BEWITHE Flyer Volume 1 ------Winter 2019 - 2020 ------Number 28 Season’s Greetings to one and all - friends and colleagues worldwide! CHANGE IS AFOOT! As I write this, my BEWI’s Expos full-time and that we were ini- annual missive to all those friends and as- tiating a succession plan where I’d be trans- sociates I’ve had the opportunity to work ferring ownership of the Expos to Christine with – and share many memorable experi- Donovan and Brenda Doll – the two VPs of ences with – for over half a century now, I BEWI who, as I’ve stated many times, are do so with a feeling of melancholy underly- the ones who have run our Expos for many ing the changes unfolding. I say so since years now. But in the end – given some of this will be the last column I write for this the challenges the Expos face going for- newsletter. This is a ward – the three of direct result of the fact us felt that the Expos, that – as most of you and both Brenda’s and know by now - I have Christine’s future se- relinquished control of curity, would be better BEWI’s & Snow- served with the Expos board Expos, handing operating under the over the ownership auspices of our indus- and management of try’s trade association. the Expos to Snow- The key point here is Sports Industries that both Brenda and America (SIA). I Christine will not only strongly believe this retain their current re- change will help en- Bernie enjoying his 70th day, in sponsibilities organiz- sure not only the sur- his 70th year, on the slopes at ing and producing the vival of our Expos but, Arapahoe Basin, CO in June Expos but may be tak- given the resources ing on more duties as SIA will bring to running them, will help the SIA assumes ownership of the Expos. Expos grow and serve the snowsports com- We at BEWI have always been most munities in the Denver and Boston metro proud – some would say stubbornly so – of areas even more effectively and productive- our independence. I’ve always joked that ly for the foreseeable future. For an idea of the one constant all of us in the US snow SIA’s thinking as they assume control of the community seem to accept, over the years, Expos – and some of the concepts they’re is change. But I always said no, the one con- thinking of incorporating into the Expos in stant is me - BEWI; we don’t change! We’ve the coming years - please read Nick Sar- stayed staunchly independent and focused gent’s (President of SIA!) message, inside on what we do, and love, for 53 years now, this newsletter. ever since I first worked a ski show with I did write in last year’s newsletter that Harry Leonard (see side-bar appreciation of this year was going to be my last running Harry) selling ski posters and a song book, continued on page two...... continued from first page back in October 1967. But all good things ing thru my poster collection) – and within must come to an end – and the set-up being the greater world. I don’t have specifics yet put in place is, as the saying goes, a win- but there are several fields of public interest win for all: SIA, Christine and Brenda, me, – and non-profits that service them - with and most importantly the Boston and Den- which I look to get involved. Stand by be- ver Expos and the greater snowsports com- cause once I get my thinking focused, I’ll be munities they serve. This set-up is, by far, reaching out to a lot of you for support and the best way to ensure our Expos continue direct involvement (and yes, contributions)! to be effective vehicles for promoting the US Frequently, many people winding down and international snowsports community for their professional careers take on more many more years; and I do still plan to be travel. Honestly, though, it would be hard around, at least for one year, advising as for me to say I will be doing that with a needed, and maybe even resurrecting my straight face. I’ve always made travel part booth selling ski posters! of my work and personal endeavors, and Of course, as would be expected, many 2019 was no different. The year was high- have already asked me – “What’s next; what lighted by an eye-opening visit to China – are you going to do in your retirement?” visiting Beijing, the ski fields in Chongli and Well, in the first place I’m not retiring; I the huge Harbin Ice Festival. We’ve all heard have many projects I’ve been looking to a lot about the Chinese government’s com- dive into – both in my house (like finally go- mitment to create 300 million winter enthu- continued on page six...

