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BEST USE OF VIDEO
B EST BRING A FRIEND CAMPAIGN
BEST FAMILY-TARGETED CAMPAIGN
B EST OVERALL MARKETING CAMPAIGN
While the category titles are self-explanatory about their The Conversion Cup is one of the most sought-after awards in the industry.
target areas, they all share common judging criteria. Here, Rob Megnin and Dave Beckwith accept the 2015 Cup on behalf of
Measurable results carry weight, especially when those Killington Resort, Vt. Photo courtesy of Irina Bourova
results reflect a positive increase in visits, revenues, views,
shares, or other metrics indicating the program was The Conversion Cup recognizes those areas that are leading the
successful. Did the program have a defined goal or purpose? way in developing and applying innovative teaching techniques,
Without a goal or reason why, how are the judges (or you) leveraging the ever-improving beginner equipment available, and
going to recognize a successful program? finding ways to get the entire resort involved in converting new
skiers and riders.
Also important is the ability to substantiate how well the
campaign reflects the area’s brand. Does the program match Also critical to the success of conversion efforts are tracking
the resort brand and target market(s) in an authentic way? How mechanisms, such as the NSAA Beginner Conversion Study,
unique is the program? Is it a copy-cat of a program someone to accurately measure the success rates of these programs.
else implemented last year, does it improve on what was done Capturing the contact information about new skiers and
before, or is it a completely new and different marketing riders enables a resort to track those guests and whether they
initiative? These are just some of the questions judges will be return to your area or not—one critical measure of conversion.
asking themselves as they evaluate your entries. Conversion Cup entries should highlight these results as well as
information about unique incentive programs and other details
3. National Safety Awards that will give the judges insight into how the program(s) work
and the goals of the program.
Safety is paramount in everything we do, and the NSAA
National Safety Awards bring out the best area programs Why Should I Apply for an NSAA Award?
and role models for other areas. Recognizing the importance
of employee and guest safety, the categories include Best Applying for an NSAA award is a great way to show
Overall Safety Program (for resorts with visits up to the industry what you are doing and the results you
350,000 visits and resorts with 350,000 or more visits); Best are achieving through your efforts, whether it’s an
Employee Safety Program; Best Guest Safety Program; and environmental, marketing, or safety initiative, or a
Safety Champion. conversion-focused program.
The 2016 Safety Awards will also include a category NSAA recognizes the top entries as well as the winners at our
for Best Kids on Lifts Safety Program, focusing on resort- National Convention and Tradeshow each spring. In addition,
developed programs aimed to educate kids and their parents NSAA press releases specific to each award are sent to key national
about safe lift riding techniques. and regional media outlets. A variety of entrants and winners
are profiled in articles in the NSAA Journal throughout the year
What constitutes a winning Safety Award entry? and are sought after as contributors to various NSAA education
Many of the same criteria as those used in the marketing programs. One of NSAA’s goals is to identify and share the best
awards apply: defined goals, measurable results, successful practices successful areas are implementing. What better way to
implementation, and creativity. share yours than to put in an entry?
For example, did the employee program aim to reduce Along with the award hardware, another benefit of
the number of employee-related incidents? If so, how
effective was the program at reducing those incidents? How
did the program achieve this success? What was the reaction
from the employees? All of this is information that should be
included in your Safety Award entry.
4. Conversion Cup Challenge
To win the NSAA Conversion Cup a ski area needs a unique mix
of resort-wide support for conversion programs and products that
increase the amount of people trying skiing and riding for the first
time—and that convert them into committed skiers and riders.
FALL 2015 | NSAA JOURNAL | 63
