SIA trade show begins its second year at Mandalay Bay in Vegas

SIA trade show begins its second year at Mandalay Bay in Vegas{mosimage}More than 770 brands filled about 3,200 booths on January 26, the first day of the 2004 SnowSports Industries America trade show — dubbed SIA.04 — at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

“It’s a good year — pre-registration is up 1 percent, and exhibitors are up slightly more than 3 percent,” said Dave Blakeslee of SIA show management.

Among the 80 brand-new exhibitors at the sold-out show are Jumbo Helmet, a division of Uvex. Twenty-two exhibitors returned after skipping the SIA show for a year or more; those comeback companies include Reusch and Toko.

Attendees spent the early hours of the show in typical fashion, circling through the four exhibit spaces and then focusing on hardgoods before accessories. Both the Atomic and the Salomon booth were hot spots all day long, with retailers checking out the new line of alpine race and freeride skis, plus entirely new apparel and gloves, and updated boots for 2004-05.

At the snowboard end of the hall, a tattoo artist kept things lively at the Sessions booth, while SportLegs girls handed out free samples to weary attendees. Throughout the show, brighter colors, new women’s entries and a renewed attention to ski racing were the most visible trends.

“People are happy,” said Blakeslee. “It’s busy and the vibe is good.”

SIA.04 wrapped up its opening day with a 50th anniversary celebration in the convention center, featuring music, videos and products from the past five decades. More than 220 industry alumni were expected to be on hand.