SnowSports Industries America (SIA) will continue to hold the SIA Snow in late January/early February to accommodate reps and retailers, SIA’s board ruled Thursday.
The non-profit SIA is owned by suppliers of consumer snow sports gear and apparel who sell to North American retailers and resorts.
At the end of the day, the voice of the retail community and our sales reps was heard loud and clear, said Tim Petrick, SIAs 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, Jan. 26-29 in 2012 and Jan. 31-Feb. 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 Shows 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 New England reps and the retail community at large, said Brent Mohr, President of New England Winter Sports Representatives Inc.
“This eliminates some significant conflicts the earlier dates presented and will allow us to efficiently participate in the buy/sell cycle for winter products, he said. “The group of snow sports industry representatives was pleased by the meetings open dialogue and positive outcome. Everyone involved felt the meeting set a great foundation for addressing future issues specific to the snow sports industry.”
SIA President David Ingemie thanked Visit Denver and the Colorado Convention Center for their flexibility with the dates 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, Ingemie said.
