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Inside Outdoor | FALL 2020 Rep and retailer member as- sociation 360 Adventure Collec- tive announced its 2021 Winter Show Schedule in the New Eng- land and Southeast regions. After multiple show cancellations in 2020 due to concerns for COVID-19, the team at 360 AC is eager, but also cautiously optimistic, to return to in-person events in 2021. “Planning ahead during the cur- rent pandemic crisis is not easy, but we are hopeful to be able to conduct safe trade shows in January and February next year,” noted executive director Stacey Gellert. “360 AC will be reassessing every month for any shifts in COVID-19 cases or state regulations that would preclude the shows from continuing.” The Southeast Winter Expo kicks off January 21-24, 2021, at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, S.C. New England Winter Expo follows up shortly on January 27-29, 2021, at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. These events provide a private, yet safe setting for reps and retail- ers to transact pre-season orders for winter equipment and clothing, said the group. The New England Winter Wrap-Up show will take place February 22-24, 2021, at the Doubletree Hotel Expo Hall in Man- chester, N.H. This show provides retailers and reps a chance to complete all preseason orders. While 360 AC is “very excited to move ahead with these winter shows,” one of 360 AC’s largest winter events will have to wait until 2022. “Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel our premier Winter Hard- goods Show in Providence, RI,” said Gellert. “The convention center is being used as a temporary hospi- tal and testing facility for COVID-19 and the timing just wasn’t possible.” Though the team has been challenged with postponements and eventual cancellations, the association continues to forge ahead with a creative show plan. In addition to the regional winter shows, expect to see more of 360 AC’s successful On-Snow Demos on the 2021 event calendar. These shows provide buyers with an op- portunity to “See it, Try it, Buy it.” Additional information including dates and registration will be provided soon. Outdoor Research recently added Sespe Group, a sales agency representing the brand in the South- west territory, to its team. Sespe Group and founder Chris Morrisette will represent OR in California, Ari- zona, Nevada and Hawaii. The Sespe Group team also includes field representative Wes Jones and support representative Bekka Rosenkrantz. The agency represents some of the premier brands in the industry, including Petzl, SCARPA and Farm to Feet.  “Chris and his team bring a deep bench of knowledge in the outdoor, ski, run and climbing channels, stem- ming from both extensive experience as a sales team and their personal passion for the space they represent,” said Michael O’Connell, senior sales manager for Outdoor Research. Morrisette can be reached at  chris@sespegroup.com.   Le Bent Restructures U.S. Sales Organization Le Bent, an Australia-based maker of technical socks and next-to-skin layers, announced a new U.S. sales structure, developed with the number one goal of providing support to specialty retail- ers. Denver-based Erika Gurnett will be leading the effort as the newly appoint- ed U.S. sales manager.  Joining Gurnett is a small crew of in- dependent reps in other key territories including John Segal in Northern California; Avert Guldemond in New England; and Jeff Darby in Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona. Despite COVID-related travel com- plications, Le Bent’s head of sales, Steve Walshe, will make his way to the U.S. from Australia to support the new team. “The new model allows us to focus on not only winter, but year-round service,” stated Walshe. Gurnett steps into her role following 10-plus years of retail experience. “Le Bent has a great opportunity to become a key player in the U.S. market in a number of different channels,” explained Gurnett. As for Walshe, getting to the U.S. amid a global pandemic has produced its own set of complicated challenges, but doing so has remained a critical priority for Le Bent. “With so many chal- lenges facing our international partners, it’s tough to develop a realistic picture of the genuine issues across the vari- ous markets from 20,000 miles away,” explained Walshe. “Years of experience have showed us that maintaining a close relationship with our retailers is crucial to our success and understanding the mar- ket. For this reason, we feel it is best that a representative from the brand’s lead- ership leaves the cozy confines of the relatively COVID-free Australia, to step into the trenches with our sales team and retailers. We’re going to get through this season together.” The change in sales strategy coincides with the launch of a redesigned visual brand identity, including a new logo, web- site and packaging, that aligns with the brand’s premium positioning. 360 Adventure Collective Announces Winter 2021 Show Schedule Outdoor Research Adds Sespe Group for SW Territory 12