Association Fiscally Sound
A year ago we promised you that NSAA would be operated efficiently and that your dues would be spent prudently. With the end of our fiscal year on March 31, we are happy to report that we achieved 100 per cent of our projected income, while our projected expenses were 10 per cent below an already tight budget. This was achieved while membership services and new programs were increased. We hope to see you at the National Convention in Seven Springs for our full report.
Wage and Salary Survey
The Mountain States Employers Council, of Denver, Colorado, is currently conducting a national wage and salary survey for NSAA. The final report, broken down by regions, will show the high, low and average rates and salaries being paid for all job categories at ski areas. The report will allow you to see at a quick glance how your rates compare with the industry in your region. The report, which is one of the most appreciated NSAA membership services, will be mailed to all member areas in early summer.
Washington Report
George B. Hartzog, NSAA Washington Council, has been attending many meetings connected with the proposed new energy program expressing the views of the ski-tourist industry. Any return to a ban on Sunday gasoline sales, or rationing, would be a severe economic hardship to the ski-tourist industry. We support higher costs before either of these two proposals. We must not be complacent on this issue; it is very important that you write to your Congressman and Senators expressing your opinions.
Our Forest Service Lease Bill will soon be refiled with the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee with some compromise amendments. We are optimistic that the Bill will be voted on in the 94th Congress. This Bill, which has the support of the Forest Service, is most important to all ski areas on Forest Land.
The Economic Analysis of North American Ski Areas, conducted by the University of Colorado, and based on the 73-74 season has now been published. Anyone interested in a copy of this study should write to: Business Research Division, Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80302.
National Program to Put “More People on Skis”
In the next few months you are going to hear a great deal about the “Glendinning” report. For the first time in the short history of the ski business some of the best brains from the various segments of the industry have combined talent and resources to put together a well-thought out National Ski Industry Marketing Program to sell our sport to the American Public. There are many more positive than negative aspects of our sport, which should be made known to the non-skiing public, told in down-to-earth language they can understand, to stimulate new skier trial on a broad national level. Other sports and recreation industries have been doing this successfully for a number of years. In these times of re-adjustment of priorities in our society, and keen competition for the public’s shrinking discretionary dollars, we must as an industry go out into the hinterlands, tell our story, sell our product (skiing), and get our growth curve climbing up once again.
It was at a meeting of the American Ski Federation, which took place at the NSAA Convention in Coronado, California, last May, that industry leaders agreed that a national program to increase the skier market should be given top priority. Mr. Bob Parker, Senior Vice President of Vail Associates, and Chairman of the NSAA Ski Promotion Committee, was named to head up the ASF project.
The Committee decided to go “outside the ski industry” to hire one of the very best marketing management consulting firms in the country to make an objective unbiased study of our industry, analyze our problems, and develop a program that would do the job. The firm of Glendinning Associates was thus retained.
The report and marketing program is now complete and will be mailed to all NSAA member areas in April. There are many good, sound ideas in the report for any individual area to incorporate into their own marketing efforts. One of the features of the National Program is an 8-10 page four color Sunday Supplement magazine section targeted to a circulation of 22 million homes. Written for the non-skier it would explain how to start skiing, and where. One page would carry an “Introduction To Skiing Trial Offer For $9.00”. This would include a beginner’s first time lesson, rental equipment, and a beginner’s lift ticket, if needed. The idea is to make entry into the sport easy and economical. Another page of the supplement would list those ski areas in the paper’s marketing region honoring the trial offer either mid-week or seven days. This magazine supplement would appear in major newspapers from Seattle, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts. With this kind of massive marketing effort, Glendinning believes it may be possible to get 500,000 “new people” to try skiing. You all know that we would retain a high percentage of these people as regular customers.
There are two key factors to put this program into effect: (1) there must be a broad acceptance by all ski areas, large and small to participate, and (2) if their acceptance is indicated, Glendinning will go out and solicit one or more large corporations to tie-in with skiing and back the effort with $1,300,000.
Within the ASF, it has been Ski Industries America (SIA), and NSAA that have been the major funders to date in putting this program together. We are absolutely convinced that it will work and it deserves the complete backing and support of every ski area in the U. S.
SEE YOU AT SEVEN SPRINGS, PA. IN MAY
