Boulder, Colo. - Soon outdoor enthusiasts will have a chance to win high-end gear and getaway trips as part of the Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition (OIWC) fifth auction. The auction will start May 23 on the OIWC website, and will end on June 1.

Hillary Harding, Development Director at OIWC said that the auctions are a fun event that she looks forward to.

Boulder, Colo. – The four-day trip to Bogota and Medellin, Colombia—hosted by “Proexport Colombia”, the Colombian government’s Trade Office, in partnership with the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA)—has been moved from the week of May 27 to June 3-8 due to the Memorial Day holiday.

The partnership will promote Colombia’s suppliers, manufacturers and other vendors as Western hemisphere sourcing options for outdoor industry active apparel and textile products. Proexport Colombia will host participating outdoor industry sourcing executives, covering flights to and from Colombia, including between Bogota and Medellin, and will facilitate meetings with Colombian textile and apparel executives.

Red Wing, Minn. – Damascus, Virginia marks the point where four scenic trails converge: the Appalachian Trail, U.S. Bicycle Route 76, the Iron Mountain Trail and the Virginia Creeper Trail. It also marks the approximate halfway point of the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, where in mid-May thru-hikers are rewarded with the largest single gathering of Appalachian Trail hikers anywhere in a three-day festival known as “Trail Days.”

New York, NY – Nielsen Expositions, which owns and operates more than 25 business-to-business trade shows and conferences (including Outdoor Retailer, Interbike, and Health and Fitness Business) has been sold to Onex Corp., a Canadian private equity firm. The price tag for Nielsen's trade show business was $950 million, relatively close to the 1 billion dollar estimate the Wall Street Journal reported in March, when it was announced that the event property was for sale.

Vail, CO – Following the rising popularity of the sport and recreational activity of slacklining, Gibbon Slacklines will be hosting the 2013 World Slackline Federation Championships at this year’s GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado. The championships will take place on June 8-9, and will feature competition as well as exhibitions and demos for attendees to try slacklining.

Lake Geneva, WI – For three Saturdays—May 4, 11 and 18—Lake Geneva, Wisconsin outdoor specialty retailer Clear Water Outdoor is putting on its annual Lake Geneva Demo Days at Riviera Beach. This will mark five years of the event, two of them at Riviera Beach.

Families can come out from 10 AM to 5 PM on the dates listed to enjoy free demos of kayaks and stand up paddleboards, with knowledgeable and experienced Clear Water Outdoor staff on hand to assist and enlighten paddlers. The event is absolutely free, and the only admission requirement is a personal flotation device (PFD) and signed waiver.

The International Canoe Federation has awarded the 2014 Canoe Slalom World Championship to Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI). Adventure Sports Center International is an Olympic standard white water rafting and canoe/slalom kayak center in McHenry, Maryland above the Wisp Ski Resort. ASCI is home to the world’s only mountaintop manmade whitewater course, and the event facility won out over competing bids from Vienna, Austria and Krakow, Poland.

San Diego, CA – Goal Zero, Keen and SmartWool have signed on as official sponsors of the nationwide REI Muddy Buddy Adventure Series, which takes place in nine U.S. cities in 2013 (see below.) Goal Zero is an innovator in portable solar systems that can power a variety of devices from cell phones to laptops. KEEN is an outdoor footwear brand known for its toe-protecting sandals and multi-sport footwear lines. SmartWool is a VF Corp brand, specializing in technical socks and clothing.