It's that time of year again when suppliers and retailers meet up to poke, prod, test and review all the new products available for 2013. The Outdoor Trade Show is the place to be and this year both tents and accessories are being exhibited together for the first time ever.

Naturally, everyone wants to see everything, so this is going to take some time - to make sure we get the very best products for customers next year, Camping World have pencilled out a whole week in the diary for key members of staff to attend the show.

Business Development Manager, Michael Cloake, says of the show: "OTS is a great place to catch up with suppliers and see the development of new product. Every year there are so many new products and exciting innovations to see at Stoneleigh and we find OTS gives us a chance to compare all the different products from all the major suppliers".

The Outdoor Trade Show has historically brought together each of the major suppliers under one roof (except for the tents that is - they're all pitched outside). However, this year Oase Outdoors have decided to pull their major brands out of the show and go solo at a nearby event; as Outwell, Easy Camp and Robens are considered such key brands for their family camping range, Camping World will also take time during the exhibition to visit their event.

Nathan Hyde, Head of E-Commerce for Europe's largest outdoor and ski retail site Campingworld.co.uk says of the event: "Working in an online environment we don't always get the chance to touch and feel the products we are selling on a day-to-day basis, so the Outdoor Trade Show gives a real chance to get to grips with every different product in a very real way, to see a product's potential and evaluate its use and appeal for customers".

This year at OTS there is going to be close to 130 suppliers exhibiting representing some 300 outdoor brands. Crunching the numbers just for tents you have 25 tent brands showing over 500 tents on display between them; you can conservatively estimate another 100 or so tents for Oase Outdoors' parallel show with their 2013 offering and you're looking at an awful lot of tents to get through at the show.

Key features this year will be an influx of new 'air' tents following Vango's success with the Air Beam, so watch this space for information on what's going o be hot next year, including new releases from Outwell and Kampa sure to get splenty of attention.

The Outdoor Trade Show is happening between 9th and 12th September at Stoneleigh Park Exhibition Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire

Camping World will be sending a team comprising senior management and Store Managers. Managing Director David Fearn says "OTS is an invaluable tool for our buying team but also a key tool for our retail staff. We believe it is important that everyone in the company has a hands on knowledge of the products they are selling in order to give the best possible customer service and OTS provides a great venue for staff to meet with and talk to brands and suppliers".