2012 Gold Rush - Trade Show Executive

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DAVID: We’re on Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, Instagram, Flicker, Pinterest,
and we have a highly successful blog,
which we write for the trade and consumer
sides. It’s amazing how much time
we put into this: we have three people
who work on this daily, but not always
full time. We have a “Throw Back Thursday”
where we post an old photo and ask
followers to identify the person or the
event — this has become wildly popular.
BOB: The SIA association is very green
conscious — tell me about your initiatives
at the show and in the industry.?
DAVID: We were one of the first to start
recycling with our convention center.
We don’t allow any paper in our press
room; everything is digital. All of our
signage is either reused or donated to
local charities, art schools, etc. We also
initiated a ski equipment recycling program,
and in two years, we’ve collected
over 500 tons of skis, snowboards and
boots. We were instrumental in getting
a $ 470,000 grant for a machine that
compounds these products into a powder
which may be then used as the core of
skis or snowboards in the future. Once
we can get this product utilized properly,
we will expand it across the nation.
BOB: What was your finest moment
on the job in the last 36 years?
DAVID: During the very first week
on the job as SIA marketing director, a
surprise snowstorm hit the Boston area
where our offices were located. I called
my boss and asked him to have his wife,
who also worked in the office, to bring in
her cross-country gear and clothing to
work. She did, and I urged her to go into
the middle of normally busy Route 1 in
her ski gear. I took a picture of her “skiing
to work” and sent the roll of film to
the Associated Press. That photo of Toby
DeRoches was everywhere overnight.
BOB: What career decision,
if you had the chance to do it
over again, would you change?
DAVID: Back in 1989, we merged the ski
resorts and the suppliers together and I ran
the group. It was the most difficult three
years of my life. Luckily, I put a pre-nup
Sleigh Bells Ring. David rings the opening cow bell for the 2012 SIA On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest
at Winter Park Resort.
agreement into the contract stipulating that
any of the parties could bail out in three
years. One of them did, ending the merger.
BOB: What defines a
successful show for you?
DAVID: First, the results of the Attendee
Buying Power Index is very important.
Second, total service. We have an at-show
mantra that we have to address every
problem in 15 minutes and solve it in
30. Making this consistently happen is
critical. Third, the $30 million economic
impact made by the SIA Snow Show on the
Denver area. Fourth, we work very hard
to extend the show’s life beyond the four
days by using the content of the show
and expanding its distribution through
various mediums such as social media,
TV shows and publications.
BOB: What’s your prediction for
face-to-face events in the next decade?
DAVID: The more we are on smart phones
and computers, the more we need the faceto-face
and belly-to-belly experience to
create a relationship with a real person.
BOB: How did you get into this business?
DAVID: When I was 12 or 13, I was skiing
at a tiny ski area in Shirley, MA and I collided
with a lady in the lift line and broke
her poles. Her boyfriend tried to take my
ski poles but I refused and we went to the
retail store where the management was
located. The manager, Norm LeTarte, gave
the woman a set of ski poles and handed
me a broom. I was so enthusiastic that he
asked me to work for him in another store
and my career was launched. FYI, I am
still in contact with Norm today.
BOB: Who were you mentors?
DAVID: First and foremost my wife
Nancy — we are married 43 years this
month. Next, a gentleman named Jim
Driscoll. I was teaching his children to
ski and he suggested I look at other opportunities
— the bigger picture. He gave
me the encouragement and a formula to
achieve what I ultimately set out to do.
BOB: What do you value
most in your associates?
DAVID: Honesty and not being afraid to
make a mistake if they try something new.
BOB: What keeps you awake at night?
DAVID: I am not a good sleeper, normally
getting two to four hours of sleep a night.
Even with the short amount of time I do
sleep, there are nights when I get even
less sleep, when I am fired up about
developing new approaches and new
ways to reinvent our show.
Contact David Ingemie at (703) 556-9020
or dingemie@snowsports.org
www.TradeShowExecutive.com | November 2012 39