SAM Magazine-Denver, Oct. 30, 2007-Snowsports Industries America is moving its annual trade show to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver in 2010, ending more than three decades in Las Vegas. For SIA, the new location offers more space and a closer connection with the mountains-not to mention the higher visibility that comes with being one of the biggest trade shows in town.

The SIA board of directors settled on Denver after considering several other locations for the show. "It's big business, no doubt about it," said SIA president David Ingemie of the deal, which is expected to bring $300 million to Denver over the next decade. "But it was clearly the passion that made the difference. We wanted to leave the sand and be in the snow," he said at a press conference held at the Convention Center today. "We decided to put our money where our passion is," agreed SIA chairman Mike Carey of Seirus Innovative Accessories. "This is a perfect fit for SIA and the state of Colorado."

As a sign of how much Denver wanted to become home to the SIA show, both Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper attended and spoke at the press conference. "We are thrilled to have SIA come to Colorado," Hickenlooper said. For good reason: the 10-year commitment makes this the largest convention booking in the history of Denver's Convention Center.

Ingemie said that the expansion of the Convention Center three and a half years ago was the key factor in moving to Denver. The location now provides room for the show to grow and admit new exhibitors; SIA has been turning away potential exhibitors in Las Vegas due to lack of space. SIA also noted that overall show costs, including hotel rates and entertainment costs, will be less in Denver than in Las Vegas.

The move will also make it possible to hold pre- or post-show on-snow demos and other events, an idea that Colorado resorts have championed in the past. At the press conference, the parties to the deal acknowledged the assistance and support of CSCUSA president Rob Perlman, which lends more support to this notion. The Convention Center also acknowledged the influence of the Gart family, one of the biggest and most enduring retail forces in the ski industry-its Specialty Sports Ventures partnership with Vail Resorts owns more than 145 snowsports shops, mostly in Colorado.

Show dates for the first few years in Denver will remain in SIA's late-January time frame, though the shows will run from Thursday through Sunday, rather than Tuesday through Friday as is the case this year in Vegas. This means that the Outdoor Retailer show will continue to follow the SIA show. Could the two ever be held at the same time? Perhaps, but not soon; OR is committed to Salt Lake City for the next several years at least.

Upcoming SIA show dates:

Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2008, Las Vegas

Jan 27-30, 2009, Las Vegas

Jan. 28-31, 2010, Denver

Jan. 25-28, 2011, Denver \

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