Act Media Launch French B2B Snow Test & Demo Event ‘Winter Pro’

From January 9 to Tuesday January 11 2022, Act Media are launching a new B2B test and demo event in the Haute-Tarentaise valley of the French Alps. Hosted by the La Rosière resort, the 1st edition of Winter Pro invites French retailers and the media to test out equipment and gear, so they can make informed decisions about future orders. The show intends to allow buyers a chance to physically experience the products; an important factor when it comes to selling the products onto their own customers.

What was the thinking behind launching Winter Pro? The new French B2B Onsnow demo…
Act Media has been specialised in printed snowboard publications and also in event activities since its creation in 2010. Our events Ride The Snake and Enjoy The Glacier in Les 2 Alpes have been very educational for us and have taught us the inner workings of B2C events. Customer relations events and snow tests are much more complicated and require the involvement of the exhibiting brands, snowboard brands in this case. We are lucky to have really good relationships with all the brands distributed in France and have always been attentive to their needs and requests.

During the summer of 2020, during our discussions with the industry, we discovered that the B2B events planned for January 2021 in France had not been confirmed.  Brands and distributors had no plans, and the guest shops were not informed. At the same time, the manager of the La Rosière  suggested that we host a snowboard event at their resort. Coincidence or alignment of the stars… whatever, along with three other members of the industry we have been thinking about launching a snow test, reserved for retail stores and the media.

Please tell us about the team behind the show
Act Media is the company organising the event, represented by David Tchag and his team of six. Logistics and team coordination are managed by Marine Bernard and her team, who are event specialists. The security of the material under test is ensured by Nineteen Squared, each product is identified by a QR code. The management of invitations and invoices is taken care of by Puzzle System, and a CRM has been specially developed for the event. The resort of La Rosière will provide logistics, equipment on the slopes,  staff and  reception facilities.

Why have you located the show in La Rosiere?
La Rosière resort is ideally located in the middle of Haute-Tarentaise, just above Bourg Saint Maurice  which is served by the TGV (High Speed Train), 5:10hrs from Paris or Marseille, 3:50hrs from Geneva. The San Bernardo ski area is 170 km of slopes distributed between La Rosière in France and La Thuile in Italy, giving access to 2000 meters of elevation (Seez 800m – La Rosière 1850m – Mont Valaisan 2800m). The main structures for the event  the test village, the reception and exhibition hall, the showrooms, the restaurant, the accommodation are all are grouped together and located next to the snow line and the Roches Noires chairlift. But, above all, our presence in La Rosière is linked to the wishes of Jérémie Silva, Tourism Office Director, whose involvement in this event is the basis of many of our decisions.  We are supported by all of the resort’s entities (piste services, ski lifts, accommodation providers and restaurateurs), we are fortunate to be greeted by a motivated and involved resort.

Please take us through the planned onsite set up.
The three Winter Pro operating sites are united in one place, on the ski resort’s snow line.The test village (Test Centre) is located in front of the departure point of the Roches Noires chairlift, 30m from the car park. The area of the village is 700 m2 – in which we will have 16 stands / 25 brands.The reception hall (200 m2) will be filled by 8 stands of accessory and textile brands. Customer reception, breakfasts and conferences will also take place in this room. An exhibition area for brands is reserved in Le Boréal restaurant, just next to the reception room. Showrooms for distributors and brands are available in the apartments of the Le Sky residence, just above the Le Boréal restaurant. The sites are all close together.

Can you tell us about the pricing packages and stand options?
We are making changes to snow testing, such as:
– NEW!  A marked and secure splitboarding trail starting from the test village
– NEW!  A snow test area designed and reserved for participants of the event – (Table, box, woops, carving zone, hip …)
– NEW!  Early opening at 8AM on the Roches Brunes chairlift, only for WP guests
– NEW!  Free avalanche safety training and avalanche transceiver testing organised by Mammut
– NEW!  A Banked Slalom Contest organised on Sunday January 9 by Safety Shred Days

We will offer stands in the reception room for exhibitors who do not have equipment  for testing
– NEW!  Stands in apartments of the Sky residence
– NEW!  dedicated hours for their meetings with customers at the end of the day

We also have big advantages:
– A chairlift 20m from the test village and quick access to the ski lifts
– A massive area with diversified tracks for snow testing
– First-class hotels
– Full coverage (packages + accommodation + meals) or partial (packages + meals)
– NEW!  2,000m vertical drop on the snowiest resort in France (850m – 2850m)
– NEW!  Train transport from Paris and Marseille in just 3 hours and shuttles from Bourg-Saint -Maurice.

Why do you feel retailers need to visit Onsnow demos?
They need to visit the show to interact with the brands, but above all they need to test the equipment before ordering it and recommending it to their own customers.This first hand knowledge of products is all the more important with the increase in online sales, advice remains essential, whether it is broadcast orally or on an online sales site, store testers must know the most technical details to successfully sell.

Can we have a list of brands who have committed so far?
Amplid, Arbor, Bataleon, Borealis, Burton, Capita, Deeluxe, Drake, Flow, Gnu, Jones, K2, Karakoram, Lib, tech, Nidecker, Nitro, Northwave, Now, PAG, Plum, Ride, Rome, Rossignol, Roxy Snowboards, Salomon, Slash, Spark, Thirty Two, Union, Yes, 686, Mammut.

Do you think Onsnow demos are more important in our post-lockdown business environment?
Sensitive question… The stores remained closed for several months, the economic and moral balance sheet is catastrophic, collateral damage is extensive in the mountain ecosystem. It’s therefore questionable whether stores and brands still need a professional event. Yet the vision of a record season in the Alps in 2021-2022 (footfall and sales) prompts stores and brands to maintain order/production quantities strong enough to meet future sales. Hence the importance of testing and choosing the right models for your clientele for the following season. With snow tests, stores can build their sales offer most efficiently to meet the demands of their customers .

This big annual “Rendez-vous” will be a breath of fresh air for all these stores impacted by the health crisis. We offer them a special moment and a tailored professional event in which to mix with the developers, shapers and owners of brands. Our guests will be immersed in a pro-creative atmosphere for three days, they will discover the new products, will test them, and they will have access to an exceptional resort with pro riders available to help their testing and decision making.

Entertainment, aperitifs, music, parties, and awards will complete the test days, helping to build a friendly and warm atmosphere, this is something we’ll like to incorporate into the DNA of the event.The participants (brands, stores, media, riders) will live precious moments, they will have the feeling of having lived a unique experience.