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Upbeat Industry Celebrates Their Love Of Snow At SIA.09

Press Release

March 24 2009
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UPBEAT INDUSTRY CELEBRATES THEIR LOVE OF SNOW AT SIA.09

MCLEAN, Va. (March 16, 2009) – For years, escaping the toils of everyday life and getting out on the mountain has been a priority for the snow sports industry. So, despite the country’s current economic uncertainty, it wasn’t surprising the party raged on at the SIA.09 SnowSports Trade Show. During the last week in January, the industry bid farewell to Vegas after 37 years of gathering in the desert to celebrate all things related to snow sports.
From January 27-30, SIA.09 delivered the hottest trends, exciting events, cutting edge technology and style to the snow sports community. The four days in Vegas were powered by the passion and culture of snow sports with suppliers, retailers, buyers, reps, resorts, some of the world’s top snow sports athletes, industry professionals, media and celebrity personalities including Gene Simmons and Snoop.
Dubbed the largest winter sports specific trade show in the industry, SIA.09 did not disappoint. Exhibiting companies at the Show represented over 95% of the market share for the alpine and snowboard sectors. With over 348,254 net exhibit square feet and 453 exhibitors representing nearly 887 brands exhibiting in over 3,400 booths – showcased the latest trends, innovations, product lines and styles, for ski, snowboard, cross country, AT, telemark, snowshoe and fashion.
The SIA.09 buying power index, measured by Leisure Trends Group, topped out at 80.1% for the U.S. retail buying power. Accordingly, SIA reported that buyer attendance was down 5% from last year recording 4,542 buyers from 1,424 buying managements.
Over 90 new exhibitors featured products ranging from apparel and outerwear to accessories, equipment and the latest tools to enhance performance on/off the slopes. Brendan Reid, a first time exhibitor, was on hand to introduce his company, Casual Industrees, to the SIA community. “We call ourselves the ‘multi-hundred dollar company’. It’s me, my brother, some friends and a collection of the most killer snowboard/mountain culture inspired T’s and apparel in the market. SIA made it very easy and comfortable for me as a first time exhibitor. I had lots of questions about everything from trade show setup, to taking orders at the show. The SIA staff was there to walk me through everything. Now I’ve got the Show attendee list, the media list and a stack of business cards from all my show appointments. This is exactly what we needed to take to the next level,” said Reid.
For more examples of new products launched at the show – check out the SIA.09 New Product Directory, available to download on snowsports.org, in the Media Center.
Even with the difficult economy, SIA.09 was able to accomplish its main goal of bringing the industry together. “We came into SIA 09 with 93 appointments booked and by the end of the show we had shown the line to almost 200 shops. We had incredible walk-by traffic that allowed us to expose the brand to way more retailers than we had ever anticipated. Word-of-mouth buzz at the Show is one of the most powerful forms of communication a brand like ours can hope for. The SIA show continues to deliver us tremendous retail and media exposure and we are anticipating that Denver will do exactly the same,” said Maxx von Marbod, Sales Director, Spacecraft.
“This was our best SIA show ever and we’ve been coming here for a long time,” said Greg Wozer, Leki.
“We met with retailers from across the country, quality ones. You can’t do that at a regional show,” said Betty Jordon, Kiss my Face.
The Show was a great success filled with excitement and a sense of community. The SIA Show is about doing business but it is also about meeting up with old friends and celebrating the snow sports industry and the passion that surrounds it.
For additional news and highlights from SIA.09, use the following link to view and/or download all four days of the Show’s official Show Daily – Snow Press Show Daily at: skipressworld.com/snowpress <http://www.skipressworld.com/snowpress> or visit the SIA trade site, snowsports.org, for post Show videos, pictures and more.
Join us for the SIA.10 SnowSports Trade Show in Denver, CO, January 28-January 31, 2010 with an on-snow demo and festival February 1 2, 2010, location to be determined, Colorado.