Outdoor Media Summit: What Worked, What Didn't, and Why It Matters

Recorded live from the Outdoor Media Summit in Asheville, North Carolina, Eoin Comerford is joined by Colin True and Shawnté Salabert to break down everything that happened at OMS.

From an unexpected black bear sighting and zip-liners passing by at the Crowne Plaza Resort to deep dives into the brand speed dating format, the trio covers what makes OMS different from other outdoor industry get togethers.

They discuss notable brands including HEST, Zenbivy, Bedrock's new mountain shoes, Packfire, Airstream, Nemo, Eno, Grand Trunk, Hollow Socks, Patagonia, Teva, Smartwool, Altra, Nomadix, HydroFlask, Grivel, and Yeti.

Eoin recounts his bushcraft excursion with Victorinox that turned into an Army Ranger-style survival challenge, Shawnte shares her fly fishing experience with Mayfly Outdoors and Mountain Fly Anglers, and the team digs into the hunt-fish segment's growing relevance with Hollow Socks.

The conversation also covers keynotes from Matt Tucker of Circana and Earl Hunter of The Unity Folks, the value of brand excursions, category expansion trends in the outdoor industry, and why the next OMS heading to South Dakota might be worth your calendar.

Show Notes

[0:00] Intro and Aarn Packs sponsorship

[2:13] Welcome from OMS Asheville, featuring a live bear sighting and zip-liners at the Crowne Plaza Resort

[4:51] What the Outdoor Media Summit is, who attends, and how it has evolved over ten years

[6:42] The OMS business model: how destinations, brands, and media folks fund the event

[8:00] Day Zero at AutoCamp with activations from Victorinox, Packfire, Gozney, and Airstream

[9:46] Day One brand speed dating with 30-plus brands and the 12-minute rotation format