A month ago, when the Snow Industries of America announced that they would be moving the dates of their annual trade show up to the middle of January beginning in 2013 we thought it was kind of silly of them to so brazenly stomp all over dates historically used by the regional rep shows. That would be just plain dumb, we thought. Well, apparently, those same thoughts finally sunk in to the SIA board of directors because:
The Board of Directors for SnowSports Industries America (SIA) announced today that the SIA Snow Show will continue to be held in the late January/early February timeframe. Given the many factors and constituencies SIA’s Board had to consider, the goal was to provide Show dates that would be beneficial to all aspects of the industry. . . “At the end of the day, the voice of the retail community and our sales reps was heard loud and clear,” said Tim Petrick, SIA’s Chairman. “The earlier dates were not going to work for the U.S. retail community, so we needed to find a solution that worked for our customers.”
And what a solution it was. Keep the dates the same. Just think of all the meetings that were required to do absolutely nothing about the SIA dates. For the rest of the details, follow the jump.Industry Collaborates to Determine Show Timing
SIA Announces Reversal of Show Date Change Decision
MCLEAN, Va. (April 28, 2011) – The Board of Directors for SnowSports Industries America (SIA) announced today that the SIA Snow Show will continue to be held in the late January/early February timeframe. Given the many factors and constituencies SIA’s Board had to consider, the goal was to provide Show dates that would be beneficial to all aspects of the industry.
“At the end of the day, the voice of the retail community and our sales reps was heard loud and clear,” said Tim Petrick, SIA’s Chairman. “The earlier dates were not going to work for the U.S. retail community, so we needed to find a solution that worked for our customers.”
The announcement was made following a meeting of industry representatives last week in Baltimore, MD, which included members of the National Ski and Snowboard Retailers Association (NSSRA), all regions of winter sports rep associations, as well as SMC, SSL and NBS Buying Groups. All parties encouraged SIA to reverse the previous Board decision and revert to the later dates and indicated they would strongly support the schedule among their respective constituents.
The SIA Snow Show will be held in Denver, the 4th week in January, from Thursday to Sunday, January 26-29 in 2012 and January 31-February 3 in 2013.
As a result of the change back to the later dates, the executive directors of SMC, SSL and NBS buying groups, Tom Gately, Steve Rogers and Rand Whitney expressed their commitment to the later Show dates. “We are pleased that SIA has listened to the voice of our members,” said Tom Gately, President of Snowsports Merchandising Corporation.
“Returning to the later dates assures our commitment to operating our Buying Group Shows in coordination with the SIA Snow Show,” said Steve Rogers, President/CEO of Sports Specialists Ltd.
Brad Nelson, Chairman of NSSRA, stated, “We are extremely satisfied that SIA has been responsive to our needs. We fully endorse the SIA Snow Show’s new dates and will encourage our retailers to attend this national trade show for winter products.”
“The later dates in January are a positive move for our members and the retail community at large. This eliminates some significant conflicts the earlier dates presented and will allow us to efficiently participate in the buy/sell cycle for winter products,” commented Brent Mohr, President of New England Winter Sports Representatives Inc.
The group of snow sports industry representatives was pleased by the meeting’s open dialogue and positive outcome. Everyone involved felt the meeting set a great foundation for addressing future issues specific to the snow sports industry.
“I am happy that we have come to this agreement on the dates and thank Visit Denver and the Colorado Convention Center for their flexibility with the dates we have now confirmed. We are looking forward to a long term relationship with the city of Denver and the state of Colorado in hosting the SIA Snow Show,” added David Ingemie, President of SIA.
