2012 Gold Rush - Trade Show Executive

POWER LUNCH
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DAVID INGEMIE
Joined SIA in 1976 as marketing director;
promoted to president in 1981
• Developed Subaru Deduct-A-Ski program
which offered incentives for existing skiers
to trade in used equipment to charitable
groups for a tax deduction;
• Developed the Cross Country USA
program encouraging urban development
of cross-country ski centers;
• Created high school assembly
program promoting winter sports;
• Helped create the SIA Ski
Educational Foundation.
Named executive director of the
Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce,
in North Conway, NH 1973 to 1976
• Worked on Volvo Intl. Tennis Tournament,
the Thermos National Amateur Freestyle
Championships, and the Mt. Washington
Valley International Bicycle Grand Prix.
• Chairman of the New Hampshire Ski Area
Operators Promotional Committee
• Named Outstanding Young Man of
America in 1975 by the Jaycees.
Appointed director of marketing for
Wachusett Mountain Ski Area from
1969 to 1973
Professional Affiliations:
• Board of Directors for the Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy in Washington, DC
• Board of Directors for National Center
for Bicycling and Walking
• Board of Directors of the U.S. National
Ski Hall of Fame and Museum
• Board of Directors of the United Ski
and Snowboard Association (USSA)
• Board of Directors of the International
Skiing History Association
• Board of Directors of the 2015 World
Championship Committee
Education: University of New Hampshire,
B.A. in General Studies
Continued from page 36
structure. In addition, we offer a special
drayage package for all those who ship
their exhibits to the SIA warehouse. They
receive 10% off the regular drayage rates.
BOB: You mean you have
your own warehouse?
DAVID: Yes. It’s pretty simple: we needed
a warehouse to store registration counters,
special booths and other things
critical for the show. So we bought a
warehouse for our needs as well as for
member exhibitors. Members pay a
reduced storage fee. We can’t accommodate
every exhibitor, but the lower price
becomes a negotiating tool for members
who have to use a different warehouse.
We are a not-for-profit trade organization
and our job is to produce the best show
we can for the least amount of money.
BOB: What was the rationale
for launching the Sourcing Show?
DAVID: This is a new show within the
SIA Snow Show for 2013 and it starts the
day before. Because the cost of sourcing
suppliers has increased dramatically, we
decided to put them all into one area and
make it easy for our members. And with
the Sourcing Snow, we will grow another
15,000 to 20,000 nsf over last year.
BOB: What are the On-Snow,
Ski Ride Fest and Nordic Demo?
DAVID: On the two days following our
show, we go to the slopes at Winter Park
Resort for the On-Snow and Ski-Ride Fest,
and to Devils Thumb Ranch for the
Nordic Demo. We have 4,000 people conducting
demos and testing equipment.
It’s a very exciting and popular event.
BOB: What are some of the biggest challenges
facing the snow sports industry?
DAVID: We’re fortunate that our audience
is a high income demographic, so we
are not overly impacted by this economy.
Our biggest challenge is with consolidation
throughout the industry. There are
also challenges with the buy-sell cycle
for different segments of our industry:
apparel would like the show in November
and the hard-goods folks would like it in
March. We hold the show in January, so
these challenges are ongoing.
BOB: I read this in the New York Times
last week: the Arizona Snowbowl will
become the first ski resort in the world
to use 100% sewage effluent to make
artificial snow. Members of the Navajo
tribe say the snow will ruin sacred
ground. Care to comment?
DAVID: First, don’t eat yellow snow. Seriously,
this water will be purer than the
water in our taps. I respect the religious
aspect of this and it’s not for SIA to get
involved, as it is a local Arizona issue.
BOB: How important is global participation
to the success of your event?
DAVID: Very important. Most of our
member companies are global and we
perform a lot of global research. In fact,
we have euro and dollar columns on
some of our economic reports.
BOB: What are the key issues
for the snow sports industry that
you deal with on Capitol Hill? How
much of your time does this require?
DAVID: When we relocated to the Washington
metro area in 1978, we were on
the Hill frequently during the first 10
to 15 years. Now we try to avoid the Hill
and affect legislation in other ways, unless
there is a major issue with customs,
tariffs, consumer product safety, etc.
BOB: Tell me about the challenges
you faced when trying to incorporate
snowboarding into the ski industry
culture. Are both equally represented
on the show floor today?
DAVID: SIA was started in 1954 by
iconic industry leaders, and if you read
the minutes of those early meetings, you
realize what can happen when super egos
are let loose. When snowboarding came
along, I was already an enthusiast. We put
the major players together in a room and
analyzed the potential if each camp went
at it alone. In the end, intelligence and
common sense prevailed and they realized
that together they would be stronger and
more successful. They are still separate
in our show, but they play well together.
BOB: Social media is integral to your
marketing and communications package.
Describe the various platforms you use.?
38 November 2012 | Trade Show Executive