Monday, August 20

8:30 – 9:45 am ALL General Session: Connect Like a Mind Reader      Camelot 

In this engaging and entertaining keynote, Ben will use his background as a corporate entertainer (he was a profes-sional magician and mind reader for eight years) to teach effec ve communica on strategies and philosophies that will help you connect with the people that surround you every day, whether they’re your colleagues, customers, friends, or family.

     Ben Whi ng, Lead Star, LLC                      

10:00 – 11:30 am ALL NSAA-FES: Your Core Business – Midwest & Na onal Legal RM Updates, Plus Winter Risk Management Highlights      Tailgate 

Tailored to the Midwest, we will provide updates to recent claims and trials highligh ng the lessons-learned and the pi alls we encountered along the way. A team of ASDA a orneys will discuss these cases from both a legal and opera onal perspec ve. Based on this perspec ve, we will analyze your risk management programs and highlight some of these successes as well as improvements that can be made—including an emphasis on improving opera onal culture. We will discuss regulatory updates, including what’s new from OSHA, specific state, updates on the use of volunteers, and the challenges our industry faces with expanding marijuana legisla on. No ma er the size or loca on of your resort, we can all learn to avoid the pot-holes and celebrate the gra fying sense of accomplish-ments when your pre-loss risk programs work.

             Dave Byrd, NSAA              Mary Bozack, MountainGuard 

   Ev Hatch, MountainGuard    Richard Donahue, MountainGuard    Steve Lawlor, MountainGuard    Tim Barnhorst, MountainGuard    Jack Deegan, Plunke  & Cooney, PC    Brian Johnson, Nilan, Johnson & Lewis 

Session Details

Conference goers are welcome to a end any session.

The below key will help you iden fy sessions that relate to a par cular area of interest. A&GM Administra ve & General Management - Sponsored by accesso 

LM&O Li Maintenance & Opera ons - All Ski Li s 

M Marke ng - Sponsored by Li opia

R&A Rentals & Accessories - Co‐sponsored by HEAD Wintersports & Rossignol

RM Risk Management - Sponsored by MSAA 

SM&G Snow Making & Grooming - Sponsored by HKD Snowmakers, Inc.

SS Snowsports School - Sponsored by MSAA

ALL All Ski Area Staff - Sponsored by MSAA

* Par cipa on limited to MSAA Ski Area members only.

Ben Whi ng is a senior leadership development consultant for Lead Star LLC.

For over a decade he’s been connec ng with audiences and helping corpora ons

develop leaders at every level of their organiza on. His clients include Marathon Oil,

American Express, Crystal Cruises, and Oprah’s HARPO Studios.

10:00 - 11:30 am SM&G TechnoAlpin Service Sneak Peak      Pleasantview 

Learn what it takes to maintain and service TechnoAlpin snowmaking equipment. This seminar is great for current owners and prospec ve owners of TechnoAlpin fan guns. This presenta on will cover summer maintenance, ps and tricks for service and other skills to maintain Techno-Alpin fans. Niklas will also take a brief look into the new features of the TR8, and show how easy it is to service.

     Niklas Eisath, TechnoAlpin USA  A&GM Latest E-Commerce Trends & What They Can Teach M the Ski Industry      West Champions 

Kleiner Perkins, an American venture capital firm, recently released their latest annual 'Internet Trends' report. The report contains 300 pages of robust informa on and data on how people are using, shopping, and buying on the internet. It goes into detail on elements such as which devices people are using, sites they are visi ng, best prac-

ces, and so on. Combining the Kleiner Perkins report findings along with data from Li opia.com (the largest online ski-specific marketplace) and Cloud Store (the Li o-pia powered white-label e-commerce solu on), and spe-cifically focusing on the Midwest marketplace, we'll ex-plore: Global Consumer Internet Trends, Midwest E-commerce trends, and a case study on how advanced ck-et sales helped a number of Midwest areas offset some of the weather challenges that have been experienced in recent seasons.

     Dave Madden & Cory Sacks, Li opia  LM&O Quality Assurance & the NSAA Li Resource Guide      East Champions 

This class will look at the basics of what encompasses a li maintenance program, how to build that program and what ac vi es, processes and procedures can be imple-mented to obtain “quality assurance”. Session to include informa on on the soon to be released Li Maintenance Resource Guide.

