Throughout the Climbing Wall Association, there is a buzz of anticipation for the upcoming CWA Summit, taking place on April 14-18 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their staff has been hard at work preparing the event, and that work has paid off in several ways—including a sold-out Trade Show Hall and a reorganized schedule with more education sessions than ever before, with up to two and a half more hours of education for individual attendees.
In speaking with Garnet Moore, Executive Director of the CWA, he expressed both excitement and pride: excitement for what’s ahead, and pride for how far things have come.
“I began exhibiting at the CWA Summit when it was at the Boulder Outlook hotel,” Moore said. “Back then, we set up our booths around a swimming pool and met in hotel room meeting rooms. Now, our exhibit hall is one of the largest industry venues in the world, a place where climbing-specific brands can come together to meet with climbing gyms.”
Jamey Sproull, CEO of Asana, also has witnessed firsthand how much the CWA’s support efforts have grown over the years. “Asana has been attending the CWA Summit since the ‘Boulder Outlook’ days,” he said. “I’ll never forget Asana’s humble beginnings: a foldable table, a stack of business cards, catalogs, stickers, and a few chalk bag samples.”
Connection and networking remain a central focus for the CWA Summit. “We recognize the importance of creating an accessible, engaging space that fosters meaningful connections and business opportunities,” added Tilde Bombardo, Membership Manager for the CWA. “And this year, we’ve significantly expanded our digital marketing and sponsorship opportunities, so vendors can engage with attendees beyond the show floor.”
The 2025 CWA Summit is set to offer a variety of expansions and upgrades: more support for vendors, more amenities for attendees, and improvements upon previous years’ successes all await. Keep reading to hear from the CWA and their Pinnacle Sponsors—Asana, Trango and Walltopia—about what to expect from this year’s event and how best to take advantage of the Trade Show Hall opportunities, especially.
What’s New and Improved for 2025?
Since its beginning, the CWA Summit has served as both a networking hub and a marketplace of ideas for the industry. Lately, the CWA Summit team has been focusing on improving these ideals by making it easier for their vendors and offering more opportunities for attendees to connect.
More Education Sessions
In April, there will be a fresh lineup of education sessions led by industry experts. “We have substantially expanded the content program to meet the needs of all various tracks and professions within the industry,” explained Bombardo. “This year, we have 40+ sessions, and we’ve made it possible for individual attendees to get two and a half hours more education per person than in previous years.” In addition to their open education sessions, the CWA Summit is also offering several certification tracks, including:
- Climbing Wall Instructor Provider
- Work at Height Level 1, 2 and Provider
- NEW – Professional Routesetting Direct Entry
More Networking Opportunities
The CWA has a well-earned reputation for being just as focused on community as it is on business, if not more so. Jamey Sproull, CEO of Asana, expressed his appreciation for this community-driven focus. “We’re grateful for the Summit not just as a place to dive into industry-specific conversations about climbing gyms but also to connect over outdoor adventures, gear innovations, and the community that makes it all possible,” Sproull added.
“We’re very much committed to creating opportunities for attendees to build relationships in the climbing community—this year and all the years to come,” affirmed Bombardo. “In addition to our reorganized Education Sessions, we’ve reprogrammed our once-named ‘Expo Ed’ centers in the Trade Show Hall, now called ‘Community Hub Sessions.’ These meet-up areas allow our attendees to connect, learn, and share information in a mini-session format. Each session is unique and focuses on topics of the speaker’s choice.”
The venue layout was also thoughtfully organized to foster interactions in between the scheduled programming. “The best connections often happen in the hallways or over a coffee break,” Bombardo added. “With that in mind, we wanted to encourage organic interactions at every possible turn, whether through structured meetups or spontaneous conversations.
“Meeting other people is one of the best things about the CWA Summit,” said Sproull. “Whether it’s learning from each other in the break-out sessions or even just hanging out and swapping stories—having things like that are what help make this community awesome.”
More Vendor Support
Some of the CWA Summit’s biggest growth avenues have come through its Trade Show. In addition to a larger floor plan, this year’s Trade Show features new membership benefits to make exhibiting more accessible. Brands, climbing gyms, and industry professionals of all types will find plenty of ways to learn, network and foster new ideas for the future.
“As the event has grown,” Moore explained, “we’ve offered more benefits to vendors to help make their job of creating amazing product displays easier. Helping our vendors means that, as an attendee, you get to see more and experience a larger variety of innovative products than ever before.”
One benefit the CWA Summit team is especially excited about is offering free trade show passes that vendors can give to prospects and clients. To quote Membership Manager Tilde Bombardo, the goal of this perk is to “help strengthen industry relationships and ensure a richer experience for all participants—something we’re committed to expanding and supporting in the future. It also creates a more dynamic marketplace atmosphere at the CWA Summit.”
