Spring 2026 is no different from any other year, with several industry conferences that keep us busy while also allowing us to connect with retailers across the US. This spring, we traveled to Reno, Nevada, for the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance (GOA) show, followed by the Running Industry Association (RIA) Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, and then the 360 Adventure Collective show in Greenville, South Carolina.
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance (GOA)
This event took place in Reno, Nevada, and is a major buying and trade event for the outdoor retail industry. It is attended by independent retailers, brand exhibitors, and sales reps. Our agency set up multiple booths to represent Topo Athletic, Oofos, Feetures, and COROS.
The Running Industry Association (RIA) Summit
For the second year in a row, this conference took place in Atlanta, Georgia. The Summit is for annual RIA members only. For retailers, the show includes seminars, networking opportunities, and the chance to discover new products. For brands, it’s an opportunity to showcase your products, meet with decision-makers, and grow your brand. Our agency represented Topo Athletic, Oofos, and Feetures.
The RIA Summit was held about two weeks after the Topo Athletic Spring 27 sales meeting, and we were excited to showcase specific models exclusive to running specialty retailers. We received a lot of positive feedback and interest in those models.
360 Adventure Collective
This show is put on by a non-profit organization with over 550 members. Their mission is to grow the outdoor industry and strengthen the connection between sales reps, retailers, and brands through these shows. Our agency was on hand to represent Topo Athletic, Oofos, Feetures, Recover Brands, and Headsweats. Our agency had only started representing Recover Brands and Headsweats the prior week.
The Importance of these conferences
At these spring 2026 conferences, there’s an opportunity to streamline order writing and business planning. It’s also an efficient way to meet with retailers in one location over a few days instead of traveling to each one across a large territory. In some instances, like at the RIA show, there was an opportunity to talk to the founder of Topo Athletic, Tony Post, and Ashleigh Cook, US Sales Director for Topo Athletic. Many of the high-level brand directors attended this show, allowing for some great conversations around product and the run specialty business.
