Five separate education workshops organized by SnowSports Industries America (SIA) this fall for retailers, suppliers and reps will feature presentations on the newly completed Model for Success and a new sales training program for retail sales people. The Model for Success is an extensive research project that dissects the current snow sports retail environment and makes recommendations on effective business practices. SIA is partnering with 3Point5, a specialty online training company based in Salt Lake City, to offer an extensive sales training module for retail shop employees.

The workshop series will kick off with two venues in New England. Workshops are scheduled for September 20-21, 2006. The first workshop will be held in Manchester, New Hampshire, on September 20 and the second will take place on September 21 in Burlington, Vermont.


The workshop series will head West for presentations in the Denver/Lakewood metro area on October 3, in Seattle on October 4 and in Orange County, CA, on October 5. All workshops will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Workshops will include presentations, handouts, a continental breakfast and lunch. Registration forms will be available in July.

The workshops will offer a complete analysis of the Model for Success, a multi-phase program commissioned by SIA and developed by Leisure Trends Group to help study purchase behavior and what motivates a person to purchase. Phase I of this program was presented at last year’s education seminars. Since that time, the study has been completed and provides definitive solutions that will enable suppliers and retailers to move more products and increase unit sales, which will be presented this Fall.

The education workshops will also focus on effective sales techniques, merchandising and consumer marketing. Also on the agenda is an in-depth presentation on 3Point5’s new Basic Sales Floor Training Module that is being developed specifically for employees of snow sports specialty shops. The online module is designed to help train retail employees on brand, technology and products for each participating manufacturer and basic sales techniques that will increase sell through.

“We are really pleased to be offering a forum where our constituents can gather state-of-the-art information about best business practices,” said David Ingemie, president of SIA. “Our collaboration with 3Point5 is one more valuable asset in our quest to be The Intelligent Partner for the snow sports industry.”