sports fashion and outdoor. He was born in 1962 in Munich, Germany, as the son of carpenter Franz Kreuzeder and his mother Ingrid. Together with his younger sister Ilonka, he grew up at the edge of Munich.

Early already, Xandi developed a strong urge for top-class athletic performances. Five years old, he won the South German City Championship in skiing and was accepted as the youngest member of ski club TSV Ottobrunn. This was not only the beginning of his skiing career that brought him to the German youth B team but also the beginning of his love of the mountains and nature.

But soon, the ski world was not enough anymore and he aimed to go further. At Lake Garda, Xandi learnt windsurfing and shaping boards. From here, he got into the professional windsurfing business. Sponsored by BIC, he sailed among the top 20 windsurfers in the world.

His ten years as a windsurfing professional lead Xandi around the globe and linked him to many friends and industry contacts all over the world. Working in a small workshop at Lake Garda, he used his craftsmanship to develop the newest board designs for several windsurf companies.

In demand as a sports action model himself, Xandi developed more and more interest for the other side of the camera. Blessed with a special feeling for the right timing and the perfect perspective due to his athletic all-round talent, it was easy for Xandi to get into sports photography. During a break caused by a sports injury, he decided to visit a photography school and then begin freelancing as a photographer.

Today, Xandi is a successful photographer with an open eye for the beautiful as well as the abstract things of nature and who is able to communicate the attitude of freedom. His pictures are truly authentic as he always tries to be as near as possible to the athletes when he is working – at rocks, on the water, on ice and everywhere else where it is necessary to create a real image of something that the observer wouldn’t notice otherwise.

On his ongoing quest for the new, his travels have lead Xandi to even the remotest spots of Planet Earth. At the same time, he discovered his passion for bizarre kinds of art and started to build sculptures of recycled materials himself.

Not accepting any limits to his creativity, ten years ago the idea occured to realize creative projects together with his artist-friends. With Portuguese artist Joao Parrinha, the first exhibition took place in Munich in 1995. Since then, further exhibition projects followed continuously.

Never neglecting photography, Xandi’s aim is to unite sports, aesthetics and art. At the moment, Xandi is working on his exhibition series ‘Skeleton Sea’ that will be presented at ISPO – Messe Munich for the first time in January 2008.

Riding the waves of art – João Parrinha

Artist, musician and sculptor-designer João Parrinha was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1961, the elder son of architect Artur Parrinha and school teacher Ricardina Parrinha. João grew up in an artistic environment, his father being a painter and amateur jazz musician, and showed first signs of artistic potential at nine years of age. He attended Charles Lepierre French Lycée, António Arroio Arts School and ESBAL University of Fine Arts in the Portuguese capital.

From early on, João experimented with drums, accompanying his father on the armrests of the family sofa and progressing to Brazilian percussion, until finally having his own drum made for him. He was soon asked to take part in the IBM (Industrial Blues Machine) rock and blues band, performing live at the iconic Rock Rendezvous venue in Lisbon, and participated in other bands, recording with his brother José Bruno Parrinha (also an artist and saxophone player) for the 1980s pop band Radar Kadafi. João later joined Sei Miguel’s Moeda Noise avant-garde/jazz trio on the drums, giving nearly 60 concerts over a period of two years. Since then, he has taken part in concerts of improvised music with Rodrigo Amado and VGO (Variable Geometry Orchestra) amongst others.

A competitive swimmer in his youth, João got into surfing in 1977, when the sport was unheard of in Portugal. João’s first board was second-hand, shared with his brother; both wearing woolly jumpers instead of wetsuits. Later, in the 1980s, the brothers joined Nick Uricchio and Pereira Caldas, the country’s first maker of surfboards (‘Lipsticks’) in Costa da Caparica and competed in international championships. Making his own boards for ten years, João started decorating those, as well as the Lipsticks boards, with his own artwork. In the same period, he started to exhibit his paintings in various Lisbon spaces, such as the Almada Negreiros Culture Ministry (‘Jovens Pintores’) and the prestigious Gulbenkian Foundation. In 1990, João held his first solo exhibition in the coastal town of Ericeira, where he was living and painting boards for the foremost Portuguese maker of surfboards, Semente, also designing the company logo.

In his recent artistic career, João moved into sculpture, exhibiting in galleries such as Século, Lisbon, and as part of the European Capital of Culture activities, as well as designing striking club interiors featuring his sculptures. In 1994 and 1995, he exhibited his work in Munich, Germany, together with the prominent extreme sports photographer Xandi Kreuzeder. It was also in the 1990s that João started working as an art director for the cinema (Alta Fidelidade) and television (the Doce Fugitiva soap opera), making TV spots (vodafone, TMN, Optimus mobile phone companies, Millennium BCP bank) and music videos (for the Oasis World Tour 2000 and the seminal Portuguese band Madredeus, Maria Leon/Rui Veloso, Ornatos Violeta and Zen, as well as Moonspell, for whose concerts he also executed the stage and costume design).

2005 Joao joined the artgroup Sceleton3 with Xandi Kreuzeder, German photographer – sculptor, and Luis de Dios, a Spanish painter. In 2006, João/Sceleton3 were commissioned by the Marker winter sports brand to build a 2-metre mascot griffin for the ISPO trade fair in Munich.

Between preparing exhibitions, João is currently working on a new design project, which he will present shortly.