The Industry Alliance 2.3

STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE
WHAT’S YOUR INDUSTRY I.Q.?
Move To The Head of the Industry with SIA’s 2008 Intelligence Report Scheduled For Release in September

How many skis and snowboards were sold last season?  What are the hottest trends in snow sports apparel for women?  How many people snowboard in the U.S?  What’s the ratio of new to used snowboards sold on eBay? The 2008 SIA Intelligence Report answers those questions and thousands more in this 280 page comprehensive report on the snow sports industry.

SnowSports Industries America (SIA) will make available the 2008 Intelligence Report – a compilation of all major research on the snow sports industry on September 9, 2008.  Celebrating its 31st annual update, the Intelligence Report provides valuable insight into retail sales and participation trends, demographics for the snow sports market, weather and comprehensive analysis of the snow sports industry. The 2008 Report covers a variety of retail channels including snow sports specialty shops, chain stores, the Internet, and for the first time, the 2008 Report will include details on eBay sales.  The SIA Intelligence Report includes easy-to-follow analysis and highlights along with stand-alone chapters for alpine, snowboard, Nordic, accessories, and apparel categories. Additionally, full reports on the market for women’s specific and junior’s specific snow sports products are available for the first time in 2008.

Here’s just a sample of information that can be found in the 2008 SIA Intelligence Report:

• The 2007.08 snow sports season brought $2.97 billion in sales of snow sports equipment, apparel and accessories in specialty brick and mortar shops and on the Internet
  
• $834 million in equipment
• $1.165 billion in apparel
• $973 million in accessories
• Specialty shop sales increased 3% in units and 5% in dollars over last season to $1.9 billion
• 2007.08 Internet sales increased an astounding 39% in units and 46% in dollars
• Chain store data was back in 2007.08 with snow sports sales totaling $616 million, 15% higher than in 2005.06, the last season measured
• 22,635 new (but not necessarily current) alpine skis and 37,182 new (but not necessarily current) snowboards were purchased on eBay between August 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008
• Alpine equipment sales were flat in specialty shops season over season but considering the state of the economy overall, flat was good
• 26 million people consider themselves snow sports participants in the U.S. but 9 million did not participate in 2007
• The National Ski Areas Association reported 60.5 million skier/rider visits in the U.S. during the 2007.08 season, a new record

All versions of the 2008 SIA Intelligence Report are available to all SIA members for FREE, the price is $425 for non-members. Media can contact the SIA PR department for specific requests regarding information from the Report. For more information on this and other research available through SIA, log onto snowsports.org under Industry Resources button or contact Kelly Davis, SIA Director of Research at 703.506.4224 or by email at KDavis@snowsports.org.

MEMBER SERVICES: YOUR ASSOCIATION
WHAT INSIGHT™ DO YOU HAVE?
SIA just released its 6th update of its popular industry database and sales management tool, inSight™.  SIA’s Ultimate Database and Sales Management Tool is used by over 100 of the leading equipment, apparel and accessory brands in the industry as the source for the coming and goings of winter sports retailers in the US and Canada. Over 1,000 hours of time was invested by our staff in the past year to not only track down which stores have closed, moved and opened in the past year, but we’ve also tracked literally hundreds of stores changes in their product mix.

Version 6.0 of inSight™ is available as an upgrade for current users or your company can start fresh with pre-loaded maps and lists that are perfect for planning your Winter season mailings, sales rep planning or prospecting for new accounts.  inSight™ includes your copy of the brand new MicroSoft MapPoint 2009 software as well.  Sales reps, ask your Sales Manager if he’s got the latest information from SIA that they can give you.  We challenge anyone to find a more complete and comprehensive database on winter sports retailers and resorts. 

inSight’s™ database of US resorts and retailer storefronts stands at over 8,000.  We’ve made more than 10,000 changes to phone numbers, addresses, products mix and other details which are reflected in our latest update. You’ll be able to easily reference nearly 500 closed and out-of-business storefronts and also see almost 500 locations added to our database.

Contact your Regional Sales & Marketing Manager for more information or view some screen-shots and see a list of suggested uses on our web site (snowsports.org/insight).