     Mike Lane, NSAA 

LM&O Luff Rigging      Walter Hagen 

Rigging in the motor room can present some unique chal-lenges. Low clearances and lack of overhead li ing beams are just a couple. Topics covered include dri ing loads from point A to point B, sling tension calcula ons, D/d ra os, leverage calcula ons, and pulling force calcula ons.

     Sid Roslund, OSR Service, LLC  A&GM Smart Ski Areas: Are You Ready? M     Gene Sarazen 

Whether we realize it or not, AI and IoT has been quietly taking over many of the everyday things humans do, many

mes for the be er. This isn’t just about money savings, or hardware and so ware—it is a huge and fundamental shi in how we go about our daily lives. When we start making things intelligent, it’s going to be a major engine for crea ng new products and new services as well as knowing exactly what guests want, even before they do. Resorts from Snowbird, Utah, to Seven Springs, Penn., and everywhere in between are already using ar ficial intelli-gence to merge the digital and physical worlds to enhance marke ng, the customer experience and resort opera-

ons. Tools such as digital adver sing, cloud storage, ki-osks, and improved tracking systems are providing a much smoother and more pleasant ski experience for guests in real me. This session will provide you with applicable, immediately usable skills, including: How to tackle building a strategy that works, Answering the ques on –is there an easier way to do this and s ll be effec ve?, Best prac ces for crea ng and using AI programs. Par cipants will learn from discussions, case studies, and other resources.

     Samantha Rufo, nxtConcepts, Ltd. 

Session Details

Session Details 1:30 – 3:00 pm ALL NSAA-FES: Beyond Your Core Business - Risk Management RM  for the Rapidly Growing Non-Skiing Environment         Tailgate 

As resorts move beyond their core business of skiing and riding, the new challenges are daun ng. While winter revenues s ll dominate, claim ac vity generated by non-skiing ac vi es is approaching 50% of all claims against “ski” areas. When it comes to these ac vi es, we do not have the protec ons of skier safety statutes. But we do have other important tools to stem the de of these new incidents and claims. In this session, we will iden fy the challenges (especially shoddy, incomplete inves ga ons) and explore the emerging ideas and improvements to our current prac ces to help you deal with summer ac-

vi es, special events, and off-mountain ameni es. We will also summarize, with the help of our ASDA a orneys, the evolving body of law on day ckets, releases, and local Recrea onal Use statutes and how these can apply to these non-skiing ac vi es.

     Dave Byrd, NSAA      Mary Bozack, MountainGuard 

   Ev Hatch, MountainGuard    Richard Donahue, MountainGuard    Steve Lawlor, MountainGuard    Tim Barnhorst, MountainGuard    Jack Deegan, Plunke  & Cooney, PC    Brian Johnson, Nilan, Johnson & Lewis 

R&A Mountain Bikes: Expanding Your Business to Year Round*      Pleasantview 

Thinking about adding mountain biking to your opera on? Find out if it’s a good fit for your area as Kurt addresses pricing, maintenance, and opera ng costs associated with bicycle rentals.

   Kurt Hoefler, Rossignol 

M / SS How PR Can Help You A ract New Customers      West Champions 

PR may be one of the most misunderstood and under-u lized communica ons tools in the ski/snowboard indus-try. It also is one of the least expensive. And, it can deliver HUGE dividends. The Learn to Ski and Snowboard (Month) /Bring a Friend ini a ve offers a variety of PR pla orms and messaging sugges ons that can have a powerful im-pact with selected audiences. The January 11 Celebra on of Snow Sports – Learn to Ski and Snowboard DAY is just one example of opportuni es to generate massive publici-ty for li le money. Find out at this session what other PR opportuni es exist.

Mary Jo Tarallo, LSS(M)/BAF      Samantha Rufo, nxtConcepts, Ltd.  LM&O Li Staff Training & Documenta on to Reduce Incidents & Increase Defensibility      East Champions 

We’ll discuss the topics that are required by the B77 and take a look at how your own training materials can reduce or cause problems when they are used in li ga on. We’ll see how OJT can be made more effec ve and we’ll look at some training documenta on ideas.

