European Outdoor Group To Welcome Organisations From The Wider Value Chain

The European Outdoor Group (EOG) held its 2021 Annual Assembly on Thursday 17 February, via Zoom. During the meeting,

• Members approve proposals at Annual Assembly to open up Associated Membership to wider value chain
• Changes to membership fees overwhelmingly supported
• Changes to EOG Board and Matt Gowar confirmed as new vice president
• Wide ranging programme of work for 2022 agreed

The European Outdoor Group (EOG) held its 2021 Annual Assembly on Thursday 17 February, via Zoom. During the meeting, EOG members agreed to a proposal to accept new members from the wider value chain. They will now be able to apply to join the association in the non-voting Associated Membership category. Members approved increases to membership fees (the first change since 2014) and a reorganisation of fee tiers that is better aligned with EOG projects, and will support the greater scope and scale of the association’s work. Changes to the EOG Board were also confirmed, along with a programme of activity and budget for the year ahead.

Associated Membership

The proposal to extend the Associated Membership category to the wider value chain reflects the way that the outdoor industry and EOG have developed. As the sector has matured, the association has expanded its range of services and projects, and already works closely with many organisations that are not predominantly rooted in the outdoor sector. These partnerships are essential for continuing to build a range of programmes in areas such as CSR and sustainability and market insights.For commercial organisations joining from the wider value chain, Associated Membership will have the same fee structure as for Full Membership and will provide access to EOG projects, but no right to vote at meetings. As with any applicant to join the EOG, all decisions on accepting new members will continue to be made by the membership committee, independent of the board and executive team.

Arne Strate, EOG general secretary, explains: “Opening up the Associated Membership category to the wider value chain provides a great opportunity to significantly enhance the work that we do on behalf of our members and the whole industry. We already work with many partners who are not outdoor companies in the accepted sense, but who influence and make significant contributions to our sector and to EOG projects. We are delighted that our members so overwhelmingly recognised the importance of facilitating closer and more formal cooperation in this way.”

Changes to membership fees

Members at the EOG Annual Assembly backed proposals to increase membership fees for the first time since 2014, along with a reorganisation of the fee tiers. The changes are designed to ensure that fees better reflect the scope and scale of the EOG’s projects, and support the continued development of that work as required by the association’s members. The new tiers mean that that largest companies pay the highest fees, providing a fairer financial structure for membership. As with the other proposals, these changes were overwhelmingly supported by members at the Annual Assembly.

Changes to the EOG Board

During the EOG Annual Assembly, members approved a series of changes to the EOG Board. Four members stood down, either due to a change of role, retirement or reaching the end of their term on the board - Oliver Pabst, Nicolai Christensen, Antje von Dewitz and Hans-Hermann Deters. Five new members were elected to the board - David Ekelund (CEO, Icebug), Martin Riebel (CEO, Schwan Stabilo Outdoor), Matthias Gebhard (MD, Bergfreunde), David Camps (CEO, Original Buff) and Jan Lorch (CSO, Vaude). In addition, it was confirmed that existing board member Matt Gowar had agreed to take on the role of vice president (formerly Antje von Dewitz). Michel Gogniat continues in the role of treasurer.

Mark Held, EOG president, comments: “We are grateful to Oliver, Nicolai, Antje and Hans-Hermann. All four have made valuable contributions to the EOG during their time as board members, and that has been especially important as we have addressed the distinct challenges of the last two years. In particular, I must highlight Antje's support for me in her role as our vice president.

“Looking forward, we’re delighted to welcome our new board members. All five are excellent candidates and bring experience and expertise from different parts of our sector, and from different areas of Europe. We do need to improve the gender balance on our board and that is one of the priorities that we will be addressing.”

Matt Gowar, CEO of Equip Outdoor Technologies UK Ltd and new EOG vice president, adds: “I am delighted and honoured to take up the role of EOG vice president which allows me the chance to give back to an industry that has given me so much. I thank Antje for all her support and look forward to continuing the work she has already started.

“The outdoor industry must work together to address the big issues which are affecting us all - leading for an ethical and sustainable industry, preserving the outdoors for future generations and getting more people active outdoors. These are areas I’ve championed in my own business. This is a great opportunity for me to support the EOG and wider industry, to share my learning, and to help shape the industry we are all so proud of.”

You can find full details of the EOG Board HERE.

During the Annual Assembly, it was announced that Karl-Heinz Maurer, the long-time auditor of the EOG, is stepping down from the role. Karl-Heinz was thanked for the excellent work that he has done for the association over many years.

EOG work programme for 2022

Members were presented with the 2021 EOG Annual Report, which outlines key activities and achievements last year and the future focus for each department. The report can be found and downloaded HERE.

The EOG work programme for 2022 was agreed during the Annual Assembly. Key project priorities will include:

• CSR and sustainability - the carbon reduction project
• Market insights - further development of the Outdoor Retail Benchmark Report
• Events - developing OutDoor by ISPO into a compelling tool for sector, and working with Outdoor Sports Valley on the successful return of the European Outdoor Summit in October
• Continued development of other existing projects and initiatives, and in driving member and industry collaboration
• Continued support of conservation of nature (led by the European Outdoor Conservation Association) and of getting Europe active outdoors (led by the It’s Great Out There Coalition).

Individual departments have started briefing members and other industry colleagues in detail about their plans for the year and how to get involved. More details can be found on www.europeanoutdoorgroup.com and will also be shared on the association’s LinkedIn page and via Twitter (follow @EOG_News). A summary of the key changes relating to EOG membership categories and fees can be found HERE.