The Source, Europe’s b2b magazine for surf/snow/skate, is organizing the fourth annual snowboard industry forum from the 24-26th of April in Livigno Italy. Following on from the success of last 4 years forum which over a hundred industry personnel attended, this years Forum will continue to be the unique platform that brings the key players together to discus the European snowboard market and its unique issues. Follow he detailed program and inscription informations.

 

THE PAN EUROPEAN PLATFORM FOR THE SNOWBOARD INDUSTRY

The Source, Europe’s b2b magazine for surf/snow/skate is organizing the fourth annual snowboard industry forum from the 24-26th of April in Livigno Italy. Following on from the success of last 4 years forum which over a hundred industry personnel attended, this years Forum will continue to be the unique platform that brings the key players together to discus the European snowboard market and its unique issues.

The opening evening on Thursday and will be followed by two days of seminars.

This years seminars are:
European, North American and Asian winter 2007/8 snowboard figures
European, North American and Asian winter 2007/8 freeski figures
Snowdomes-the indoor market.
Japanese market- New trends in the land of the rising sun
Rider/athletes-How stars drive sports markets
Online communities-future development and marketing opportunities.
A review of the season and plans for the future: TTR, WSF, Eurosima Mountain division.
Workgroups to formulate plans that will be used as working documents for the Eurosima Mountain Division during 2008/9.
Saturday night is the second Snowball evening to raise money for environmental causes and host the presentation of the European Snowboard Industry Awards.

Sunday the 27th is an optional riding day

Help shape your industry at Europe’s only Snowboarding’s conference while obtaining knowledge that will enable you to make better business decisions and networking with Snowboarding’s key players.

Please find BELOW the full agenda and packages .
Any questions please email clive@boardsportsource.com or tel 0034956615370
Look forward to seeing you in Livigno

AGENDA
All seminars are held in the Conference centre in Livigno

THURSDAY 24th APRIL
4:30-7:00 pm Arrival
4.30-7:30 pm, Registration and information at the Hotel
OPENING EVENING DINNER courtesy of Ispo
7:30 pm,
SWATCH
Back in the early Eighties nobody believed that a plain plastic watch made out of only 51 parts could be sold. Swatch became very quickly a lifestyle symbol and fashion accessory. Something the world has never seen before. Swatch changed the whole watch technology by creating a timepiece which was reduced to the minimum but could carry new functions such
as the Swatch Access and Snowpass technology. Peter Mager of Swatch will examine how the brand became the friendly rebel of the watch industry and will explain the benefits that swatch receives from their sponsorship of snowboarding.

FRIDAY 25th APRIL
7:00-9:45 a.m. Breakfast
9:00-9:45 a.m. Registration and information at the Conference centre in Livigno

SEMINAR 1 – 10.00-11.30am
TOPIC- 2007/2008 THE SNOWBOARD MARKET,
How was the 2007/2008 season, sales up, sales down. Remi looks at the initial reports on hard goods sales, an early snapshot that gives us a feeling of how the market has performed and Dave takes a similar look at the North America market. New this year Ishi will be presenting similar information on the Asian market. So now delegates will have the first
global perspective on the 2007/8 season
SPEAKERS Remi Forsans – BoardsportSOURCE Magazine, Dave Wray-SIA (Snow sports Industries America), Shigeru Ishihara-WSF Japan

11.30-11.45am Break

SEMINAR 2 – 11.45-12.45am
TOPIC – 2007/2008 THE FREESKI MARKET,
For the first time we will be presenting the figures for the global free ski market as a separate topic. Remi has launched an annual European freeski survey similar to his European survey, which will enable delegates to compare the performance of each of these competing markets. Dave and Ishi will present the same information for North America and the Far East
respectively

12.45-2.30pm Lunch

SEMINAR 3 – 2.30-3.45pm
TOPIC- TTR, WSF, EMD
These three organisations report on their activities in the 2007/8 season and plans for the 2008/9 season.
SPEAKERS Drew Stevenson –TTR, Gunnar Tveit-WSF, Remi Forsans- EMD

