SAM Magazine—Lake Geneva, Wis., Aug. 21, 2023—Midwest ski operators and industry suppliers descended on Grand Geneva Resort & Spa for the Midwest Ski Areas Association (MSAA) annual meeting and tradeshow, Aug. 13-16. Attendance for this year’s conference was strong, with Amy Reents, executive director of MSAA, reporting record attendance of over 460 people and 61 different ski resorts. Inside the tradeshow hall, there were 70 exhibitors and a total of 80 suppliers represented.

Kelly Pawlak, president of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), delivered a “State of the Industry” report on Aug. 15. Data presented highlighted the resiliency of the ski industry, with continually strong visitation numbers reported since the onset of pandemic despite shorter seasons and climate challenges.

Popular conference sessions covered topics like business succession planning, the use of AI, creative staffing solutions, and technology implementations.

One of the most well attended sessions, “There’s No Business Like Snow Business” with Perfect North’s Chip Perfect, sought participation from ski area operators with live polling on hot topics like staffing, revenue growth strategies, summer business, and general operational concerns. Parking/slope capacity, wages, and price sensitivity were common themes.

After the scheduled sessions, conference attendees participated in a variety of social activities including a 9-hole scramble golf tournament and a beer tasting.

Details for the 2024 conference have not yet been released.

This report was written by SAM research editor Jack Fagone.