2014 @ the snow show: sports brands gear up for annual event.

• Author: Sukin, Gigi
• Position: WINTER SPORTS

FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, a mass migration has made its way from the mountains to the Mile High City for the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) annual Snow Show, where retailers explore stock for he upcoming season, manufacturers peddle their latest and greatest innovations, and likeminded athletes, reps, media and more convene.

Now going on year five at the Colorado Convention Center, Jan. 30-Feb. 2 marks SIA's 60th anniversary, and David Ingemie, president of the nonprofit, member-owned trade association predicts a "booming sense of optimism" at this year's Snow Show, after a few slow years. "It's all attributed to early snow," Ingemie says.

"I think the buyers are going to be less conservative than in the last couple of years. They're going to be looking for new stuff, willing to try new things."

Last year's Show saw more than 19,000 attendees and roughly 1,000 snow sports brands, occupying nearly 334,000 square feet of exhibit space at the Colorado Convention Center.

And while many Snow Show attendees would gladly take a day on the slopes rather than cramped into a convention space, Denver's Rocky Mountain landscape surely trumps the Las Vegas Strip, the trade show's former venue, for this particular audience.

"Literally everybody working in Denver understands skiing and snowboarding, Ingemie says. "It affects the Show ... the attitude and understanding, it's real, refreshing and genuine."

Retailers and representatives from Colorado ski towns are an obvious asset to SIA. Plus, Ingemie says, "Having our Show in their back yard definitely boosts local participation."

Echoing the Colorado love, Tom Winter, vice president of marketing for Avon-based Liberty Skis, said that while the industry faces challenges, including climate change and high costs, "We're lucky that Colorado has, in my opinion, the most...