May 2016
FEATURED STORY
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Best/Worst Marketing 2015-16
SAM's annual review of marketing hits and misses. In a season during which prolific snow was falling out West before most in the East had seen a flake, the approach to resort marketing, like the snowfall, was a tale of two sides. With Ma Nature serving up free marketing soup in the form of jaw-dropping, powder-filled content on one side, honesty and creativity in the midst of a mostly snow-free season ruled the day on the other. And while snow brings people, clever messaging can sell lift tickets—and more. From coast to coast, resorts mixed things up this year. Traditional media remains a pillar of many marketing campaigns, as evidenced by the volume of resorts utilizing print...
Below is the Table of Contents. We have selected a few articles that you can read in their entirety online.
To order an article that is not online or a back issue of SAM Magazine, email donna@saminfo.com.
Charting the long-term trends at U.S. resorts through the lens of the NSAA Economic Analysis of United States Ski Areas.
A look at the lessons learned from a winter tht humbled even some of the best snow management teams.
Online ticket sales give customers a means to find bargains and buy in advance. Are resorts reaping any benefits, too?
Six small-area leaders join a wide-ranging roundtable discussion.
RFID access gates are a convenience to guests and a surprisingly cost-effective tool for operators.
Landscaping has long been a low priority for winter resorts, but summer operations are giving many a new perspective.
A year ago we kicked off a new series in SAM, called Trailblazers. It highlights those who have had the courage and creativity to see opportunity where others saw obstacles. These are individuals who have forged new ways of doing business, advancing the industry and inspiring many to follow in their footsteps.
WILMOT'S $13 MILLION OVERHAUL... WHISTLER BLACKCOMB RENAISSANCE... KILLINGTON INVESTING IN SUMMER... PEOPLE... AWARDS... OBITUARIES... SUPPLIER NEWS
This month's Mountain Spy asks a rather unusual but not implausible question. It does more than simply test how broad-minded a resort is though—it reveals how sensitive guest service issues are handed.
The NSAA Beginner Conversion Study delves deep into the learn-to process.
JAY AND BURKE: GOOD INTENTIONS GONE BAD
When Jay Peak, Vt., owner Bill Stenger championed the EB-5 foreign investor program as a way to develop and create jobs in Vermont’s employment-starved Northeast Kingdom, he was praised as a visionary. His relatively silent partner in this renaissance was Florida businessman Ariel Quiros, who initially reached an agreement with Stenger to purchase Jay Peak in 2006. Then in 2008, purchase it he did—but didn’t use the right account to pay for it.