How To Make the Most of This Year’s Trade Show
Whether it’s your first time visiting or you’re a seasoned veteran, having a game plan helps prevent information overload or decision paralysis. So, to help you have a good experience at the CWA Summit (or any trade show), we’ve included a few good tips below:
- Take advantage of the resources the CWA offers. Like any great trade show, the CWA offers a lot of tools to help attendees navigate their event. For example, the CWA website provides plenty of reference materials; in addition to a map of the Trade Show Floor, it features a full directory of vendors, a schedule of events, and more. They also have similar resources for their education sessions. Start by downloading the CWA app! The app allows you to save your personal schedule and network with speakers, vendors and other attendees.
- Plan your agenda ahead of time. This may seem like a no-brainer tip, but it’s critical to getting the most value out of the week. Simply put, there will always be “too much to do” at an event like the CWA Summit—especially because they put a lot of consideration and intent into their offerings. Also, if you plan on connecting with anyone while you’re there, plan those meetings ahead of time; if you don’t, those meetings can get swept up in the whirlwind. Save your schedule and schedule meetings beforehand using the CWA Summit App, which is free for registered attendees.
- Try to leave at least an hour gap between any events. It’s tempting to pack your schedule to the brim with things to do, but make sure you’re giving yourself time for networking, eating and breaks. Whether you’re talking with potential customers, browsing potential partners, or just seeing what’s on the floor, you’ll be most effective when you have ample time to transition between tasks and recover. If you’re headed there with a team, try to divide and conquer by having each person attend a different set of events. Many businesses have used this strategy in the past, to great effect.
- Build in time to wander the Trade Show Floor. One of the best uses of your time can be simply moving through the Trade Show Floor. There are often product demos, impromptu presentations, and many other things you’ll be glad you caught. Additionally, leaving time for networking is paramount—especially in the climbing industry, where much of our business is built on community. A conversation can become an idea, chance meetings can become business partnerships, and so on. Having a plan is always good for trade shows, but you don’t always need a goal in mind to find something valuable to you.
Key Events You Don’t Want To Miss
- CWA Summit Kickoff: Before the CWA Summit itself, there will be a kickoff party at the Front Climbing Gym. Here, attendees can get registered, badged and excited for the week ahead at the 2025 CWA Summit.
- CWA Walltopia Rattlesnake Rodeo After Party: The after parties at the CWA Summit offer an exciting place to continue conversations from the Trade Show Hall. Walltopia is hosting this year’s official CWA Summit after party at Momentum Fort Union, and they are more than excited about it. “Our parties are always a good time,” said Walltopia president Adam Koberna. “And the new Momentum gym is a beautiful facility. We’re looking forward to it.”
- Women’s Fireside Chat: A space to celebrate the femme and non-binary professionals in our industry, the Women’s Fireside Chat makes its return again in 2025. “We are looking forward to hosting this gathering this year and for many years to come,” Bombardo said excitedly. “And this year, we’ve had more support than ever from our upcoming sponsors, so this event can keep growing alongside the industry.” Be sure to register for free ahead of time to ensure you can attend, as space is limited.
Where To Find the Pinnacle Sponsors
- “This year, you’ll find Asana at Booth 101,” said CEO Jamey Sproull. “We’ll be showcasing our latest bouldering landing systems, outdoor crash pad designs, customizable team packs, and of course some chalk samples. Here’s to another great Summit—we can’t wait to see you there!”
- Trango can be found at Booth 100. Chris Klinke, CEO of Trango, plans on having plenty for visitors to engage with. “We are going to make a spray wall for participants to climb,” Klinke said. “We’re excited to see the moves that they put together. We are also introducing 75+ new sets with over 150 new holds.”
- Last but not least, Walltopia will set up shop at booths 400 and 500. There, you’ll find a variety of their products, some of which will be making their debut. “We are excited to introduce the new Quantum Board for the first time in the U.S.,” said Koberna. “We are looking forward to hanging out with customers and meeting folks who are planning builds. Stop by anytime; you don’t need an appointment to visit or check things out.”
To find more of the vendors, check out this Trade Show Floor Plan on the CWA website.
Get Your CWA Summit Tickets While You Can!
Overall, this year’s event is shaping up to be a great culmination of hard work, connections and planning.
“The CWA Summit is a year-round effort,” said Bombardo, “and our team has worked tirelessly alongside industry leaders, vendors and gym owners to ensure this year delivers a lot of value. Thanks to the valuable feedback from past attendees and sponsors, we’ve been able to refine our programming, enhance networking opportunities, and introduce innovative marketing tools that help businesses make the most of the CWA Summit.”
The date is rapidly approaching; the Trade Show Floor is already sold out. If you still need to purchase tickets, you can do so here. Additionally, if you have any more questions about this year’s Trade Show Floor, send them over to the CWA. We hope you enjoy this year’s CWA Summit!
This story was paid for by the sponsor and does not necessarily represent the views of the Climbing Business Journal editorial team.
