October 19, 2004 – The VOLVO SportsDesign Forum, one of the world’s most forward-thinking design and sports business conferences, returns to Munich February 5 for its fourth running with a new theme and a new offshoot. Women’s sports and design take center stage; the theme for the 2005 VOLVO SportsDesign Forum will be “Women Specific Design: If you meet the expectations of women, you exceed the expectations of men.”

The VOLVO SportsDesign Forum will take place Saturday, February 5, 2005 at New Munich Trade Fair Center, in Munich, Germany. It will precede the ispo winter 05 show, which will be held February 6-9.

During the past 10 years, thanks to extensive growth in sportswear sales, media coverage, the rise of highly popular cross-cultural stars in individual sports, and participation growth in sports like snowboarding, surfing, basketball, wakeboarding, skiing, running and fitness sports, the women’s sports market has become a major element of sports business. For many European and American sports retailers, women’s product sales outnumber the boys and men’s categories.

With that in mind, the VOLVO SportsDesign Forum will bring together top women’s sports product designers, marketing experts, analysts, media members, manufacturers and retailers for a full day of presentations, break-out workshops and question-and-answer sessions.

Among the confirmed participants are a pair of American champions, four-time world surfing champion Lisa Andersen of Florida and U.S. 24- and 48-hour ultramarathon champion Pam Reed of Tucson, AZ. Andersen was instrumental in Quiksilver’s decision to manufacture women’s surfing boardshorts 10 years ago; the result was Roxy by Quiksilver, now the world’s largest-selling women’s surf apparel line. Reed is working closely with Asics, her shoe sponsor, to develop better shoes for women marathoners and ultramarathoners.

Following the forum, invitees will gather to honor the recipients of the first VOLVO SportsDesign Award. The award has been established to honor the outstanding innovative product and design developments within the sports industry. Theme for the first competition is Women’s Hardware. Categories include Women Ski Equipment, Women Board Equipment, Women Fitness Equipment, Women Outdoor Equipment, Women Footwear, Women Accessories and Components, and Women Concepts.

Interested manufacturers may go to http://www.ispo-sportsdesign.com/english/award/categories/index.html for product entry information. Deadline for receipt of product and registration forms is December 20, 2004.

All nominated products will be part of the VOLVO SportsDesign AWARD Exhibition at ispo winter 05. There will also be a traveling exhibition throughout 2005, with the first stop at ispo china in Shanghai (March 14-17, 2005). All winners and nominees will also be featured in the VOLVO SportsDesign Yearbook 2005, where winning companies can also use advertising tools like logos and labels.