IWA OutdoorClassics 2023: highlights on a revolutionary edition
IWA OutdoorClassics 2023, the first edition following the pandemic, IWA undergoes a small revolution: three new special exhibition areas and a new community format will give the content of the event a significant quality boost!
New exhibition areas; new meeting rooms for visitors, exhibitors and media contacts; new opportunities: IWA OutdoorClassics 2023 keeps the finger on the pulse and bolsters the appeal of the trade fair experience for everyone involved.
The world's leading trade show for hunting, shooting sports, outdoor activities and security starts on March 2, 2023, at the Nuremberg exhibition center, and tickets for eligible visitors are already available online.
Focus on policy: the IWA stage program
Aggravation, prohibition, mistrust: political situation surrounding legal firearms ownership in Germany has been heating up for weeks in the lead-up to IWA OutdoorClassics. Developments also remain tense at an EU level too, with a possible ban on civilian uses of lead-based ammunition still being on the table and potential revisions to the import, export and transit of firearms and ammunition based on the submitted Regulation (EU) 258/2012 (the “EU Firearms Regulation”) continuing to be grounds for discussion among institutions and associations.
The importance of those topics clearly reflects on the lectures program for this year's IWA Stage: with input from VDB – the Association of German Gunsmiths and Gun Traders – and the JSM (the German Firearms and Ammunition Manufacturers Association), both honorary sponsors of IWA OutdoorClassics, a top-quality programme of lectures has been put together to prepare both the retail trade and manufacturers for the forthcoming changes and the risks these will entail.
The insight into the European market will be especially fascinating: IEACS (European Institute for Sporting and Hunting Firearms), AFEMS (the Association of European Manufacturers of Sporting Ammunition) and WFSA (the World Forum on Shooting Activities) will also take advantage of the opportunity offered by the IWA Stage, for the very first time.
The first presentations and speakers are already listed online. The IWA Stage will be opened this year in a small ceremony – to be held on March 2, 2023, at 11:15 – to which exhibitors, visitors and media contacts are all invited.
In addition to Thomas Preutenborbeck, Member of the Executive Board of NürnbergMesse, speakers will include Jürgen Triebel (President of VDB) and Olaf Sauer (President of JSM). WFSA President Graham Downing will also give a statement to the public.
An optical highlight in the truest sense
The Optics Testing Area, located in Hall 3A, will debut at the 2023 edition of IWA OutdoorClassics as a new special exhibition format that will take testing of night and thermal imaging technology at the fair to a new level.
At the heart of the new special area is a dark room equipped with dimmable light and a range of target objects, allowing the simulation of various conditions from dusk to total darkness so that night-vision device technology may be put through its paces.
Another highlight is a heated target on the roof of the dark room to facilitate testing of thermal imaging devices. This target can also be seen from a distance and can thus be observed from throughout the hall. A get-together area and a stage with a state-of-the-art design round out the new Optics Testing Area.
A welcome comeback: the Airsoft Shooting Range returns
Launched in 2019, the Airsoft Shooting Range will mark the return of a further highlight to the supporting programme of IWA OutdoorClassics 2023.
A total of six shooting stands give visitors the opportunity to test weapons from various suppliers and thus get a feel for how they handle.
Located in Hall 5, the Airsoft Shooting Range will embody the new home for the Airsoft segment, representing IWA OutdoorClassic's new, own way of giving participants the opportunity to be impressed by the quality of the products in practical application.
Newcomer area, New Product Center, and more
Various established special exhibition areas will round out the rich and varied supporting programme at IWA OutdoorClassics 2023.
The New Product Centre in Hall 4 will once again form the centre for innovations and new product developments this year. That is where visitors will find all the latest developments bundled in a single location.
Young companies from Germany and around the world will again be at home at the Young Innovative Companies pavilion and in the popular Newcomer Area in the walkway to Hall 3C.
As usual, visitors will find the Clothing Corner in Hall 4, while the Job Centre is still a feature of IWA OutdoorClassics, and will be located in Hall 7 in future.
On the official website of the show is already available the floor plan for IWA OutdoorClassics 2023, allowing all visitors to plan their visit and navigate the pavillions from Smartphone or Tablet.
An event for the entire community!
An invitation from IWA OutdoorClassics: a large-scale happy hour will be held on the first evening of the fair, the first in its almost 50-year history.
Visitors are cordially invited, together with exhibitors and media contacts, at the Exhibition Centre Park at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 2.
A special beer with a unique IWA "look" will be served as everyone celebrates the start of the event together.
The crew of the popular YouTube channel Polenar Tactical will attend as special guests, and will have a special surprise for visitors.
According to Thomas Preutenborbeck, Member of the Executive Board of NürnbergMesse and of the event management of IWA OutdoorClassics 2023, the event has been conceived "to extend the relaxed networking at the trade fair beyond the regular activity at the stands".
Additionally, a dedicated special exhibition area will host blades and knifeware – another welcome innovation for the 2023 edition of IWA. The details of the new Blade Demo Area are already available.
IWA OutdoorClassics 2023: highlights on a revolutionary edition