Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, the national organization dedicated to the health and growth of specialty outdoor retail, announced retailer and vendor commitments have met and exceeded pre-pandemic peak attendance for its spring 2022 event, June 6-9, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Grassroots Connect retailer commitments are 10 percent ahead of 2019 numbers, and vendor booths are at capacity for the Knoxville Convention Center. With a full roster of retailers and vendors, Grassroots Connect organizers will begin its custom scheduling process for the June show.
“This is a tremendous milestone to have an outdoor industry trade show back to 100 percent of attendance. This a big win for Grassroots Connect as well as the independent specialty retail community and something we will be celebrating in Knoxville,” said Dana Howe, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Director of Membership and Education.
The surge in attendee commitments for Grassroots Connect reflects the retail floor enthusiasm of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance members, which remains strong despite challenging conditions in the broader marketplace. After closing 2021 with a 29 percent growth over 2020, Grassroots retailers have seen a 13.2 percent bump in sales growth along with a 2.2 point increase in margin in the first two months of 2022.
The spring 2022 Grassroots Connect schedule will begin with Grassroots member education day and exhibitor set up (June 5), followed by four days of pre-scheduled retailer and vendor meetings (June 6-9).
Grassroots Connect is anticipated to continue its vaccine requirement as well as other health considerations which were instituted in 2021. Any updates to Grassroots Connect health and safety protocols will be posted at https://connect.grassrootsoutdoors.com/health.
For more information on Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, go to www.grassrootsoutdoors.com.
