The conference program of WICS 2023 addressed a wide array of topics crucial to the climbing industry. Sessions covered themes like the market state of the industry worldwide, the importance of introducing youth into climbing, the trends and good practices in route setting and the future of climbing competitions. With renowned experts as presenters, attendees gained valuable insights and actionable takeaways from a range of thought-provoking discussions and presentations.

The summit commenced with “Climbing Industry Research and Analysis” presented by Borislav Stefanov. This session delved into the latest research and analysis, providing a data-driven perspective on the current state and future projections of the industry. Later, “Global State of the Market”, a rather long but extremely curious session painted the big picture of where the industry stands in each region. Seasoned professionals, including Peter Zeidelhack, Mark Sebille, Zhu Haoqin, Paula Horwitz, Yasmin Gahtani, Ged MacDomhnaill, Halil Ngah, Henrik Suihkonen, and Killko Caballero, provided insights into the industry’s status in their respective countries, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the worldwide climbing landscape.

The program continued with “Creating Generations of Climbers,” a panel discussion featuring Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou, Alice Kao, and Remi Moehring. They explored the pivotal role of climbing gyms in popularizing the sport among children and youth, alongside effective strategies for retaining them as long-term customers. “Architectural Design of Climbing Gyms” brought together architectural experts Alessandro Usuelli, Vasil Sharlanov, Frank Bogerman, Jason Kehl, and Simon Brünner to discuss the latest trends in gym design. The session highlighted how space utilization reflects societal demands and interests in the climbing community and showed layout examples commenting on their effectiveness.

“Climbing Competitions” featured industry stalwarts Finuco Martinez, Stefano Ghisolfi, Alessandro Di Cato, Daniel Woods, and Charlie Boscoe, moderated by Danaan Markey. They provided valuable insights into the evolution of climbing competitions and offered their perspectives on the future trajectory of this exciting aspect of the sport.

Day 2 commenced with “Routesetting Trends,” a highly engaging session led by Peter Zeidelhack, Jan De Smit, Nataleigh Bell, Niklas Wiechmann, and Guillermo Burba. This discussion explored the dynamic changes in routesetting practices over the years and their implications for the climbing industry. The level of professionalism displayed on stage along with the client centric way of thinking fired up the audience and the talk extended to the visitor rows and way beyond the panel.

In “The Road from Climbing to Entrepreneurship,” Matilda Söderlund shared her experiences and the challenges of being both a professional climber and a successful gym owner, inspiring attendees with her journey. “Important Metrics to Understand Gym Performance” was presented by Jon Colbert, who discussed key performance indicators that gym owners must focus on to enhance revenue growth over time. With over 17 years of experience in accounting and finance and a background in a Fortune 500 company – one of the largest healthcare companies in the world, he presented a data-driven session that provided valuable insights to help climbing gyms improve their performance.

The last session of the summit brought on stage big gym chain owners with the aim to discuss the challenges they have faced. Facilitated by Walltopia CEO, Ivaylo Penchev, renowned for his provocative yet sincere and open speaking, the session led to unexpected directions and invited everyone willing to express their thoughts on stage over a glass of whiskey.

The summit’s diverse and thought-provoking conference program ensured that attendees gained a comprehensive understanding of the industry’s current landscape, the challenges it faces, and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.

WICS 2023 proved to be immensely valuable to its attendees, offering an opportunity for networking, learning, and collaboration. Many participants expressed their appreciation for the platform, highlighting how the summit allowed them to forge new partnerships, strengthen existing connections, discuss challenges faced and potential solutions, and gain exposure to valuable insights in the professional climbing world.

Paula Horwitz, former head of Climbing Wall Association in the USA, found value in understanding various markets and their growth rates. “The focus on executive level, the expertise level at WICS is higher”, she commended about the audience she met at WICS.

