Dear Industry Colleague,
As we close in on the November 1st OR deadline and all of the discussion around booth space discounts, I want to take a moment to remind you about all of the other good work that SIA does.
As you know, SIA sold the Snow Show to Emerald Expositions, a move that took us out of the trade show production business and enabled us to truly be a trade association that’s focused on our member’s needs. This renewed focus was the absolute right move, and I’m excited about the foundation we’re re-building at SIA. We’re in this for the long game and our work has already begun to pay dividends to our members.
Here are just a few of the ways we’re working hard for you:
Education
- Our industry is evolving and our role is to help our members successfully navigate this changing marketplace. This past summer, we launched a series of monthly webinars and editorial content on issues that are top of mind to you. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to visit our new website and dig into this amazing educational content at snowsports.org/education/
- Starting next week, we’re launching a new podcast series produced by Kristin Carpenter-Ogden, an expert in retail market trends and strategies.
- And at the upcoming Outdoor + Snow Show, we’re producing a full agenda during Industry + Intelligence – four days of educational panels and inspiring presentations from leaders from in and outside of the winter industry. See the agenda here and check back often for updates as we get closer to the show in January: snowsports.org/industry-intelligence/
Events
- The 2020 Outdoor + Snow Show is coming up on January 29-31, 2020 and we’ve worked hard to provide our exhibiting members with the deepest booth space discounts available anywhere. If you exhibit at the show, your membership dues are literally offset by the savings you receive on your space, and more!
- Just two days after the show on February 3-4, the SIA/WWSRA On-Snow Demo kicks off at Winter Park Resort for the industry’s largest on-snow demo. With over 1000 retailers from 39 states and 6 countries in 2019, the SIA/WWSRA On-Snow Demo is the largest national and international on-snow demo. The demo continues to provide the industry with the single best opportunity to test new gear in ideal conditions. See all the details here.
Advocacy
- Without a doubt, climate change presents a threat to the long-term stability of our industry and we’re committed to boldly addressing it.
The Outdoor Business Climate Partnership (OBCP) is an alliance between SIA, the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). Together, we represent the $887 billion outdoor business sector, a powerful economic voice for strong climate policy. We just returned from a successful lobbying day in Washington and will continue to work with our partners to drive strong climate policy forward on behalf of our members. - SIA has kept abreast of the US/China tariff situation; testifying in Washington twice and joining influential business coalitions to elevate our voice in Washington. We’ve also developed a Tariff Action Center so that our members can get up-to-date news and opportunities to get involved. We’ve also hosted numerous conference calls and webinars to give our members the insights they need to successfully navigate this tough situation and will continue to do so until it’s resolved.
Research
- Our partnership with industry leader, NPD gives our members Retail Sales Data reports each month from November-May. These reports give our members in-depth sales data reporting on a regular basis.
- Our annual Participation Study will be released this week; an in-depth study illustrating the participation trends amongst the different segments within our industry.
- For any members that want custom research, with our partners at Adapt Analytics, we have the research team to deliver the data you need.
Participation
- SIA is driven to address participation in our industry and with our new platform called Generation Snow, we’ve donated $40,000 to Share Winter, a national grantmaking organization that works closely with carefully selected grantees to build efficient, effective, sustainable winter sports programs and pipelines to ongoing winter sports participation.
- We are challenging the industry to match our commitment, helping us raise $100,000 in 2020. Our goal is to increase participation by 100,000 new participants by 2028.
This Fall, we launched a new brand tagline, United By Winter. It’s a north star for our organization, but one that we also hope is a call to action for the entire industry. What makes us special is the shared dedication to a season that has aligned all of our careers with our passions and enabling lifelong friendships amongst us. We’re an industry that thrives on innovation and a competitive spirit, united by a love of winter. Therefore, it’s incumbent upon us to work together to drive our industry forward, to address the many challenges ahead.
Being a member-owned nonprofit trade organization, our members are of vital importance to SIA. Your membership enables us to do our best work, but also, trade associations like ours are the most effective when the industry is fully engaged and participating with us.
With that in mind, I hope this gives you an insight into our work and vision for 2020, and that we can count on your engagement and support this year.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Regards,
Nick Sargent
President, SIA
