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INDUSTRY EVENTS NSAA 2006 WESTERN REGIONAL TRADE SHOW AND CONFERENCE It’s hard to beat the Lake Tahoe area when there’s fresh snow coming down, and that’s exactly what NSAA trade show and conference goers got to experience from March 6-8 at Squaw Valley. Four hundred ski area attendees representing 77 areas and 308 supplier attendees representing 126 companies came together to learn, shop and, of course, slide.Following are brief wrapups of several of the sessions, along with photos from the show: Leading the Generations in Today’s Workforce Employee trainer Dina Cipollaro led attendees through a review of what makes the Millennials, formerly known as Gen Y, tick. Good news is, this generation has several characteristics that make them valuable employees: determination, respect for authority, and a goal orientation. But to get the most from them, you have to realize that they are multi-taskers who can become bored easily. They prefer to stay busy. So challenge them, ask their opinions (and expect out-of-the-box answers). They believe very strongly in collaborative leadership, since they have grown up doing group projects from the time they were in pre-school. So give them a mentor, and provide immediate feedback on their work. But know that they may be unaccustomed to criticism—and may be shocked by it. (Blame their parents and the schools for telling them “everyone’s special.”) Respect them, and let them know that they make a difference in guests’ lives; they want to do meaningful work. Be flexible and have fun. That way, you’ll keep your young workers around. Realize that Millennials will change jobs in a nanosecond if they don’t see a future in their current position. NSAA Salary Survey Update Harold Richins and Charles Riley of Sierra Research Associates described the status of the salary survey (the research is now complete) , which includes salary information from more than 100 areas broken down by size and region. The SR folks reminded the audience that salaries have to be within five percent of the average to be competitive, and then augmented by incentive pay and indirect benefits, including all the usual perks of working in the resort biz. For strategic positions, such as lift electricians and mechanics, areas may want their pay rate to be in the 60th to 75th percentile, to help retain key employees. But it’s the intangibles, the “total compensation value,” that earns long-term loyalty, they said. The final report will be published in early May, ahead of the National Convention. Manager’s Round Table In keeping with the HR focus of this year’s winter shows, the roundtable focused on employee issues. First, moderator Scott Horn of Jackson Hole asked Blaise Carrig, VP and COO of Heavenly, what’s the key HR need? He named three. For a destination resort, safety and customer service are the key objectives, he said. Heavenly has cut its workers’ compensation costs from $1 million to $300,000. At the same time, revenue growth comes from increasing service value, and HR can add value by enhancing the customer service. A third need: training managers who can “build bench strength.” Managers need training as they rise through the ranks; being a leader is not something that comes naturally to everyone. And that leads to the fourth priority, Carrig said—developing the next generation of managers. For recruiting, Heavenly creates “personality profiles” for each position; that has helped HR place employees in suitable jobs. To handle the inevitable in-season departures and firings, Heavenly overhires at the beginning of the season, but also weeds out the bad apples quickly. It also keeps enough lift ops to allow sufficient “ski breaks” for the employees—since that’s one of the reasons people become lift ops in the first place. Heavenly also does exit interviews to discover why people are leaving, and then addresses any recurring problems. Dina Cipollaro of FUNdamental Training Solutions pointed out that training is not something that can be done once in the fall or sporadically throughout the season. It should be continuous, and in person (not on a computer). The “face to face” element is key—part of training is interacting with other employees. The Future of Safety in Snowsports In this session, Vail’s Brian McCartney showed the audience a video that Vail made in-house addressing safety. The video included information on skiing too fast, skiing out of bounds, the weather and avalanches. This well-done visual does not sugarcoat the dangers of winter sliding and uses real life stories about the consequences of not being properly educated, including two kids who got lost out of bounds (one died from hypothermia). McCartney suggests that such a tape can be used for employee orientation, for season-pass holders and for guests who break the rules. He also offered the DVD to any area that would like to use it. For more information, contact McCartney at bmccartney@vailresorts.com. Freestyle Teaching Parks and Programs Led by Echo Mountain’s Chris Hargraves, this session covered the benefits of offering learning terrain for terrain parks and halfpipes. Hargraves went over the design and flow of features and how best to build when it comes to first-timers. For example, long transitions that allow the rider ample time to set up are key, as well as elements that allow the user to bail out by piling snow on all sides. Hargraves also stressed the importance of good communication between departments in order to offer the best teaching terrain. Getting marketing, ski school, snowmaking and grooming on the same page will ultimately benefit the guest by offering up easy-to-learn-on and safe terrain.
Photos by Rick Kahl, Olivia Rowan and Beat von Allmen
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EVENTS WRAPUP 
