Ski-industry event leaves Vegas for Denver.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: CONVENTIONS - Conference notes

More than 18,000 people descended on Denver for the SnowSports Industry America (SIA) Snow Show in late January, with a corresponding "Demo Days" at Winter Park in early February.

The convention--the biggest in the industry--was in Denver after a long tenure in Las Vegas. This year's event represents the first show in an 11-year deal--unusually long for the convention biz.

With an exhibit hall segmented into skis, snowboards, accessories, fashion, retail services and destinations, the show did not disappoint, featuring everything from Teflon-based Zardoz ski wax to skis with tiki-themed hand-carved wooden inlays from Breckenridge-based Ski Logik to 90-year-old outerwear pioneer Klaus Obermeyer holding court with attendees.

As one-sixth of SIA members call Colorado home, the show was a hit for the record 78 local companies in attendance. "I hate Vegas," said Josh McGlothlin, co-founder of Longmont's Dohm-Icebox, a maker of knit ski caps. "Vegas wasn't conducive to business because people lose their minds there."

The show's layout is much better in the Colorado Convention Center, he adds. "The layout was terrible in Vegas."

Outerwear legend Klaus Obermeyer, founder of Aspen's Sport Obermeyer, characterized the show as "really busy," commending the move to Colorado. "I naturally like it, because I think Colorado is the center of skiing on this continent."

Obermeyer believes the big snowstorms in the East and Southwest have given the industry a bump after sales figures hit a 10-year low in 2009. "The ski industry depends 75 percent on perceived snow conditions and 25 percent on economic conditions."

Todd Madsen, sales director at Carlsbad, Calif.-based goggle-maker Spy Optic, labeled the 2010 show as "on par" with Vegas. "This year is a much more positive economic...