Outdoor Retailer: Colorado Is Obvious Choice
DENVER (CBS4)- Denver will be the new home for the country's largest outdoor recreation trade show. Colorado has been in the running for the show's location ever since the Outdoor Retailer show announced it was leaving Utah.
The trade show will take place at the Colorado Convention Center twice a year. It brings about $110 million with it along with 85,000 attendees each year.
It's no secret that that Colorado isn't just a location, it's a lifestyle. From the rolling mountains to the endless trails, countless activities during the four different seasons are just some of the reasons why people love to work and play in the state.
It's also why the industry's largest trade show will find a new home here, according to Amy Roberts with the Outdoor Industry Association.
"Coloradoans enjoy thousands of miles of bicycle trails and brag about how many 14ers we have summitted," she says. "Over 25 percent of the state is public lands and more than 9,000 miles of trout streams and back country to pursue."
City leaders and the folks with the Outdoor Retailer show say it is a natural fit to have the world's largest trade show in Denver.
Marisa Nicholson, show director for Outdoor Retailer, says they chose Denver because this is where the industry wants to be.
"We chose Denver because of Denver's long-term commitment to protecting and nurturing public lands," says Nicholson.
Outdoor recreation, in general, is a huge economic driving force in Colorado with $28 billion in consumer spending each year. It also brings 229,000 jobs to the state.
The show had considered leaving Utah in the past over philosophical differences. It finally did after Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution calling on federal officials to rescind the monument that President Barack Obama designated on 1.3 million acres of land in southeastern Utah considered sacred to Native American tribes.
People want to be in Colorado, says Gov. John Hickenlooper, "They can bike to work, go fishing over lunch, take a hike in late afternoon and ski at night; this is the Colorado way of life."
The shows begin January 2018.
Jennifer Brice is a reporter with CBS4 focusing on crime and courts. Follow her on Facebook or on Twitter @CBS4Jenn.
