This is how we experienced the On Running Summit in Paris: three days discovering the future of running with ON
There are events you attend as a guest, and others that allow you to understand how the future of running is being built.
A few days ago, we had the opportunity to travel to Paris to participate in the On Running Summit, an international gathering where the Swiss brand brought together professionals, distributors, and specialists from different countries to share their vision for the future, present the technologies driving their evolution, and open the doors to some of the spaces where their next products are born.
For three days, we gained first-hand insight into the work behind each shoe, spoke with people directly involved in product development, shared activities with ON athletes, and participated in workshops with professionals from different markets.
But, probably, the most interesting aspect was discovering everything that is not usually seen when a shoe arrives in a store.
The first prototypes. Testing with new materials. The machines used to develop technologies that seemed impossible a few years ago. The decisions that determine what a collection will look like several seasons from now.
This is how we experienced the On Running Summit in Paris: three days discovering the future of running alongside ON, an experience that allowed us to better understand the philosophy of one of the brands most committed to innovation in the sports industry.
| Day | Highlight |
| Day 1 | On's strategic vision, brand founders, and LightSpray technology. |
| Day 2 | On running Lab, product development, future collections, and activity with athletes. |
| Day 3 | International workshops, global retail vision, and Diamond League. |
Day 1: Understanding where ON wants to run
The experience began with a welcome lunch before attending the opening session of the On Running Summit. During this first presentation, two of ON's three founders, Olivier and Caspar, participated, along with different members of the company's team.
It was an opportunity to learn about the brand's current situation, but above all, to understand where it wants to head in the coming years. They discussed positioning, growth, innovation, and the vision guiding ON's development within an increasingly competitive running market.
Because behind each launch, there isn't just a new foam, a different geometry, or a lighter shoe. There's a much broader strategy about how the brand wants to evolve, what relationship it seeks to build with runners, and what place it aims to occupy within the sport.
After the presentation and a small welcome cocktail, one of the most anticipated moments arrived: experiencing LightSpray technology from the inside.
LightSpray: watching a shoe being made in just three minutes
LightSpray technology has become one of ON's most striking projects in recent years.
During the LightSpray Tour, we divided into groups to learn about the entire development process of this technology. We didn't just see the machine working, but also discovered how the project had evolved from its early stages.
We learned about the origin and composition of the fibers used, the different materials the development team worked with, and some of the first prototypes created during the process. We even saw one of the first portable versions of the machinery.
It's easy to observe a finished shoe and only focus on the result. What was truly interesting was discovering all the attempts, tests, and technical solutions that exist before creating a product capable of reaching the market.
The tour ended by seeing the machine used to produce the Cloudboom Strike 2 LS in operation; the process is hard to forget. LightSpray technology allows the shoe's upper to be manufactured by applying approximately 1.5 kilometers of filament in a process that takes about three minutes.
Seeing a shoe take shape before your eyes significantly changes our perception of traditional sports footwear manufacturing.
It's not just about producing a lighter shoe. The technology proposes a different way of designing and manufacturing products, reducing components and simplifying processes that traditionally require numerous parts.
And after a first day full of information, technology, and product, we went to the hotel to rest before continuing with one of the most interesting parts of the experience.
Day 2: We entered the place where ON shoes are born
The second day was entirely focused on innovation and product development. We visited the On Running Lab, one of those spaces that allows you to understand all the work that goes into a shoe before it reaches a runner's feet.
There, we learned about different foams and compounds used by ON and were able to analyze their properties, touch the materials, and check the differences in elasticity and behavior between them.
We also discovered how midsoles are manufactured. From the initial material to the expansion process that allows for the definitive structure later found in shoes.
For those of us who work daily surrounded by sports products, being able to experience this process from the inside provides a completely different perspective.
A shoe doesn't start when it appears in a store; long before that, there are months, and even years, of research, athlete testing, prototypes, errors, adjustments, and decisions that ultimately determine the sensations we perceive while running.
Upcoming ON shoes were also present
The visit continued through different spaces dedicated to the brand's main product families.
We were able to see some of the shoes and collections that will soon arrive on the market, both in footwear and apparel. For obvious reasons, many of these novelties will have to wait before we can talk about them in detail. However, we did learn about the direction ON is taking in its different categories.
During the day, we discovered proposals oriented towards a more stable and cushioned stride, the evolution of the Surfer family, with future launches like Surfer Max and Surfer Hyper, the Speed lines focused on performance and competition, and the work done in Track & Field for athletes specialized in track events. All of this shows a significant evolution of the brand.
ON is no longer solely focused on developing visually or technologically different products. It is building an increasingly comprehensive catalog to meet the needs of very different runner profiles, paces, distances, and disciplines.
The experience continued with an immersive and sensory installation created to convey the company's innovation philosophy in a completely different way. Because during those days there was a lot of technical information, but also a clear intention to make us experience the brand's culture from within. When athletes are also part of the experience
In the afternoon, it was time to swap presentations and labs for sportswear. We participated in an activity with several ON athletes.
