ISPO Sends Positive Signals Five Weeks Before The Event

Sports are becoming increasingly diverse and blending with many new areas. As a result, the sports industry is growing larger, customer demand is changing, and its fields of application are becoming more varied. New technologies, data-driven business models, sustainability, and international networking are shaping the market. In this dynamic environment, ISPO exhibitors demonstrate how change can be actively shaped. The ISPO 2025 campaign “Maze to Movement” expresses the intention to undergo a strategic realignment together with the industry, based on its feedback and with a clear goal: to provide direction and enable movement.

This year, ISPO stands for the consistent development of a brand that has been inspiring new ideas for the global sports and outdoor world for more than 50 years. It is more than the industry’s global flagship event: it is a business hub, an innovation stage, and a community platform all at once. Here, established brands meet start-ups, new technologies meet creative business models, retail meets media, and sports meet lifestyle and fashion.

“ISPO 2025 impressively shows how change and continuity can go hand in hand. Every new idea, every start-up, and every partnership reflects the close dialogue we have maintained with the industry,” says Lena Haushofer, Exhibition Director at ISPO.

The results speak for themselves: long before the trade fair begins, ticket sales are 20% higher than last year (as of October 15). It is assumed that, above all, international guests are already planning their trips with a stop in Munich. This is a clear signal of the industry’s confidence and a response to the concept that has provided clarity about what ISPO stands for and what the sports industry can expect from the global flagship event in 2025.

With over 100 start-ups, more innovation is being presented than ever before. The conference program is expanding to include key topics from sustainability and digitalization to new retail and communication strategies.

Flagship projects such as the cooperation with Highsnobiety or new, target-group-specific formats such as the Retail Club or the House of Content, a place where, for the first time, sports creators, whether active athletes or well-known influencers, come together, underline the thematic depth and diversity of ISPO. They connect business with culture, technology with inspiration, and thus create an ecosystem that extends far beyond the trade fair itself.

The success of ISPO 2025 is based on a new, participatory approach: instead of top-down planning, the project team relies on dialogue, co-creation, and active listening. In workshops, discussions, and surveys, the team gathers what brands, retailers, and partners truly need today and translates it into concrete offerings.

Thus, this year’s trade fair has been conceived and designed from within the community itself as a place of encounter, knowledge, and inspiration.

“We are proving that change does not mean giving up existing strengths,” explains Christoph Rapp, Head of Sales & Marketing at ISPO. “It’s more about clearly defining direction and strategically positioning the ISPO brand for the years ahead.”

Under this guiding principle, ISPO 2025 sees itself as a driver of movement for the entire industry. Here, change is not seen as disruption but as a natural evolution, as a direction that provides guidance. ISPO will continue to be the place where the global sports and outdoor community meets, exchanges ideas, and builds connections.

The work, however, continues to be a source of inspiration for the future, making innovation visible, keeping networks vibrant, and turning ideas into reality. Continuity and transformation go hand in hand, making ISPO 2025 a year that clearly demonstrates what the brand stands for: For movement. For dialogue. For the future of sports.