Letter to Hervé Sedky, President & CEO Emerald X, and Marisa Nicholson, Senior Vice President Outdoor Retailer, Bennet, Hickenlooper, Polis Call on Emerald X to Keep the Winter and Summer Outdoor Retailer Shows in Colorado

Letter

Hervé Sedky
President & CEO Emerald X
31910 Del Obispo
Suite 200
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Marisa Nicholson
Senior Vice President Outdoor Retailer
31910 Del. Obispo
Suite 200
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
Dear Mr. Sedky and Ms. Nicholson:
We write to thank you for Emerald X's partnership on the Outdoor Retailer Show since 2018 and
to encourage you to keep both the winter and summer Outdoor Retailer Shows in Colorado.
In 2017, we wrote to encourage Emerald X to move the Outdoor Retailer Show to Colorado
because of the tremendous business opportunity for the outdoor recreation community and
because of our ongoing commitment to protecting public lands that support a robust outdoor
recreation economy in our state. We believe the last five years have proven that prediction
correct.
Locating the Outdoor Retailer Show in Colorado has provided an excellent opportunity for the
industry to connect to other businesses and potential customers from across the country. Denver
continues to be an incredible location for the Outdoor Retailer Show with world class amenities
including the fifth busiest airport in the United States with 220 non-stop destinations, a modern
light rail from the airport into the heart of downtown, and a vibrant downtown with myriad
opportunities for visitors to enjoy. Our state-of-the-art convention center is within walking
distance of 1,200 hotel rooms and is undergoing a rooftop expansion that will provide 360 degree
views of Colorado's treasured landscapes by 2023. Our state looks forward to continuing a
fruitful partnership with Emerald X, working alongside you to ensure years of successful events.
Our state's interest in supporting the outdoor industry and in hosting the Outdoor Retailer Show
in Colorado has only grown over the last five years. Nine out of ten Coloradans participate in
outdoor recreation every year. Across the state, we can thank the outdoor recreation industry for
contributing $12.2 billion to Colorado's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), supporting 149,000
direct jobs, and contributing $6.4 billion in compensation in 2019. Additionally, Colorado
continues to rank first among US states for value added by snow activities, with snow activities
accounting for $1.7 billion in 2019.
As a delegation, we see this biannual convening as a regular opportunity to engage with the
industry on a shared vision for the future. We join forces to champion the public lands that make
the outdoor recreation industry thrive while working together to fight climate change, an
existential threat to outdoor recreation. The show has regularly served as a launching point for
strategic discussions about how we can do more to protect public lands. We have all personally
been to many Outdoor Retailer Shows in Denver. In fact, in 2019, we worked with OIA, the
Conservation Alliance and the conservation community to launch the Colorado Outdoor
Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act. The CORE Act, which is close to passage, would codify
more than a decade of work in local communities to protect more than 400,000 acres in Colorado
for outdoor recreation.
In Colorado we take pride in working collaboratively to ensure that our public lands remain
accessible for future generations. This was true when we encouraged you to move the show to
Colorado in 2017 and it remains true today. Colorado places our public lands at the forefront of
our state's identity. Currently we are working with local leaders on legislation to protect key
waterways and landscapes including the Dolores River Canyon as a National Conservation Area
and to protect public lands in Gunnison County. We are also working to return millions of
dollars in ski area revenue so it can be used for ski areas and recreation management nationwide
with the SHRED Act.
As a state, through the Keep Colorado Wild Initiative, we've restructured the funding of our state
parks, lowering the cost while increasing revenue for not only our state parks but also for
innovative conservation and recreation management efforts with federal land managers for the
care of our lands, water and wildlife. We've also passed groundbreaking Outdoor Equity
legislation that will make our outdoors more accessible and welcoming for Coloradans from all
geographies and backgrounds - and in opening doors to the outdoors, this undoubtedly supports
the long-term health and diversity of the industry as well.
We have also supported the efforts of our state's Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to protect the sacred
landscape of Bears Ears as a National Monument, including its recent restoration by President
Biden. We view this restoration as one of the most important steps taken by this new
administration to both protect our nation's public lands and restore our commitment to work with
our nation's tribes to deliver the justice they deserve.
The leaders of the outdoor industry have spoken with an articulate and strong voice that this
cornerstone event belongs in a state that shares its values on public land and recreation. Colorado
is the perfect match to continue as the home of the Outdoor Retailer Show.
Thank you for your partnership over the years. We look forward to continuing to work together
to expand the outdoor recreation industry in Colorado and across the West.
Michael Bennet John Hickenlooper
United States Senator United States Senator
Jared Polis
Governor
State of Colorado