The session began with yoga before moving on to a team competition that combined two events: running for fifteen minutes on a treadmill and completing another fifteen minutes of rowing.
The objective was not only to compete; the activity was designed to foster collaboration, share experiences with participants from other countries, and get to know the athletes in a much more intimate setting.
After the sports session, we ended the day sharing dinner with them. And these more informal moments are probably also an important part of events like the On Running Summit. Because they allow us to talk about running, training, products, and competition with people who experience the sport daily from very different perspectives.
Our colleague Alberto Navarro, a specialist in sports marketing and running retail at Be Urban Running, participated in this experience and gained direct insight into the work ON is doing in innovation and product development.
“What surprised me most was discovering all the work that goes into each shoe. Often, runners only see the final product, but when you visit the Running Lab, learn about the materials, prototypes, and development processes, you understand the level of research and testing that occurs before a model reaches stores.”
For Alberto, these types of experiences also have a direct application in the work we do daily with runners.
“Knowing the brand's philosophy and understanding why certain decisions are made for each product allows us to advise much better. It's not just about knowing the technical characteristics of a shoe, but about understanding what the brand aims to achieve and for which type of runner it can truly work.”
And that is precisely one of the main values we took away from the On Running Summit.
Day 3: From product to global strategy
The last day had a different focus; after two days centered on innovation, technology, and product, it was time to work on market evolution and consumer experience.
We participated in different workshops initially organized by region. Our group worked with other professionals from the EMEA market to identify opportunities for improvement in stores and analyze the specific needs of each territory.
We talked about consumer experience, product implementation, retail, and how to improve the relationship between brands, specialized stores, and runners.
Later, the groups became international; participants from Europe, America, Africa, and other markets shared different perspectives on the brand's future, the development of its distribution models, and the existing opportunities in each region.
It was one of the most interesting parts from a professional point of view. Because although running is a global sport, the way people buy, train, and interact with brands can be very different depending on the country or culture. Listening to these perspectives allows for a much better understanding of how the industry is evolving.
Three Golden Tickets and a final moment before saying goodbye
Before concluding the Summit activities, the organization had prepared a final surprise.
Three Golden Tickets were hidden in the auditorium.
Those who found them could win different prizes, from vouchers to use in the online store to a trip for two to Zurich with a visit to ON's headquarters.
A different and fun way to close three days full of presentations, workshops, and experiences. But there was still one last stop.
Diamond League: ending the Summit by watching the best compete
In the afternoon, we attended the Diamond League. After spending several days talking about technology, performance, and product development, ending the experience by watching some of the world's best athletes compete made perfect sense.
Among them, we saw Armand Duplantis and various athletes associated with ON.
It was the perfect closing for three days where we experienced running from very different perspectives: innovation, manufacturing, product, retail, athletes, and top-level competition.
Traveling to the On Running Summit in Paris allowed us to discover products that will arrive in the coming years and learn about some of the technologies the brand is working on.
But reducing the experience to just that would be superficial; the most valuable aspect was understanding the entire process behind each launch, the people who research new materials, the prototypes that never reach the market, the tests conducted with athletes, the decisions that determine how a shoe should evolve, and the strategy that allows a brand born in Switzerland to be used by runners all over the world.
That knowledge is also part of our work at Be Urban Running. Because the better we understand the products, technologies, and philosophy of the brands we work with, the better we can advise each runner who trusts us.
Frequently Asked Questions about the On Running Summit in Paris
What is the On Running Summit?
The On Running Summit is an international gathering organized by ON where industry professionals, distributors, and specialists from different markets learn about the brand's strategy, technologies, innovation processes, and future product lines.
What is ON's LightSpray technology?
LightSpray is a manufacturing technology developed by ON that allows the upper of certain models to be created through the automated application of a continuous filament. During our visit, we saw how the Cloudboom Strike 2 LS was manufactured using approximately 1.5 kilometers of filament in a process of about three minutes.
What happens at the On Running Lab?
The Running Lab is one of the spaces dedicated to product research and development. During our visit, we learned about different foams, compounds, and processes used to manufacture midsoles and develop new shoes.
Does Be Urban Running participate in international events hosted by running brands?
Yes. Our team participates in meetings, presentations, product tests, and experiences organized by some of the leading brands in the sector. These activities allow us to directly learn about technologies and products to transfer that knowledge to the advice we offer runners.
Where can I get advice on ON shoes?
You can discover ON models and receive specialized advice through Be Urban Running, both in our online store and in our physical stores in Elche, Valencia, Murcia, Alcoy, Villena, Cartagena, Yecla, and Torrevieja.
Three days may seem like a short time. But it's enough to understand that behind a shoe, there's much more than what we see when we open a box. Research, technology, people, athletes, tests, errors, new ideas, and years of development.
Participating in the On Running Summit in Paris allowed us to experience this entire process from the inside and better understand where one of today's most innovative running brands is headed.
We return to Be Urban Running with new ideas, more knowledge, and, above all, a great desire to continue sharing with our community everything that is to come. Because the future of running is still being built. And having been able to see it from the inside has been an unforgettable experience.