Remembering A Legend - Harry Leonard, 7/30/1926 - 5/23/2019 This past year saw the passing of a man who inspired many with his vision and positive can- do spirit. In 1958 Harry founded the modern ski show in Chicago and over the following decades his international ski show circuit grew to encompass seven cities in one continuous coast-to-coast swing. The HALCO show circuit during the heyday of the sport’s growth in the 1960s and ‘70s did more to introduce people to winter sport fun than any other avenue. Harry’s shows – undertaken with his long-time partner, Jerry Simon – not only brought to urban audiences nationwide but also helped make household names of the top skiers and “influencers” of that era. People like Dick Barry- more, Billy Kidd, Toni Sailer, Roger Staub, Stein Erickson, John Clendenin, and Barbara Alley, just to name a few. Anyone who met Harry instantly became a friend and admirer. But to me he was more than a friend; he was my mentor – a guiding light showing me what to do, and not do – to produce the best darn possible ski show serving both the industry, which saw the shows as a great way to grow their business, and the skiing public, who came to the shows to find out what was new and to get excited for the coming season. These reasons are as valid today as when Harry got his “Ski Fair” show off the ground in 1958. His joyful soul and infectious smile will be missed, but his love of life - and ice cream! – will inspire all who knew him to carry on. I feel confident he’s up on some slope in the sky hanging out with Jerry Simon, Dick Barrymore, Sy Levenstein – another important person in the history of ski shows who left us this year – and Stein Erickson, playing Liar’s Poker – and getting ready for a most heavenly ski season! ~Bernie Weichsel 34th BEWI Award Honors Kathe Dillmann and Frank Tansey Two New Englanders with long careers land. He currently serves on the board of the promoting skiing and , Kathe Make-a-Wish Foundation, so far helping to Dillmann, Manchester, VT, and Frank Tansey, make over 140 wishes come true. Contoocook, NH, shared the podium at the Kathe Dillmann heads up her own PR firm, 34th Annual BEWI Awards luncheon on Friday, KADI Communications, in Manchester, VT, November 15th at the Seaport World Trade which has served a number of ski industry cli- Center, Boston. ents, including, for more In introducing this than 20 years, BEWI Pro- year’s BEWI Award win- ductions and the Boston ners, Weichsel told the Ski & Expo. crowd of over 170 ski To support her ski industry executives, habit through the col- “Frank and Kathe share lege years, she taught a lifelong passion for skiing at Stratton, Ara- snowsports that has ra- pahoe Basin, and Key- diated into their work, stone, and did a “junior life, friends, and family, year abroad” stint teach- including us here at the ing skiing in Innsbruck, Boston Ski & Snowboard Austria and hitchhiking Expo.” around Europe, a rich Frank Tansey is a 32- education in itself. With year veteran of ski pro- a journalism degree in motions, heading up the This year’s BEWI Award winners Kathe hand, newspaper editing popular Vertical Chal- Dillmann and Frank Tansey are all was her career of choice. lenge family ski and smiles with Bernie Weichsel. But fate intervened snowboard tour, now en- Photo credit: Bommie MacPherson after a two-year news- tering its 30th year. paper career when Kathe began her ski ca- With a passion for snowsports like so many reer as national coordinator of Bob Beattie’s in our industry, Frank figured out a way to NASTAR, the national standardized ski racing work where he plays, on the slopes. Thus the program, in Aspen. She left that mountain Vertical Challenge was born. paradise for a 14-year stint as the marketing Frank has always been highly motivated communications director with the National to use the vehicle of ski/snowboard racing to Ski Areas Association prior to its 1990 merger help kids, believing it is good to get them exer- with SIA. She initiated its 48-page monthly cising during the winter months while spend- membership newspaper and ultimately co- ing quality time with their families. As a re- ordinated the industry’s national marketing sult, Frank’s interests and programming have campaign in conjunction with SIA, overseeing encouraged kids to seek ways to help those national TV ad production and various pro- not as fortunate as themselves, by seeking motional programs. involvement through skiing and boarding in After serving as marketing and commu- such outreach efforts as the Make-A-Wish nications director at Waterville Valley Resort Foundation and Cynthia’s Challenge, a 24- for four years, she formed her own commu- hour ski-a-thon he developed with Bob Hoyt nications firm largely specializing in ski indus- at the King Pine ski area in New Hampshire. try and non-profit clients. She also currently Frank has created a number of skier traf- serves as marketing events coordinator for fic building promotions connecting ski resorts the International Skiing History Association with various sponsors throughout New Eng- (ISHA). 