SIA Acquires BEWI Ski and Snowboard Expos

[martyg]

Our costs for attending OR and SIA more than tripled last year. This year its double what it was last year AND we still need to find lodging for one night between checking out of Denver and heading to Winter Park.
Don't even get us started on the mess of being at the Snowbasin trade show and Mammoth which have overlapping dates.

That is the price you pay when your 501c(6), that wholly owned the trade show and was managed by the exhibiting companies via the SIA BOD, is sold to a for-profit trade show company.

SIA, the organization and leadership, did an awesome thing at the time by their right of exclusivity with the Denver CVB for the only outdoor trade show that could take place in Denver for 20 years. It drove the price to Emerald up significantly.

 

[Tricia]

As noted in Ski Journal;

Boston ski show cancellation is the first sign that we're in for a very different ski season - New England Ski Journal

The first sign that, perhaps, we should prepare for a less-than-normal winter season in New England, dropped on Thursday.

www.skijournal.com

From an email received a few days ago:
We wanted to give all of you an update on our plans for the 2020 Snowbound Festivals (formerly known as the BEWI Ski & Snowboard Expos) and we have some good news and bad news to share with you.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first.

Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 virus, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Snowbound Festivals in both Boston and Denver for 2020. At Snowbound Festival, the health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, guests, friends and staff is always our number one priority. In speaking with local and state authorities on the latest public health guidelines, we feel that cancelling the events is the best and safest decision for this season. If you have already paid a deposit for booth space this year we will refund you and we encourage you to reach out to us with any questions you might have regarding the cancellations.

While we share this update with a very heavy heart, we also have some good news for you.

We are working on some new ways to digitally connect with our consumers this year so they can still score some great deals, get a sneak-peak into new products, and experience some of the amazing winter content we had planned for them – all from the comfort and safety of their homes. There will be a variety of opportunities for you to be involved and engage with our audiences this fall so please stay tuned for some big announcements about our online plans in the very near future.

We know that the news of the Snowbound Festivals being cancelled this year is very disheartening, but we remain as excited as ever to come together as an online community to officially welcome winter and enjoy all of the incredible content, guests, products, experiences and fun that are the cornerstones of these events.

 

[TheArchitect]

As noted in Ski Journal;

Boston ski show cancellation is the first sign that we're in for a very different ski season - New England Ski Journal

The first sign that, perhaps, we should prepare for a less-than-normal winter season in New England, dropped on Thursday.

www.skijournal.com

From an email received a few days ago:
We wanted to give all of you an update on our plans for the 2020 Snowbound Festivals (formerly known as the BEWI Ski & Snowboard Expos) and we have some good news and bad news to share with you.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first.

Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 virus, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Snowbound Festivals in both Boston and Denver for 2020. At Snowbound Festival, the health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, guests, friends and staff is always our number one priority. In speaking with local and state authorities on the latest public health guidelines, we feel that cancelling the events is the best and safest decision for this season. If you have already paid a deposit for booth space this year we will refund you and we encourage you to reach out to us with any questions you might have regarding the cancellations.

While we share this update with a very heavy heart, we also have some good news for you.

We are working on some new ways to digitally connect with our consumers this year so they can still score some great deals, get a sneak-peak into new products, and experience some of the amazing winter content we had planned for them – all from the comfort and safety of their homes. There will be a variety of opportunities for you to be involved and engage with our audiences this fall so please stay tuned for some big announcements about our online plans in the very near future.

We know that the news of the Snowbound Festivals being cancelled this year is very disheartening, but we remain as excited as ever to come together as an online community to officially welcome winter and enjoy all of the incredible content, guests, products, experiences and fun that are the cornerstones of these events.

Not surprised at all. My son and I were talking about this upcoming season recently and we decided that we'd skip the ski show this year. I suspected it wasn't going to happen anyway.

 

[Jilly]

I got word today that the Ottawa Snow Show is cancelled.

 

[DanoT]

I don't get the logic. It can't be that much money to participate. Why wouldn't they want people to see their resorts at a ski show?

Yeah, I would think that as part of an advertising budget that it would make sense to keep Vail Resorts/Epic Pass as a worthwhile presence at major ski shows without needing a profitable return on the costs of the booth. Also a good way to have marketing department or guest services staff get experience interacting with the public.

Of course Vail also didn't think that owning a grass roots ski resort-centric forum called EpicSki was worthwhile.

I think Katz and his company are better at connecting with their stockholders than their customers, but hey whatever keeps them in business is fine with me.

I am not a Vail hater but I am more a fan of Alterra and other multi pass resort offerings than Epic resorts. However I will be forever grateful to Vail for starting the season pass wars.

 

[David]

As a consumer I used to go to the Chicago show almost every year as well as local shows to decide what gear I needed and finalize where we would be traveling to that year. Now there isn't a single midwest show worth going to. There are a lot of skiers in the midwest so a B to C show would be a great opportunity for everyone.