This week, Northwest River Supplies (NRS) launched the “NRS Retailer” trade event to roll out their new and revised 2024 product line. NRS Retailer will feature a “Reunion Tour” theme, aiming to reconnect partners and friends in the paddlesports industry through a series of gatherings across America.
“This is as grassroots as it gets,” says NRS Chief Marketing Officer Mark Deming. “We’re loading up a truck, driving to central locations around the country, renting houses in each location, and inviting our dealer partners into our living room.”
According to Deming, several factors contributed to the decision to launch NRS Retailer. The pandemic, inflation, retail staffing shortages, and a fragmented trade show landscape, have limited the brand’s ability to gather with its dealer network in recent years. A large assortment of new and revised products presented logistical challenges in presenting NRS’s 2024 line to hundreds of retailers throughout the country. The tour format allows NRS to invite partners and friends to experience the latest NRS products in a convenient location while talking shop and swapping stories in a casual, comfortable setting.
The pandemic and other factors disrupted the trade show calendar, according to Deming, making it difficult to introduce products, share brand stories, and maintain a sense of community in an efficient and cost-effective way.
“We are working with other leaders in the paddlesports industry to find a long-term solution for bringing retailers and vendors together,” says Deming. “In the meantime, we have to get creative. For us, this tour is about making time for real, genuine conversations and connections.”
Here are the dates:
April 17 to 20: Bozeman, Montana
April 25 to 28: Vancouver, Washington
May 3 to 5: Denver, Colorado
May 10 to 12: Brighton, Michigan
May 17 to 19: Greenville, South Carolina
Now 100% employee-owned, NRS is the world’s leading supplier of equipment and apparel for water recreation, safety and rescue. Founded in 1972 with a vision to create a better kind of company, NRS is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of its customers, employees and community. For more information on NRS, visit www.nrs.com.