2019 Ski & Snowboard Expo Wrap-Up ~Brenda Doll 2019 saw our Expo schedule getting back ees: GetSkiTickets.com again provided a $10 on track with timing that worked better than e-gift card to all Expo visitors, SnoCountry. last year’s, when Denver was in late Novem- com returned as the official snow report site of ber, after Boston. It still wasn’t ideal, as Den- the Expos, and new this year Alterra Mountain ver’s dates shifted earlier than ever, to late Company provided IKON passes for a givea- October. The earlier dates did have the advan- way, with every Expo attendee having the op- tage of very few resorts actually being open portunity to enter a drawing to win a pass. (and those that were had limited terrain that early) so we didn’t lose attendees (or exhibi- 28th Annual Denver Expo tors) to the slopes. But we did have the chal- In it’s heyday our Denver Expo had attend- lenge of getting the word out that the Expo ance in the mid-20,000s, so 18,000 is not was occurring quite a bit earlier than usual. where we want it to be, but after the big drop Our crack PR and advertising crew did a great in 2018 with the late November dates, the late job, as always, and attendance trended back October Expo moved us in the right direction. up to 18,000. And we’re very excited to see what new and One really great thing about October dates innovative ideas SIA will bring to the Expo in for Denver was that Christine 2020, when we’ll be and I had two whole weeks back to our preferred in our offices between the early November dates Expos, so the craziness of (check the calendar on the previous couple of years the back back). (remember 2017 when they Colorado, and even were the SAME weekend!) Denver, had already was greatly minimized. received snow when Boston rocked this year, we arrived for the Expo with the best attendance in the last weekend in the ten years we called the October, so excitement Seaport World Trade Center for winter was in the our home. We were up about air. There was even 10% to 46,000, which is Olympian Doug Lewis keeps the kids snow forecasted for close to our best ever Expo - going all weekend long in both cities the weekend we were there, but fortunately what a way for Bernie to go with his ELITEAM Fitness Challenge. out on a high note, and to Photo credit: Martin Griff the light snow on Sun- end our run at the Seaport. day didn’t hinder po- Don’t forget, next year we’ll be moving to the eple’s plans to attend (and while it got heavier Hynes Convention Center in Boston’s Back Bay overnight, we were all able to get home to the neighborhood. East coast on Monday without delays). More details on each Expo follows, but first Sun & Ski Sports returned for a second a few thank yous to those who make the Expos year as our featured retailer. They learned alot in both cities what they are: our graphic de- in their first year and came back with an even signers who take care of all our ads, both print better selection of merchandise and well-pre- and digital, Kent and Kurt Barnes, of Barnes pared staff who now knew the drill. Bros. Creative, and the rest of our PR and ad- Schomp Automotive returned as our pre- vertising team who help place the ads and se- senting sponsor, and Denver’s ABC Channel cure media coverage - Kathe Dillmann, How- 7 joined The Denver Post this year as media ard Temkin, and Sally Stitt in Boston and Janie sponsors. Resort sponsors who supported the McCullough and Joan Christensen in Denver. Expo included Aspen/Snowmass, Loveland, Our multi-city partners also returned to Purgatory, and Steamboat, and Ceria Brewing provide great bonus offers to all Expo attend- sponsored the Rocky Mountain Beer Garden. England, the western US, and Canada, and even South America and Japan were repre- sented and had awesome deals on lift tickets, vacation packages, and season passes. Doug Lewis’s ELITEAM Fitness Challenge and the Wachusett Mountain KidSlope Learn- ing Area are always family favorites where the kids - and there were tons of them all week- end long - flock so they can challenge them- selves to start getting ready to hit the slopes. The Sports Activity Center features some non- snow activities as well, including Rossignol’s e-bikes demos and the Boston Cannons la- Shoppers at Sun & Ski Sports in Denver had crosse shooting challenge, so there really was an extensive selection of and other something for everyone. And those who just wanted to sit back and watch could take in the snowsports gear from which to choose. Photo credit: Joan Christensen jaw-dropping