SHOW BUSINESS
IT’S THE SIA SHOW’S LAST GOODBYE TO VEGAS, TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU.
How many memories make up the last 37 years in Vegas?  Which ones can be told and which ones must remain silent? Help SIA remember the SIA SnowSports Trade Show in Las Vegas before moving to Denver; when it was an industry of suits working the Show floor, when snowboarding dropped on the Show scene, remembering the new friends, old friends, the parties, events, the business, and the industry.

Over the next few months, we’re asking for your memories of the SIA Show, good and bad, hilarious and those being job, life and industry changing. We’ll be posting the comments on snowsports.org and sharing them at the SIA Show.

Submit your top memory of SIA and Vegas to Judy Brown at JBrown@snowsports.org. Please keep memories to under 50 words. We know some Vegas experiences may wish to remain anonymous, if so, please let us know!

Register early for the SIA.09 SnowSports Trade Show to make your last memory in Vegas… snowsports.org/tradeshow

THE SIA SNOWSPORTS TRADE SHOW ATTRACTS ALMOST ALL OF THE SNOW SPORTS MARKET’S BUYING POWER
With nearly 90% of the retail buying power in the industry present in Las Vegas, the annual SIA SnowSports Trade Show maintains its position as the most influential and important event in the snow sports industry buy/sell cycle. The 2008 SIA SnowSports Trade Show in Las Vegas recorded a Buying Power Index of 88.3 percent. That means that all but 11.7% of the total buying power of alpine, Nordic and snowboard stores attended the SIA Trade Show. The 2008 Show marked the eleventh consecutive year that the SIA Show scored close to 90% in the Index.

SIA's high Buying Power Index confirms the importance of retailer attendance for previewing all of the  snow sports industry’s newest products at one time and in one place, writing orders, networking with other retailers, and meeting with sales reps and top management of companies.

In 2008 a line-by-line analysis was completed for all stores in all states. Below is a regional analysis of increases or decreases in the Index by the nine census regions of the United States. The total line is a weighted percentage based on the contribution each region contributes to the whole.

Denver just hosted the Democratic National Convention to a great success – soon it will be SIA’s turn in 2010. Our Denver question: What entertainment options will there be in Denver?
Denver is well regarded as an entertainment capital and has worked hard to ensure diverse options. Denver is well known for the variety of music available from small venues to large. There are cultural interests such as the U.S. Mint, Denver Art Museum, Colorado History Museum, college and pro sporting events and, of course, the mountains are only 45 minutes from Downtown.

THE WORD ON THE SLOPES
Quiksilver, Inc. announced that it has received a binding offer for the acquisition of 100% of ski and snowboard equipment and clothing maker Rossignol Group. The offer is made by Chartreuse & Mont Blanc, headed by Bruno Cercley, a former CEO of Rossignol, returning the company to French ownership. Chartreuse & Mont Blanc is majority owned by Macquarie Group and supported by a non-voting minority interest by Jarden Corporation, owner of skiwear and ski equipment brands K2, Marker, Marmot and Volkl. The proposed transaction is nearly USD $147 million at the current exchange rate…The SIA Trade Show is just 146 days away, but registration for SIA.09 SnowSports Trade Show has begun and we have our first retailer registered…Eden Abrams, Owner, Bob’s Chalet Ski & Snowboard in Bristol, CT…a couple of other firsts: Plague Snowboards, Darren Crisp (Buyer/Distributor)…Janet Phinney, Spot LLC (Industry Associate)…your industry’s media is already ahead of the game and ready to write about all things snow…Shannon Johnson, Shayboarder (media/blogger)…Ryan Denehy, Banquet…Eric Tremblay, piktur-this.com…Kelly Vance, Shred Betties Magazine...Louise Balma, TransWorld Media (Member and Media)…our first Rep to register for the SIA.09 SnowSports Trade Show, Kevin Brew of Kevin Brew Sales (Rep)…Have you registered for the Show (January 27-30, 2009)…World Snowboard Day presented by EuroSIMA and World Snowboard Federation is scheduled for 12.21.08 worldwide – will you participate? For more information see www.world-snowboard-day.com…SkiPress and SnoCountry Mountain Resorts joined forces with a multi-media platform. This is great for our industry…While the Summer Games finished up on August 24, NBC and the World is getting ready for the Winter Games, February 11-March 1, 2010 in Vancouver, BC…Marshall Rutman, Helly Hansen marketing manager, helped introduce Helly Hansen’s LIFE Base Layer Performance Guarantee…RSN Resort TV has signed champion snowboarder Tina Dixon to cohost the winter episodes of RSN Outdoors with Chris Davenport. RSN, responding to the changing tastes of its outdoor audience, continues to create new programs, work with industry partners to distribute new content, and add fresh faces to its host roster…Mammoth Mountain Ski Area continues to step it up, promoting Oren Tanzer to Director, Youth Action Sports Marketing…send any notices or information to PR@snowsports.org.                       

