Back home from a five day trip to Liverpool for the annual
Outdoor Trade Show, which I attended on behalf of
The Great Outdoors magazine. Two days on trains - three each way and all on time (just!), and three days at the show, wandering a huge, bright, noisy, echoing warehouse-like space full of stands promoting every type of outdoor gear.
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Bright lights, straight lines
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Despite the artificiality, the harshness of the lights, and the hardness and flatness of the floors (my feet end up more sore than from any day in the hills) I do enjoy the show, though three days is enough. Some of the new gear really is interesting and I'm looking forward to testing items.
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Stoves & pots
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Meeting people is the heart of the show though. I only see many friends and colleagues in person at the show and I always think just how different it is to talking to them via a screen. This time I met Francesca Donovan, the new editor of The Great Outdoors, for the first time, which was wonderful.
Over the years I've got to know quite a few people from brands and PR companies - too many to mention them all here - and it's always good to chat with them.
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This should be interesting!
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Away fron the gear standsI had good conversations with Mike Parsons of Outdoor Gear Coach, Henry Iddon, the photographer behind the Mountain Style book to which I've contributed an essay (and which has surpassed its Kickstarter appeal), and Dave Mycroft of MyOutdoors. I was also interviewed by Bob Cartwright of The Outdoor Station for a podcast.
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A good idea
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Here's a few more pictures of the show, all from my smartphone.
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A stand you couldn't miss
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There were tents
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And more tents
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I kept expecting them to move
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Shoes I like
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Even a dummy dog
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