     Chris Stoddard, Mountain Management Services, LLC  SM&G Keep On Pumping      Walter Hagen 

This session will cover the care and maintenance of your Snomax Injec on system (EV1 & Hydracell P200). Todd will explain strategies for the efficient use of Snomax and its use – and misuse – in today’s challenging snowmaking environment.    Todd Buchholz, Snomax Interna onal 

M Keys to a Highly Effec ve Marke ng Plan      Gene Sarazen 

Are you struggling with your marke ng message? Then this session is for you! Steve will walk you through 14 steps to create an effec ve marke ng plan. The marke ng plan, then, details the tasks and organizes the efforts needed to carry your message to your target market.

     Steve Pope, Groupify/Epop Studio 

Session Details

3:15 – 4:45 pm ALL NSAA-FES – Kids in Your Care: Evolving Prac ces to Protect RM Children Across All Departments      Tailgate 

When it comes to kids in your care, it’s no longer just ski school and day care. Kids are par cipa ng in everything from summer camps to adventure parks to just hanging out at the resort – without their parents. There are con-stantly evolving expecta ons from parents, schools, churches and compe on sponsors. Are we beyond the days when we allowed small children to ride li s alone? How will the new federal Safe Sport Act, which regulates youth athle cs, impact your resort opera ons and events? Are there be er prac ces that ski areas are adop ng that address child safety? The ideas run the gamut: pre-loss educa on, be er communica ons with parents and schools, the role of background checks for employees, new signage and outreach ideas, even clever technologies for child safety. Through the prism of past incidents and claims, we will examine how the industry is changing its outlook on safety for the next genera on of snow sports enthusiasts that guards the bo om line and protects your reputa on.

     Dave Byrd, NSAA      Mary Bozack, MountainGuard 

   Ev Hatch, MountainGuard    Richard Donahue, MountainGuard    Steve Lawlor, MountainGuard    Tim Barnhorst, MountainGuard    Jack Deegan, Plunke  & Cooney, PC    Brian Johnson, Nilan, Johnson & Lewis 

SS Train-the-Training Director A&GM Pleasantview

In this session, experienced resort trainers will share their approach to training, from developing a training culture to preparing a workforce plan. Par cipants will leave with the tools they need to establish short and long term training goals, a list of training resources, and an understanding of how to maximize the value of staff training. Leaders will describe the decision process in-volved in determining indoor and outdoor subject ma er, measuring outcomes, training incen ves, and u lizing in-house and outside resources. Course Value: 2 PSIA-AASI CEU's.

     Chris Fisher, Crystal Mountain/PSIA‐C 

M Targe ng, Measuring & Op mizing in a Data Driven Marke ng Landscape      West Champions  The adver sing industry is constantly changing and there is li le room - if any - for wasted adver sing dollars. With

the advancements that data driven marke ng brings to the table, you are in a be er posi on to ensure ad spend is more effec ve than ever before. This panel will explore how data driven media buying enables ski marketers to reach a niche audience at scale, effec vely measure per- formance, and improve results.    Josh Paule c, FiveFi y      Bobbie Rathjens, Boyne Highlands      Kari Roder, Boyne Mountain  LM&O Work Carrier Safety      East Champions 

You load them up and climb on, but have you done your homework? How much can they carry; have you done the grip maintenance; communica on protocols?; lockout-tagout? With several accidents this past year, OSHA will be looking at work carriers and their usage. This open dis-cussion will start with these items and the new require-ments of the ANSI B77.1-2017 Standard and what steps you need to review and update to meet the requirements.

     Sid Roslund, OSR Service, LLC  SM&G Groomer’s Workshop: Integra ng Fleet Management Into Your Grooming Program      Walter Hagen 

This year we invite all operators and grooming leaders to a end this expanded edi on of the groomer’s roundtable discussion. We want to emphasize sharing of ideas and best prac ces that Midwest operators face. Also, we will demo SNOWHOW, Prinoth’s resource management solu-

on and discuss ideas on how to use technology to im-prove our snow surface while managing costs.

     Bill Cox, Prinoth, LLC  R&A Making the Most of the SARA Rental Buying Program      Gene Sarazen 

Take advantage of MSAA’s SARA program to buy be er rental equipment and accessories for resale - at prices individual areas can’t match. Chris and Tim will share infor-ma on about SARA’s tes ng program, buying strategies, and long term successes with shop layouts and opera ons.

