More than 80 C-suite executives and CEOs from across the outdoor industry gathered this week at VF Corporation headquarters in Denver for Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Rendezvous 2026, marking the highly anticipated return of executive convening after more than a decade.
The event gave outdoor industry leaders a chance to step outside their organizations and engage with peers facing similar pressures. This year’s theme, “Building Resilience in Uncertain Times,” framed conversations about navigating economic uncertainty, technological change, and evolving expectations around sustainability, conservation, and consumer engagement.
“Rendezvous is about bringing leaders together for open, honest conversations about the challenges shaping the outdoor industry,” said Kent Ebersole, president of Outdoor Industry Association. “It’s also the start of rebuilding a stronger culture of collaboration across our industry. By listening to the leaders in the room, OIA can better understand the priorities that matter most and help turn those insights into meaningful action.”
“We have a track record as an industry of collaborating to make meaningful change and progress,” said Susan Viscon, REI Impact Executive. “The conviction to do the hard work and do it together is born from face-to-face conversations. Rendezvous has brought together the right stakeholders from brands and focused on the topics that are critical to our future.”
The program featured fireside chats, keynote presentations, and panels with leaders from top outdoor brands. Jeffrey Strasser of Microsoft opened with a keynote discussing how executives can lead through the rapid changes driven by artificial intelligence, offering practical guidance on adopting AI while supporting workforce transformation and maintaining focus on people and core business fundamentals.
Moderated by Lindsay Shumlas of Cotopaxi, a session on investment and growth strategy brought together advisors and legal experts to discuss navigating a shifting market. Lesford Duncan from the Outdoor Foundation and Kelly Davis from OIA previewed the 2026 Outdoor Participation Report, highlighting data-driven insights that will shape business decisions across the sector.
Beyond market data trends, Matthew Thurston of REI led a discussion with leaders from Black Diamond, GORE-TEX, and Design for Impact on making sustainability a central driver of resilience. Chris Keyes from Re:Public guided a session on modern messaging for public lands advocacy and conservation.
“I think we’re all responsible for being stewards of the soul of the industry,” said Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia. “That means protecting the joy and the specialness of being outdoors, not just thinking about it as a commercial endeavor.”
The day wrapped with small-group strategy sessions to identify priorities that will guide OIA’s programming and initiatives in 2026 and beyond.
“My big takeaway is that it’s time to do it,” said Neil Fiske, CEO of Black Diamond. “We’ve got the tools, the will, the values, and the purpose. Now it’s about relentlessly focusing on operationalizing our objectives, so people feel empowered to act.”
Partners supporting the return of Rendezvous included GORE-TEX Brand, VF Corporation, REI, BranchPattern, The Langston Co., and Perkins Coie. The gathering brought together leaders from 65 brands, tackling the industry’s most pressing challenges and producing actionable insights for the year ahead.
“The Rendezvous was a remarkable display of the passion and the optimism that are at the core of the outdoor industry community. There were a lot of common themes – from the value of gatherings in the outdoor industry to the importance of being authentic and acting on your brand values – but the biggest one was a clear eagerness to lean in, collectively, to navigate those challenges as well as share the benefit of future opportunities,” said Christina Henderson, VP, Switchback and The Running Event.
Leaders interested in participating in future gatherings or learning more about OIA membership can request an invitation here.