Zhu Haoqin – Zac from Banana Climbing observed a distinctive openness and willingness to share among attendees, creating an environment of collaborative networking. He found WICS the most valuable of the recent industry events he has been to and willingly shared his insights about the industry development in China during the Global State of the Market panel.

Simon Bruenner from Blockhelden in Germany appreciated the presence of experienced individuals who were genuinely passionate and knowledgeable about the climbing industry. He particularly enjoyed the presentation of Yasmin Gahtani from the Saudi Arabia Climbing Federation. Simon valued the open and inclusive nature of the event, encouraged by Walltopia CEO Ivaylo Penchev, which stirred up active participation and expression of diverse perspectives.

The exhibition at WICS 2023 showcased the latest designs of holds and volumes from eight top brands – HRT, Cheeta, Flathold, Ibex, Sup’R, Agripp, Kilter, Thrill Seeker and Under Blue Hold. These cutting-edge shapes presented exciting opportunities for creative routesetting. Climbing gym owners and route setters found immense value in the exhibition, discovering products that had the potential to elevate their climbing facilities and enhance the overall climbing experience for their patrons.The exhibition’s emphasis on quality and ingenuity reflected the industry’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in indoor climbing. The summit’s success was further bolstered by the support of its supplier sponsors – Composite-X, Headrush, HRT, Climbmat and GymRealm. These industry-leading companies not only contributed to the exhibition’s vibrancy but also played an instrumental role in elevating the overall quality of the event.

The kick-off evening for WICS 2023 featured a different kind of bouldering competition – Set&Send. With its was novel format the comp provided spotlight on routesetting as a major part of comps along with the athletes performance. Climbers and routesetters teamed up to work together on setting the problems on three signature Walltopia boulders featuring the latest panel designs from the company – the wooden boulder, the bamboo boulder and the stone boulder. There were 5 teams of a routesetter and a male and female climber, representing 5 different hold brands – Flathold, Kilter, Sup’R, Cheeta and HRT. Every team could forerun their own problems but not the other team’s problems. They could, however, watch them set and forerun, so the climbing was not onsight. Despite a couple of minor organizational flaws, the comp was a fun experience for both participants and the audience which didn’t stop cheering! The competition was also broadcasted live on YouTube narrated by the perfect commentary by world famous commentators Charlie Boscoe and Danaan Markey. The athletes gave a beyond-excellent performance with unexpected outcomes of the climb attempts and the upshot was not clear until the very last send! The final result is as follows:
Female climbers:

1. Lucia Dorfell
2. Brooke Raboutou
3. Cloe Coscoy

Male climbers:

The awarding for the routesetting was separate and was decided by a gentlemen’s vote between all comp participants – setters and climbers. Each of them voted anonymously for their favorite problem in the following three categories:

Most creative problem (the one that was most difficult to read) – won by Dirk Uhlig – HRT holds
Most attractive problem (the one that was most attractive to watch) – won by Gautier Supper – Sup’R holds
Most aesthetic boulder (the best art piece on the walls) – also the most difficult to decide as apparently all problems looked amazing on the walls. Three setters split the prize – Tsukuru Hori (Cheeta holds), Dirk Uhlig (HRT) and Pierre Broyer (Flathold)

As the World Indoor Climbing Summit 2023 drew to a close, participants were treated to an unforgettable finale at the Walltopia headquarters. The closing rooftop pool party provided a well-deserved opportunity for attendees to unwind against the backdrop of breathtaking sunset city views. Laughter and joy filled the air as people sipped on refreshing drinks from an open bar. The relaxed atmosphere allowed for more informal conversations and connections, bringing together climbing enthusiasts and industry professionals in a casual setting. Some attendees couldn’t resist the temptation of the inviting pool and jumped in for a refreshing swim. As the evening progressed, the party seamlessly transitioned indoors and the celebration continued well into the early hours of the next day, marking a memorable conclusion to the summit and leaving everyone with cherished memories and strengthened bonds.