Chris Stoddard, Mountain Management Services, LLC      Tim Kohl, MSAA SARA Program 

MSIA 2018 Annual Meeting

Monday 3 - 5 pm

Conference Room C

Tuesday, August 21

8:30 – 9:45 am

ALL General Session: Meet an Olympian and the New NSAA President      Camelot 

A two-part presenta on. First Olympic medalist, Nick Goepper, will share his story of growing up and skiing at Perfect North Slopes. He’ll explain why he believes Mid-west areas play a vital role in developing future athletes. Next, Kelly Pawlak, NSAA’s new President, will discuss the organiza on’s priori es for the future and dig into some of the key challenges we face, with a focus on the Midwest. She’ll also share her top ask for our industry.

   Nick Goepper, US Ski & Snowboard Assn.      Kelly Pawlak, NSAA 

10:00 – 11:30 am

ALL NSAA-FES: Protec ng Your Season - The Hidden Costs – RM and Mi ga on Strategies – for Structuring Your Property Conserva on Program Tailgate

Every ski resort has someone – maybe a whole depart-ment – in charge of building maintenance. But smart property loss preven on strategies are as essen al to preserve not only your buildings but li s and other cri -cal infrastructure. When is it a “good me” for a fire? Any property loss can impact the en re season. Property losses from fires, water damage, equipment breakdowns and storms of every nature are an ever increasing cost to the industry. While insurance can replace a lodge, it won’t always cover all the costs of lost business on a busy weekend or the Christmas Holiday. It won’t prevent the lengthy permi ng process of building replacement, labor shortages for new construc on or a damaged rep-uta on. This session will help you discover that property conserva on is every employee’s responsibility. We will share important take-a ways from some of the industry’s notable property losses that occurred at the most inop-portune mes. We will also highlight some key changes in the new federal tax law to make smart property im-provements now. Our panel of local owners and man-agers will share their experiences in dealing with major property losses and how they have been successful in developing simple strategies to establish a culture where property conserva on is everyone’s job.

     Dave Byrd, NSAA      Mary Bozack, MountainGuard 

   Ev Hatch, MountainGuard    Richard Donahue, MountainGuard    Steve Lawlor, MountainGuard    Tim Barnhorst, MountainGuard 

SM&G SMI Snow Makers: We’ve Got You Covered      Pleasantview

A presenta on focused on equipment maintenance ps and tricks to make sure that your SMI equipment is ready for the season.

     Wes Cashwell & Dan Triantafillou, SMI Snow Makers, Inc. 

M #WebTrends      West Champions 

Privacy and GDPR? Web Accessibility and the new WCAG 2.1 standard? Where are design trends headed? How can you be er use visuals to connect with guests? In this ses-sion, Dave will answer those ques ons and demonstrate current best prac ces in web design to be er en ce, en-gage and convert more visitors into guests. This highly visual presenta on will provide a endees with crea ve inspira on and prac cal advice to improve and protect every resort’s most valuable marke ng asset: their

     Dave Gibson, Propeller Media Works 

LM&O All About Conveyors      East Champions 

Safety, maintenance, opera ons. This panel will discuss general issues around conveyors, best prac ces, proce-dures to reduce the risk to maintenance and opera ons personnel.

     Conor Rowan, Star Li s USA      Sam Geise, Geise Engineering, Inc.      Audrey Paulus, Magic Carpet Li s/RMCE, Inc. 

ALL State of the Industry: Highlights from the Ko ke End of A&GM Season Study      Walter Hagen 

Everywhere you look, there is a lot of discussion about data– how to analyze it, how to learn from it, and how to implement decisions based on it. The 2017-18 season marks the 39th year for NSAA's Ko ke End of Season Sur-vey, which measures the ski area metrics that are most important to understanding the overall health of and emerging trends in the industry. When you talk about val-ue, the Ko ke is one of the pillars of NSAA research providing credible business intelligence to help areas make though ul strategic decisions. Dave will summarize the preliminary results with a focus on the Midwest region, giving you insights you can't get anywhere else.

     Dave Belin, RRC Associates 

SM&G Terrain Parks: Risk Management* RM     Gene Sarazen  This session will explore the complexity of deposi ons in terrain park li ga on. The focus will be on the most com- mon theories of liability brought against resorts. Great session for all employees involved in the opera on of ter- rain parks, management, and ski patrol. Par cipant in- volvement is necessary!    Elia Hamilton, Peak Resorts, Inc.      Mis ca Walker, Safehold Special Risk, Inc. 