SIA SEASON PASS
ARE YOUR BADGES BEING PREPPED TO BE SENT?
September is right around the corner. For many, this means back to school and back to work. What are your Fall plans? Have you submitted your badge registration for the 2009 Trade Show? Online registration is open and we are actively processing the 2009 requests. Before your calendar gets filled with too many other “back to the grind” chores, take the time to complete your Show registration. Pre-registration closes on 12.18.08 and while this may seem far away, December will be here before you know it.

CONFIRM YOUR COMPANY LISTING IN THE SIA SNOW DIRECTORY (SIA MEMBERS ONLY)
How is your company represented in our published Directory? Do we have your current address and phone numbers? Does your description line accurately reflect your company’s business? Help us keep this Directory the best resource in the snow sports industry. Take some time now to review the information we currently capture and let us know what we need to update. The SIA Directory is distributed to over 20,000 industry professionals. This is your opportunity to showcase your company and all of its offerings – don’t forget to make sure your brands get mentioned! Go to snowsports.org and update your listing now.

BUSINESS OF SNOW
ARE YOUR PRODUCTS SKI MAGAZINE WORTHY?
Deb Marks from SKI Magazine is asking all of you for help.  SKI is soliciting your help to identify products worthy of editorial coverage in their 2008.09 publication cycle. The same request last year yielded great suggestions so do our industry proud and participate!

Below is a list of all of the departments/pages/packages in which SKI anticipates featuring apparel, gear and accessories. In addition to our monthly Essentials department, each issue will include a new front-of-book Hot List page, and the December issue will once again be home to our Gear of the Year package. If you have products that you think would fit well into one or several of these spots, please let Deb know ASAP (Deborah.Marks@bonniercorp.com). Send a basic description of the product and its story. If you have jpegs, send those, too. Please DO NOT send product yet.

Some topics and areas for all to consider:

HOT LIST:  A front-of-book roundup that showcases new or groundbreaking stuff. SKI Magazine’s aim here is to get the “scoop”—to be the first to feature products, concepts, promotions or events that are brand new in concept or application. *This page will include, but is not limited to, gear. For example: The Vail Ultimate Pass is a great fit here. Another example: The new Hummer H3T, which will have both a ski and snowboarding package with the  proper racks to haul your equipment (the ultimate skiing/snowboarding mobile).  And another: WIN Detergent for active wear. Things you use while skiing (sunscreen, lip balm, water bottles), travel tools (luggage, pocket knives) or ski-fitness equipment are totally kosher. New brands and industry firsts are also a good fit here. Of course, they still want great new gear and apparel.    

ESSENTIALS: A monthly roundup (grouped by common theme) of ski clothing and accessories. SKI Magazine is looking mainly for the big 6 categories: 1. Outerwear; 2. Base and/or mid layers; 3. Helmets; 4. Eyewear (glasses and goggles); 5.Gloves; 6. Travel bags and day/hydration packs. A seventh category includes miscellaneous items such as cameras or mp3 players, watches, altimeters, ski poles, shoes, socks, tools. Themes for this year are:

Covet-worthy: Stuff that will make your ski buddies jealous. Stuff you might not find in your big-box chain store. Includes limited-edition and award-winning products or any that are super high-end.

