Earlier this month, I had the privilege of speaking on a panel at the Outside Festival in Denver with a group of deeply inspiring women in the outdoor industry.
Our panel included Melanie Strong, an accomplished investor and our moderator; Caroline Gleich, a professional athlete running for U.S. Senate in Utah; Rebecca Rusch, a seven-time biking world champion; Juliet Starrett, a whitewater rafting world champion; Sandra Clark, the director of global brand marketing at The North Face; and myself, the CEO of Bewilder, an outdoor education company.
The goal was to share our experience as trailblazing female leaders in the outdoor industry. Before we began, a flood of music poured down from the main stage, creating a visible wave of worry as the sound threatened to drown out our conversation. One of our panelists apologetically left early due to the overwhelming volume and the understandable need to preserve her voice.
The rest of us soldiered on, sharing intimate details about our lives in the spirit of inspiring others. Many of us left inspired (myself included), but as soon as our panel ended, our message of elevating women leaders in the outdoor industry was drowned out by the festival hubbub. A microcosm of what was to come.
As a former nonprofit leader who has organized virtual and in-person conferences for thousands of people, and a consumer of epic gatherings like Coachella, South by Southwest and Burning Man, I was thrilled to be a part of the inaugural Outside Festival. I didn’t know what to expect when it was billed as “a celebration of all things outside.”
The goal was to be a “South by Southwest for the outdoors” and the organizers were on track. They had sold over 10,000 tickets and the schedule was packed with programming for film, music, travel, wellness, climbing, biking, kids, endurance sports, dogs, a summit for industry insiders, and more.
When I arrived at Civic Center park, however, I wandered around and observed the deployment of a festival playbook that could have applied to any other industry. Attendees played games to win free products. Fans queued up to receive autographs from celebrities. Crowds gathered around to watch show after show after show. It felt like a parade of spectacles fueled by an insatiable desire to collect cool (and ideally free) stuff.
Every area was sponsored by a brand, but they were all missing a shared story that grounded them in a collective experience. Yes, we all loved to be outside, but a sea of brand activations doesn’t explain why.
There were answers inside the Denver Art Museum, where I watched a talk with elite trail runner Katie Arnold and climber Cory Richards entitled “In Search of the Quiet Mind.” He described how summiting Mount Everest without oxygen was a personal reckoning. It forced him to confront demons that he had been evading for decades. Despite his extreme athleticism, he still grappled with mental health issues, loss and love like the rest of us. While Richards was promoting his new book, he focused on leading a thought-provoking conversation that reminded us that when we are in nature, we are all human.
Gatherings like the Outside Festival have the potential to shape culture within and beyond our industry. Brands, like mine, are essential players in the outdoor community, but how we set the stage to tell our story matters. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to speak, support and form new friendships at the event, but I urge us to prioritize programming that reflects the heart and soul of what it means to be outside.
I want the industry to rally around a cause that is truly grounded in celebrating the mental and physical benefits of being outside. I want to see more companies support meaningful conversations rather than centering their brand as the focus. I want to see educational workshops that invite and welcome those who are new to recreating in nature. I want to see more art installations that tackle the complicated history of environmental stewardship in our public lands. I want to see more national brands support local brands so people understand that when the outdoor industry grows, we all win. I want to see an intergenerational festival that celebrates the accessibility, joy and beauty of being outside, not just the sport. I want to see thousands of people rally at the main stage, both for a performer and to celebrate our Earth and the diversity that exists within it.
People want to connect with nature and it’s time for the outdoor industry to lead the way. The path forward is not to become a SXSW for all things outdoors, but to honor our core values and become so much more.
Yvonne Leow lives in Los Angeles and is the founder of Bewilder, an outdoor education company that inspires families to experience the mental and physical benefits of being outside.
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