Session Details

website. 

1:00 – 2:30 pm A&GM Mountain Biking & Purpose Built Trails: Not Just for “Big” Areas      Tailgate 

Hear from a few of Minnesota ski areas that have built summer revenue and local excitement around purpose built mountain biking trails and li service gravity trails. In this session you will learn what advances in bike and trail technology have occurred since the 80's and 90's and driven a resurgence in mountain biking. You will also learn what steps you need to take to be successful from trail building and li modifica on to community partner-ships and risk management.

   Jeff Staley, Detroit Mountain      Peter Zotalis, Welch Village      Tony Seyffer, Welch Village      Jody Ream, Spirit Mountain      Dave Byrd, NSAA  SM&G Snowmaker Safety Pleasantview 

Join HKD Snowmakers and your peers to share strategies and techniques that focus on ways to protect one of the ski industries most valuable resources…The Snow-maker! During this session we will discuss training and documenta on, safe work prac ces, a er hours snow-maker extrica on (evacua on) planning, and much more.

     Ian Jarre  & Ben Siefert, HKD Snowmakers  A&GM Digital Forms & Record Keeping LM&O     West Champions 

A ski area has many moving pieces and parts. What tools do you use to track maintenance and construc on pro-cesses for your mountain opera ons? We will cover sever-al aspects specifically related to summer opera ons at two resorts; Perfect North Slopes and Giants Ridge. Perfect North will cover the set-up, mainte-nance and event prepara on related to their Mud-Stash events. Giants Ridge will cover downhill mountain bike trail construc on and maintenance. A endees are invited to discuss tools, techniques and effec ve prac ces around these data collec on processes and how these directly relate to safety aspects for risk management.

Charles Mickley, 1Risk      Jonathan Davis, Perfect North Slopes      Jeannine Mogan, Giants Ridge  

LM&O Hydraulics Troubleshoo ng: Brakes & Tensioning Systems      East Champions 

Andy will first review hydraulic valve types and func ons. Then, building on these concepts, par cipants will apply their knowledge to complete hydraulic circuits used in braking and tensioning and train on the func ons of these systems in ski li s. Automated simula on so ware will provide circuit examples for the sate these systems control.

     Andy Pierce, Skytrac, Inc.   SS / M New Educa on Tools for Schools & Resorts Will Increase Your Training AND Save Time & Money      Walter Hagen 

Add this session to your day to learn about PSIA-AASI’s new 2018-19 programs that will help your team’s ability to impact customer reten on and talent reten on for your resort, and how these resources will help impact and grow you winter recrea on business. For example, coming Fall 2018 there will be a new Teaching Snowsports manual for all disciplines that will help your instructors improve their overall skillsets. In addi on, new e-learning courses will help your instructor team develop beginner zone lessons for alpine and snowboard. Don’t miss this opportunity to check out new educa on resources being launched this season, as well as new teaching concepts that will define the future of snowsports instruc on.

     Nick Herrin, PSIA‐AASI  SM&G Terrain Parks: Construc on & Trends      Gene Sarazen  Elia will lead an open discussion on terrain park construc- on and the latest in design trends.      Elia Hamilton, Peak Resorts, Inc. 

Session Details

Wednesday, August 22

8:30 – 10:00 am A&GM Tax Reform: Strategies for Ski Areas to Leverage the New Changes to the Tax Code Tailgate 

The recent tax reform law enacted in late 2017 has a lot of good news for businesses—especially smaller and mid-size ski areas. The law has some important changes ski areas need to comprehend, par cularly from an infra-structure and capital budget approach, as some key changes will sunset in a few years. Ma , a cer fied public accountant who works with Crystal Mountain Resort, and Dave will highlight key changes that will posi vely impact ski areas, and provide insights how to maximize the bene-fits of these reforms. This session will explore accoun ng and budge ng strategies for making long overdue resort upgrades, from li s (new and used), lodges, snowmaking, employee benefits, and other unique infrastructure im-provements that can maximize deprecia on and small business expensing. We an cipate a robust Q&A with au-dience par cipa on, so areas can share their own strate-gies for capitalizing on these very posi ve changes to the tax code.