Freeze-proof:  All of the warmest products. Jackets and gloves with electric heat systems, anything with down, hydration packs that won’t freeze, goggles that won’t fog, boot heaters, etc.

Inspired design: Products that are designed or inspired by pro athletes or artists. Could also include products that are inspired by a concept.

Eco-friendly/green: Obviously, these are products that carry a green story. Just about every company has one or several. Send your best and newest.

Do-gooders: A portion of proceeds from these products go to benefit a philanthropic organization or a good cause.    

Less is more: Think minimalist. Light and fast, no-fuss gear and accessories. This is a natural fit for a Spring issue.

Family/Gift Guide: Stuff that’s great for every member of  the family or that will make family ski trips more enjoyable. This could also turn into a gift-guide: great stuff to buy your wife, your husband, your kids, etc.

So there you have it. Deb and SKI Magazine can’t wait to get your input and ideas. Speaking of which, if you’ve got an idea for a theme or think SKI Magazine missed a huge trend, by all means let them know. This is an organic plan.  It’s not set in stone.  

Contact Deb Marks directly at Deborah.Marks@bonniercorp.com or 303.253.6446. Deadline: ASAP. Don’t miss out on this pitch – get your products noticed in SKI Magazine. 

FEDEX EXPRESS® DEPLOYS CLEANER, FUEL-SAVING VEHICLES AND CUTS DOWN YOUR BUDGET WITH THE SIA MEMBER PROGRAM
Gear up for the winter snow season with FedEx® discounts up to 45% and a cleaner environment. In 2000, FedEx Express® and Environmental Defense began working together to create a delivery truck that would dramatically decrease emissions and fuel use.

The service launch of the new vehicle began March 2004, following tests to demonstrate the commercial viability of the lower-emission power train in heavy-duty vehicles.

When 10,000 of the new low-emission, hybrid electric-powered OptiFleet E700 vehicles are put on the road, they will generate significant environmental benefits including the annual reduction of:

• Nitrogen oxides by 1,700 tons annually - the equivalent of taking passenger cars off New York City roads for 25 days.
• Carbon dioxide emissions by 83,000 tons annually—the equivalent to planting 2 million trees.
• Diesel fuel usage by 7.2 million gallons, which requires 1 million barrels of crude oil to produce.

FedEx® recognizes effective environmental management as a global corporate priority and is among the best Fortune 500 companies for its initiatives in environmental issues, according to the Council on Economic Priorities' Corporate Responsibility Profile for Environment. Stay tuned for continuing eco-business developments from FedEx®.

As an SIA member, save up to 45% on select FedEx Express® shipments and up to 22% on select FedEx Ground® shipments. Also, save up to 20% on select prints and copies with FedEx Kinko’s® including other savings on business and document services. Are you enrolled? Contact SIA’s Patricia Grenke at PGrenke@snowsports.org or contact a FedEx Advantage customer service specialist at 800.475.6708.

SNOW SMARTS
BACK TO SCHOOL WITH SIA
SIA’s Fall Workshops Can Change the Way YOU Do Business
This year’s election campaign is all about change and the same holds true for today’s business environment. Digital and other forms of electronic sales and marketing are NOT going away and increasingly are melding with more traditional marketing and sales techniques to capture the attention of today’s consumers. SIA’s Fall Workshops are right on the money addressing this issue.

“Women, Youth and the Internet…Are You Connecting?” will open your eyes to state-of-the art AND business practices that make an impact with today’s savvy snow sports enthusiasts and those who don’t know they are… yet. If you are in the business of selling snow sports products, this day-long workshop will give you many of the tools you need to effectively integrate your on-line presence with traditional sales and marketing techniques that work .

Workshops are being offered in three locations – Springfield, MA on September 10, Lakewood, CO (near Denver) on September 17and Sacramento, CA on September 18.