trampoline show by The Skyrid- ers! - always a weekend favorite. Her Turn at The Skyriders! brought their high-flying the She Shed returned, with Kathy Benharris dual trampoline show back to Denver to en- and her team of ladies highlighting even more tertain Expo-goers; Olympian Doug and Kelley women-centric gear and programs for the up- Lewis kept the kids moving in their ELITEAM coming winter. fitness area, where kids of all ages raced each Special thanks to our Boston media part- other or the clock to see how fast they could ners Boston.com, WBZ-TV and radio stations make it through the agility challenge course; WBZ, WAAF, and WZLX; feature sponsor Long Loveland’s KidSlope was another big hit for Trail Brewing; resort sponsors Jay Peak, Loon families, as even the youngest kids could give Mountain, Sugarbush, Sunday River, Wachu- sliding down a slope on skis a shot. What a sett, and Waterville Valley; and our presenting better place to try snowsliding for the very sponsor Subaru of New England, whose coat first time than in the warmth of the- conven drive partnership with Country Ski & Sport tion center. For a bit more of challenge, those again collected piles of coats that were do- who wanted to get up in the air were able to nated to the Boston Healthcare for the Home- scale the climbing wall or tackle the high ropes less program. Everyone who donated a coat course in our Mountain Activity Center. So as received a $10 Country Ski & Sport coupon to always there was something for everyone. purchase a new coat from their sale.

38th Annual Boston Expo The stars aligned in Boston this year - the weather was almost perfect for an Expo, dry and cold. No one was trying to get the last of their leaves raked, they were getting ready for winter, and all they had to do was get to the Seaport where we had everything they needed to do that under one roof. Our featured retail- er, Country Ski & Sport, are pros by now in their fourth year as our expo partner, and had a great selection of hard and soft goods for everyone looking to upgrade their gear for the Boston’s Her Turn at the She Shed high- coming season. And resorts world-wide, from lighted gear, apparel, activities and more our backyards in Massachusetts, all over new for all the ladies at the Expo. ...continued from page two siasts. Many have taken that to mean skiers ture growth of the US ski industry – is the and snowboarders, but that goal covers all polarization we are witnessing within - and kinds of winter outdoor activities – sledding, let’s be honest here – our small world of tubing, ice skating, etc. – which you see all snow: A kind of polarization which is seeing over Beijing, including within the famous some companies operating separately, and Bird’s Nest (filled with all sorts of snow play apart, from the overall community of ski- activities in the winter!). But even if skiing ing and snowboarding, to which many of us and snowboarding are just 10% of the total, who read this newsletter are a part of and, that thirty million skier/ to which in most cases snowboarder popula- have dedicated our lives tion will far outstrip the and careers. Most of us number of participants know, and will agree, we have in this country. that if this industry is So, despite government going to remain viable road-blocks – on both and thrive we all need sides of the Pacific - I to work together to pro- believe those compa- mote it and help it grow. nies who are pursuing We cannot just focus our business in China are on marketing on getting the to something big, and I most customers for our wish them the best of Bernie at China’s Harbin Ice Festival. company, and, well, for- luck (and don’t forget get the rest of us! Sadly, the next Winter Olympics, in 2022, are in there are some companies who believe their China!). only responsibility is to their shareholders ...continued from page two As to this year’s Expos – you’ll find the and that they feel no obligation to be part many highlights reviewed in Brenda Doll’s of the greater good. I strongly disagree and write-up inside, and I must admit – I’m can only hope that clearer heads prevail in glowing as I write this – in relation to Bos- the corporate suites and that those resort ton, it was nice to go out on TOP! This year’s operators who have chosen to go their own Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo was the way decide to re-join the greater “Commu- best with attendance up over 10%. As any- nity of Snow” so we can all work together to one who was there will tell you it was wall ensure a good future for all. to wall busy, from opening to closing, eve- Of course, the year wouldn’t have been ry day. More importantly, every exhibitor complete without a lot of great skiing which – from our retailer Country Ski & Sport to culminating in me marking my 