     Dave Byrd, NSAA    Ma  Grigsby, Rehmann 

SM&G Auxiliary Hydraulics Troubleshoo ng & Maintenance Pleasantview 

This “how to” session will cover the adjustment, mainte-nance, and troubleshoo ng of the PistenBully front blade movements and rear ller movements; li and lower, steering, centering, and floa ng. Both park and free groomer models and their differences, will be explained. An introduc on to the auxiliary hydraulic sys-tem and common joys ck of the newest PistenBully Mod-els 100 and 600 will also be presented.

     James Lindgren, Kassbohrer All Terrain Vehicles, Inc. 

M / SS Your Current & Future Customer: Insights from the A&GM Beginner Conversion & Na onal Demographic Studies      West Champions 

Two key tac cs in growing the number of people who ski and snowboard are understanding your current custom-ers, and listening to your newest customers. The NSAA Na onal Demographic Study and Beginner Conversion Study are two essen al tools in every areas efforts reach out to new visitors. Beyond a simple overview of this cri -cal research, Dave will dive deeper into the background data and provide and analysis of emerging trends, par cu-larly focusing on a more diverse young adult popula on, women, and young families. This session is a must a end as your area works to remain compe ve bringing in new skiers and riders.

     Dave Belin, RRC Associates  M / SS Crea ng Connec ons & Building Your Business: The Power of Why      East Champions 

The ever-changing landscape of our business and the vari-ables that effect our customers and our bo om lines are always a topic for discussion. Doug shares some of the bigger wheels of change that have go en us to where we are and offers some thoughts on perspec ve and intro-spec on of our own opera ons, staff and in short…US talk-ing to US about US to see what we can all do as a group, or perhaps things we can do to separate our opera on form the herd…let’s find out! Course Value: 2 PSIA-AASI CEU's

     Doug Daniels, Alpine Advisors USA  LM&O Brakes & Braking 101      Walter Hagen 

This class will look at the different types of brakes, their physical characteris cs, components, and what the B77.1 Standard requires and why. The session then applies the different brake types used on ropeways and a empts to give an overview to help you understand their opera on, problems, rota on iner a (energy) and a few misnomer’s as well.  

     Mike Lane, NSAA 

Session Details

10:30 – Noon A&GM Challenges for the Marke ng Department: Compliance M & Risk Considera ons      Tailgate 

This session – specifically for marke ng and sales folks – will involve a broad discussion regarding federal and state compliance and statutory issues impac ng these departments. Complex issues like the Telephone Con-sumer Protec on Act (increasingly used by plain ffs’ a orneys to sue businesses, including ski areas), credit card transac on issues, ADA website compliance, con-sumer and employee data security, and seemingly simple, everyday ac ons like season pass sales all increase expo-sures for resorts. Come prepared with your ques ons and be ready for a healthy back and forth discussion.

     Dave Byrd, NSAA  SM&G Boyne Highlands On-Mountain Snowmaking Tour LM&O     Pleasantview 

Join the mountain opera ons staff on a walk through of the Boyne Highland’s snowmaking system. Lots of great informa on will be shared including the history behind their Low E snowgun and Low E automa on.

     Joe Breighner, John Lokker & Peter Breighner,      Boyne Highlands Resort 

GMs GM/Senior Management Roundtable* ONLY     West Champions 

An informa ve discussion on the hot topics facing Mid-west ski area operators. This session is restricted and only open to MSAA member ski area owners, CEOs and GMs.

     Moderator: Jim Vander Spoel, Gogebic College  SS Guest Service & Front Line Management: Staying True A&GM to the Vision      East Champions 

Posi oned between every guest and the resorts strategic visionaries are the Front-Line staff that communicate (and some mes translate) the message; those who see, hear, and share the guest experience. How does your resort ensure that the vision and intent of your leadership retain fidelity when delivered by your staff? What tools do you have for learning about guest desires and expecta ons? Peppered with data regarding Leisure Intent and Leisure Constraint, this program will speak to the communica ons pathways that can strengthen your awareness of guest interac ons, and ensure your message is present in your staff. Course Value: 2 PSIA-AASI CEU's

     Ron Shepard, PSIA‐AASI Central      Richard Wren, PSIA ‐ AASI Central/Boyne Highlands  

ftäx à{x Wtàx August 18 - 21, 2019

Session Details