WORKGROUP – 3.45-4.45pm
The work groups at the last Snowboard Forum led to a number of initiatives that the Eurosima Mountain division was able to bring to fruition in 2007 eg the Snowboard d-day. This year the forum will again break up into a number of workgroups to work on some of the issues and opportunities the industry is currently facing. , This year we have moved the workgroups forward in the schedule so that we have enough time to successfully complete them and report back
WORKGROUP REPORTS

4.45-5.45pm
Each group will report back to the Forum with a summary of their discussions. These summaries will form the basis of working documents that the Eurosima Mountain division will develop over the coming year.

FREE EVENING

SATURDAY 26th APRIL
7:00-9:45am. Breakfast

SEMINAR 4 – 10.00-11.15am
TOPIC – RIDER/ATHLETE MANGEMENT
Riders are the stars and ambassadors of snowboarding, their development harnessed in the right way will progress our sport to another level. Bob and Kristoffer explain how rider management can help both riders and brands achieve their objectives to the benefit of the sport.
SPEAKERS: Bob Klein- Octagon USA, Kristoffer Hansson-INC Action Sports Management

11.15-11.30am Break

SEMINAR 5 – 11.30-12.45am
TOPIC-JAPAN
Ishi has been involved in the Japanese snowboarding scene from the beginning. Along the way he has been a rider, an editor, a judge and a distributor and the WSF committee member for Japan. In the seminar Ishi will review the development of the
Japanese market and point out the trends that the market is now following, looking at opportunities for overseas brands.
SPEAKER Shigeru Ishihara-WSF Japan

12.45-2.30pm Lunch

SEMINAR 6 – 2.30-3.45pm
TOPIC- ONLINE COMMUNITIES
We think we know them, what are they and what makes them tick and how can we benefit from them? . Tom examines the development of Social Networks and how we can use them to increase our brand values. Johan then looks into the future to see how online communities might evolve and how we can benefit from this.
SPEAKERS: Tom Hughes-Croucher-Yahoo, Johan Ronnestam-Foreign

3.45 -4.00am Break

SEMINAR 6 – 4.00-5.15pm
TOPIC- THE INDOOR MARKET
Want to go snowboarding for a couple of hours in the summer and then go back to the desk job. The Indoor market is a small but growing part of the market, with a different type of consumer and in a different kind of environment. Ian and Carl will discus the future for the indoor market, what are the opportunities in it for brands and Jeremy will analyse how this
unique environment impacts on retail.
SPEAKERS: Ian Stenson – SNO!zone Milton Keynes, Carl Walmsley, SNO!zone Castleford, Jeremy Sladon-TSA

End of conference

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

SNOWBALL-EVENING SATURDAY 26TH APRIL
Eurosima Mountain Division evening to raise money for the environmental causes and host the second European Snowboard industry Awards.

RIDING DAY- SUNDAY 27th APRIL
Everybody is welcome to enjoy a days riding including a Banked Slalom course and ski pass.

PACKAGES:
Discounts are available for groups of 3 people or more

Package 1 Full package 3 Nights
* Three nights including breakfast
* Two buffet lunches
* Opening evening Thursday
* Forum
Cost: Shared room 610 Euros per person
Single room 695 Euros per person

Package 2 Full package 2 Nights
* Two nights including breakfast
* Two buffet lunches
* Opening evening Thursday
* Forum
Cost: Shared room 555 Euros per person
Single room 615 Euros per person

Package 3 Forum, passes and meals (no accommodation)
* Two buffet lunches
* Opening evening Friday
* Forum
Cost 450 Euros per person
Package 4 Forum only (no passes, accommodation or meals)
* Forum
Cost 375 Euros per person

Extras
Snowball charity event 80 Euros (dinner/DJ/live music, Industry awards)
Riding day 45 Euros (guide, meal, lift pass, banked slalom)

For registration document please download at
www.boardsportsource.com/issues/snow_forum_0708/FORUM_2008_REGISTRATION.doc
or contact clive@boardsportsource.com