70th year on every resort on-site – reported record sales. this planet by skiing seventy days last sea- Even Denver was up a bit this year, due to son – ending up on June 7th at A-Basin, in earlier dates. But going forward the Expos Colorado (the proof is in the front page pic- do face challenges – primarily location and ture!). I must admit one of the highlights of timing of dates. In Boston we at least know the year happened off the slopes when I got that the Expo has a home for the next two to attend, with the Roberts clan(!) The Edin- years at downtown Boston’s Hynes Con- burgh, Scotland Fringe Festival - the world’s vention Center. After that things are up in largest arts festival. It’s been going on for the air. In Denver it looks like the Expo can seventy-two years and gets bigger every move back to our normal early November year; if you’ve been you know how great it dates now that Emerald Expositions’ Winter is; if you haven’t, do plan on attending one Market shows have imploded. day – soon! But the biggest challenge the Expos face Well as I sign off here, and only from this - as well as the long-term viability and fu- newsletter, one and all can be sure you’ll continued on next page ...... continued from previous page be hearing from me in the future one way or another. There are too many issues that need to be addressed, both within our world of snow, as I like to say, as well as within our greater society, that sometime we need to be reminded that we are part of. I cer- For the past forty years, under the lead- tainly don’t have the solutions for these chal- ership of Bernie Weichsel, the Boston and lenges but I know that if enough of us get, Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expos have and keep, a dialogue going, working togeth- become known as the “official kickoff to er we can find solutions. Being the eternal winter,” connecting consumers with win- optimist, one thing I’m pretty sure of is that ter/outdoor products, resorts and special- with election Day 2020 arriving before we ty retail in a high energy, festival format. know it we’ll soon see a change in our coun- try’s leadership that will enable us to once Since selling our B2B trade show, the SIA again be proud of our country and what its Snow Show, in 2017 we asked ourselves, core principals are that people the world over “how should SIA evolve to best serve our have, and still do, admire. members?” It quickly became clear that So, as I have done for so many years, I more direct interaction with consumers close with a reminder – and a plea – that across all of our properties and programs while most of us reading this newsletter are very lucky folks to make our livelihood within was important. We made major chang- the world of snow, many, many more aren’t es to our business model, programming, as blessed. But I believe it is behooving to us and internal structure and this insight who are so lucky to do what we can to show and commitment led us to consider our ...continued from page two compassion and charity in words and donat- experiential portfolio, which ultimately ed funds. As anyone who already does take sparked a dialogue with Bernie and his such action knows, you’ll be as big a benefi- amazing team. ciary as those you’re gifting. Hope our paths and/or skis cross again soon – until then, best I’m excited that SIA will continue Bernie’s for a most joyous, healthy and happy holiday legacy and the tradition that the expos season – and specifically Happy Chanukah, have come to represent while unveiling Merry Christmas and especially a snow-filled a new modern, consumer-oriented ap- and peaceful 2020. ~Bernie Weichsel proach to kicking off winter. It’s a perfect fit for SIA and the needs of our members. There is a great deal to be done between today and the 2020 expos – our plan is to take the DNA of the expos and over time, evolve them to be the most valuable con- sumer activation for the entire winter sports industry. Every facet of our industry will benefit from this interaction and we couldn’t be more excited. More to come.

Nick Sargent President, SIA Bernie and friends Ned & Patrick Roberts enjoying Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival BEWI Productions, Inc. 240 Bear Hill Road, Suite 201 Waltham, MA 02451 USA

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All the best for a happy, healthy, MARK YOUR and peaceful 2020. 2020 CALENDAR! SnowSports History Week ~Bernie, Christine, & Brenda March 25-28 US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Sun Valley, ID Photo: Jesse Schloff

Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expo November 6-8 Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO

Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo November 19-22 Hynes Convention Center NEW Boston, MA LOCATION!