In a thrilling start to 2018, the fundraiser held on the stand of the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) during ISPO last month smashed all previous records for the amount of money raised for conservation.
Traditionally a smaller affair than the amount raised during the summer OutDoor show, ISPO surpassed expectations with an increase of over 50%, bringing the total raised on the stand to €12,314. Added to this were another 5 events around the show organised and hosted by EOCA members which brought the grand total to €18,677!
Camelbak sold mugs which could then be engraved with designs of the purchaser’s choice and thereafter filled with a warming coffee to fuel the day’s meetings, raising €3,700 in the process! Klean Kanteen had produced an insulated tumbler for the OutDoor show specifically to raise money for the €2 million Tree Project. An extra €250 was raised from the remaining tumblers, meaning that a further 625 trees can be added to the current total. KEEN staged its first sandal and boot sale at ISPO and brisk trade was seen as the footwear company raised money to continue to support a mangrove replanting project in the devastated tsunami hit area of Yadesa Aceh in Indonesia.
Beer was in order on the Berg Outdoor stand as the Portuguese brand sold beer mugs with free beer throughout the show! An impressive €1,500 was raised – meaning a not insignificant 500 mugs of beer had been filled! Finally, Bergans of Norway launched its ReDesign project which recycles old gear and clothing – as well as offcuts and ends of rolls – and turns them into new products such as shopping bags, tablet cases and wrist and neck warmers to name but a few! Samples brought from Head Office were snapped up, as well as the products being made on the Bergans stand throughout the show, raising nearly €1,000 for EOCA’s conservation projects this year.
Christoph Centmayer, Sustainability Manager for Bergans of Norway said, “We were thrilled with the popularity of our ReDesign products. We could not keep up with demand on the stand and had to send for resupplies from Head Office! Being able to reuse material and make new products instead of sending scraps to waste and benefitting conservation at the same time really captured people’s imagination!”
“We are delighted at the amount of money that has been raised at the show for conservation this year,” said Tanya Bascombe, Joint General Manager of EOCA. “Not only was a huge amount of money raised on the stand, but all the events our members organised on our behalf were extremely popular and created a real buzz around the show! It is so exciting to see the industry working together to look after and give back to nature and wild places.”
INFO: EOCA
