8/7/2024

Knowledge to Go: A review of the IWA Campfire Stations to date, including opportunities for retailers

When you’re out there on a hunt, it’s just you versus nature, in more ways than one. It’s not just about outwitting your quarry, whether that be deer, wild boar, partridge or pigeon, it’s also about not letting the weather conditions defeat you. From frozen tundra to damp, dark forests, ensuring you have the right hunting apparel is almost as important as field craft or having the correct calibre weapon for the job. Reliable and high-performance hunting apparel is an essential pillar of the sector – and it’s a pillar that seems to be growing at a rapid rate.

Pure variety: The IWA Campfires highlights different markets.

Since last year, we have been visiting partners and events throughout Europe as part of the IWA Campfire Roadshow. Whether competition or hunting, match or rally: on our journey we are always in the thick of the action, meeting companies and experts, getting to know users and players, hunters and shooters. And learn important lessons for the industry, trade and, of course, for ourselves. Together, we want to look back on this year's Campfire stops and provide the trade with important insights.

Festival of extremes: the Dark Emergency 2024

Airsoft players and enthusiasts from all over Europe eagerly await this event: At the beginning of May, Dark Emergency took place once again in Mahlwinkel, Germany. Dark Emergency is the largest airsoft match in the world and is organised by Airsoft Helden. This year, around 4,000 people attended the mega event over two days.

The IWA OutdoorClassics Team chatting with a exhibitor at Dark Emergency 2024.

The airsoft market is booming worldwide: according to current market analyses, the global airsoft market is estimated to be worth around 4 billion US dollars by 2031. This positive development is due to the increasing popularity of airsoft as a recreational sport and the organisation of tournaments and events. Of particular interest to retailers: the growing demand for realistic military simulations and tactical games is contributing to the expansion of the market. Manufacturers of high-quality gear and clothing benefit from this dynamic and can position themselves in a lucrative retail market.

Lynx Brutality: What the industry and retail can learn from this form of gun culture

The diversity of civilian shooting is as great as the range on offer at IWA OutdoorClassics. A particularly dynamic form of shooting competition can be found in Slovenia. Lynx Brutality, a two-gun competition organised by Polenar Tactical, has been taking place there for several years. Despite all the controversy surrounding the public image of the event, one thing stands out this year in particular: Many people and brands are interested in this type of competition and are excited about the dynamic elements. This is also reflected in who you meet at the event. The live streaming of the event emphasises Polenar Tactical's intention to position these events as an extreme sport in society, making civilian shooting as attractive and safe as possible. Only shooters and gun owners were allowed to take part in the competition. The range was closed to the public. However, a small exhibition attracted widespread interest.

Ziga from Polenar Tactical explaining the rules of Lynx Brutality 2024 to the shooters.

Neither the industry nor the specialised trade should look away from this development. Of course, events like Lynx Brutality show the extremes of civilian shooting, but they pursue common goals and offer new marketing and sales channels. Manufacturers and retailers can directly attract the attention of these target groups through sponsorship and participation and effectively communicate brand messages there.

Outfluence Content Camp: How hunting influencers are shaping the social image of hunting and opening up new opportunities for the specialised trade

To round off the first campfire tour stops, we travelled to Poland. The Outfluence Content Camp took place there just in time for the buck hunting season: This is a get-together of high-reach hunting influencers to hunt together, create content and generally exchange ideas. Hunting influencers are widespread throughout Europe and play an important role in the modernisation and positive representation of hunting in social media. Influencers often work directly with manufacturers to promote various products and equipment.

After their success, hunter and guide share a moment of emotion.

However, the work of influencers also has a number of advantages for specialist retailers: it enables them to address a younger and digitally savvy target group and potentially acquire new customers. Influencers also often enjoy a high level of trust within their community. Specialist retailers can use jointly produced material for their own marketing purposes. Finally, influencers also offer valuable feedback and insights into market trends, which can help specialist retailers to optimise their product range.

Knowledge to go: What specialist retailers can take away from IWA Campfire campaign

1. capitalising on the airsoft boom: The rapidly growing airsoft market offers immense opportunities for the trade, particularly due to the demand for realistic military simulations and high-quality equipment.

2. sponsor extreme sports events: Events such as Lynx Brutality demonstrate the potential of extreme shooting competitions to reach new target groups and communicate brand messages effectively.

3. collaboration with influencers: Hunting influencers offer specialist retailers the opportunity to reach younger and digitally affine target groups, leverage the trust of the community and receive valuable feedback for optimising the product range.