by Flora Zhao

ISPO SHANGHAI， Chinas multi-segment sport trade fair， will take place this summer in the Shanghai New International Expo Center （SNIEC） for the second time. ISPO SHANGHAI 2016 is set to build on the success it enjoyed in 2015： From Wednesday， July 6 to Friday， July 8， 2016 some 400 exhibitors from over 20 countries will present the latest products from the sports industry. This equates to an increase of 11 percent compared to last year. Across an area of 33，000 square meters， trade fair visitors will find products and services from the areas of Action Sports， Sportstyle， Fitness， Running， Functional Textiles， Outdoor， Paddling & Watersports， and - new this year - Adventure Travel.

A total of 393 exhibitors representing 470 brands have registered for ISPO SHANGHAI， already exceeding last years numbers （2015： 354 exhibitors） weeks before the start of the trade fair. Joining the event for the first time are exhibitors from Gola， Gronell， LifeStraw， Millet， Prosperous， Rehband， Swarovski， Tecnica， Yuneec， and Zeiss， among others， while international brands such as 2XU， Camelbak， Fj？llr？ven， LP Support， Point 65， Sea to Summit， Skins， and Ulvang will return again this year.

The global interest in the ISPO SHANGHAI event is also evidenced by the new Czech Republic pavilion， as well as by the higher number of participants from Korea and Chinese Taiwan.

The key focal points of this years ISPO SHANGHAI include Running and Adventure Travel. Sports Business Professionals do not only reach their customers through their products， but increasingly by appealing to their emotions and through events. For this reason， the Chinese sporting goods market is more and more frequently using outdoor activities and sporting events to connect with customers – and with great success. ISPO SHANGHAI will investigate this new trend with its Adventure Travel Segment， providing trade visitors with extensive information about sport tourism， and with representatives from event companies， vacation areas， travel agencies， and sports clubs among the exhibitors. Read more at investigate this new trend with its Adventure Travel Segment， providing trade visitors with extensive information about sport tourism， and with representatives from event companies， vacation areas， travel agencies， and sports clubs among the exhibitors. Read more at investigate this new trend with its Adventure Travel Segment， providing trade visitors with extensive information about sport tourism， and with representatives from event companies， vacation areas， travel agencies， and sports clubs among the exhibitors.

What sportswear colors and fabrics are in demand？ What new materials are out there？ The ISPO TEXTRENDS platform offers answers to these questions. For the first time， ISPO SHANGHAI will also present the upcoming spring and summer trends as a compliment to the fall and winter trends showcased at ISPO MUNICH.

Running is one of the fastest growing sport segments in China. This is why there is such a large focus on Running at the trade fair. There will be a separate “Running Village”， complete with training courses and conferences. The exhibitors in this area will include manufacturers of running clothes and shoes， as well as fitness equipment. Wearables， or small devices with sensors， like activity tracker wristbands， which either process data themselves or transmit it to other devices such as smartphones， will also be exhibited.

A comprehensive events program， bursting with ideas and opportunities to establish new contacts， awaits ISPO SHANGHAI exhibitors and visitors：

The Night Run will provide a chance to network in a relaxed atmosphere， with some 500 participants running together along a seven kilometer route through the Shanghai Century Park on the evening of Thursday， July 7. Dont forget your running shoes！

Participants will also have the chance to be active on Tuesday， July 5 during the ISPO Open Demo Day. From 10：00 to 17：00， before the doors of ISPO even officially open， media representatives， retailers， and sport enthusiasts can take a look at and test out the latest sports products from the following areas： Water sports （SUP， kayak， canoe）， Health & Fitness （running， fitness classes， wearables）， and Fun & Outdoor （slacklining， skateboarding， climbing， camping）.

The ISPO ACADEMY gives visitors the latest information： The “ISPO Sports Industry Innovation SUMMIT” will inform visitors about the current trends and investment opportunities in the global sports business on Wednesday， July 6 on the stage in hall N1.

The “Market Introduction Program” from Monday， July 4 to Wednesday， July 6 will demonstrate how companies can successfully break into the Chinese market. The two-day event offers a unique combination of seminars on market analysis and effective strategies， as well as guided excursions to local Chinese retailers. Furthermore， the Distributor Networking Dinner is the perfect opportunity to make new business contacts with representatives from the Chinese sporting goods industry and to connect with potential business partners. .

For more information about ISPO SHANGHAI 2016， go to shanghai. ispo.com.