Mike Duncan, CEO of Sage Island Productions and Tom Shay, respected nationally-known speaker on a host of topics will share their knowledge and insights with you and offer some hands-on case studies that you won’t find anywhere else. SIA President David Ingemie will kick off the day with an overview of the industry’s business health. The Rep of the Year Awards are also featured during the workshops, which include a continental breakfast and lunch.  For a complete agenda and schedule and to register CLICK HERE.

POWDER TO THE PEOPLE
WINTER FEELS GOOD INITIATIVE HITS THE ROAD TO GROW PARTICIPATION IN YOUR INDUSTRY
SIA’s Winter Feels Good (WFG) initiative, a grassroots effort to grow snow sports participation, will visit several states this Fall with exhibits at conferences for professionals in the recreation and physical education fields. The exhibit will feature a CD developed by SIA, through a partnership with Snow Monsters and PSIA/AASI, to help these professionals include snow sports in their learning programs for youth. The conferences are organized by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), international membership organization for professionals in the physical education, recreation and health fields. Locations for the WFG exhibit are:

• Keystone, CO – October 16-18
• Stevens Point, WI - October 29-30
• Grand Rapids, MI - November 5-7
• Ogden, UT - November 14-15
• Worcester, MA - November 17-18
• Verona, NY - November 20-21
• Pittsburgh, PA - November 20-22.

The Winter Feels Good exhibit also will appear at the National Recreation and Parks Association annual conference in Baltimore, MD from October 15-17. SIA is partnering with various industry organizations at these events.

SIA introduced the CD to teachers and recreational professionals last year in a limited beta test and asked for feedback. According to survey results, the CD fulfilled a primary goal - to motivate children to participate in snow sports. Approximately 60% of those who responded to the survey said that their students reported participating in a snow sport as a result of the Winter Feels Good curriculum materials used by teachers and provided via the CD.

If you are interested in details about the CD or the conferences, please contact Mary Jo Tarallo at MJTarallo@snowsports.org.

AND THE ENVELOPE SAYS
SIA ANNOUNCES THE 2008.09 SIA SNOWSPORTS REGIONAL REP OF THE YEAR WINNERS
SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is proud to announce the winners of the 2008.09 SIA SnowSports Regional Rep of the Year Award.  In its third year, this award recognizes those sales reps in the snow sports industry that have successfully fostered relationships with retail storefronts to help move winter sports products.   

SIA received nearly 1000 nominations for this accolade from snow sports retailers in the industry nationwide.  Nine regions were identified for retailers to vote for the snow sports rep they felt most deserving. 

This year’s SnowSports Regional Rep of the Year winners are:

Region:  Atlantic (NY/ PA/ NJ/ DE/ MD)
Winner:  Rob Haggerty

Region:  Eastern Lakes (MI/ OH/ IN)
Winner:  Broc Johnson

Region:  Midwest (ND/ MN/ WI/ SD/ IA/ IL/ NE/ MO/ KS/ OK)
Winner:  Scott Ladwig

Region:  Northeast (ME/ VT/ NH/ MA/ RI/ CT)
Winner:  Brad Sellew

Region:  Northern CA
Winner:  Craig Wingard

Region:  Northwest (WA/ OR/ ID/ MT/ AK)
Winner:  Dustin Anderson

Region:  Rockies (WY/ UT/ CO/ NM/ TX)
Winner:  Rob Howland

Region:  South (WV/ VA/ KY/ TN/ NC/ SC/ GA/ AL/ MS/ FL/ AR/ LA)
Winner:  Mitch Chilton

Region:  West (Southern CA/ NV/ AZ/ HI)
Winner:  Bob Stanislaus

Voting for the regional rep award began in late July with surveys sent out to nearly 10,000 retail storefronts. Nomination criteria focused on five main components including:  relationships with retail shops; communication with retailers; proactively helping stores manage inventory; conducting shop clinics; and timely response to retail shops’ calls and emails.  

The SIA SnowSports Regional Rep of the Year award is part of the overall awards program that SIA has continued to build over the past several years.  Other awards currently included in the program include:  the Canadian SnowSports Rep of the Year, US SnowSports Retailer of the Year, Canadian Retailer of the Year and Supplier of the Year awards. 

For more information about the award and bios on this year's winners, visit snowsports.org.