The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance will host its 2014 Summer Summit at the Embassy Suites Loveland Hotel, Spa and Conference Center in Loveland, Colo. to meet the organization’s growing needs. No dates for the event were announced.
The Embassy Suites Loveland Hotel Conference Center has more then 40,000 square feet of total function space within a 45 minute drive from the Denver International Airport, says Grassroots. The location also offers a short drive to hiking, biking and climbing in Northern Colorado.
“In the last 3 years, the retail membership has grown and the number of Vendor Partners has also expanded,” explained Chris Howe, co-owner of Connecticut-based Trailblazer and chairman of Grassroots Trade Show Committee. “The Embassy Suites location will allow Grassroots to invite more vendors to the show and accommodate the growing membership.”
“As the #2 Embassy Suites in the World for 2011 and 2012, you can be assured that attendees will be well cared for during their visit,” said　Clark Davis, director of sales and marketing of The Embassy Suites Hotel.
Bob Wade, co-owner of The Ute Mountaineer in Aspen, Colo., urged attendees to schedule some time before or after the show to explore the region, which was among those hit by floods this fall.
“Loveland is one of the communities affected by the severe flooding in the Front Range of Colorado,” said Wade. “They showed their resilience by pulling together and meeting the challenge of flood recovery on a neighbor to neighbor basis. This is the great community that will be our hosts.”
The summits　provide a　venue for　Grassroots　retailers to　meet vendors’ earliest order deadlines and provide feedback from an independent retailer’s perspective, says the buying group.
“Since we can meet with both our reps and the vendor’s sales manager in a private setting, the show is immeasurably more effective than other regional or even national shows,” explained Dawson Wheeler, co-owner of Rock/Creek and chairman of the Grassroots Vendor Committee. “This show helps us to determine best business practices. Our membership sees value in buying a line with other Grassroots accounts; we have learned to trust each other and be highly proactive with our questions to both the vendors as well as our peers. Again, this speaks to the value of our group and the power of open feedback during the buying process.”
