Powdr resorts recognized with top industry accolades
KILLINGTON—At its annual National Convention and Trade Show held earlier this month, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) gave select ski areas top honors for their 2016-17 marketing programs. The awards were based on successful programs that ultimately help grow participation in skiing and snowboarding, according to a news release May 10.
Killington Resort took home the award for Best Overall Marketing Campaign on behalf of the 2016 Women’s World Cup.
During the races over Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26-27, 2016, over 30,000 people came to Killington to cheer on the fastest female Alpine ski racers in the world.
The town of Killington and the entire Killington Valley region rolled out the red carpet with a welcome like no other, Killington Resort stated in its marketing overview posted at killington.com/nsaa.
“We partnered with our local newspaper, The Mountain Times, to develop and distribute our official World Cup Program. In total, 25,000 copies were produced and distributed free of charge to guests,” the resort statement continued.
Killington Resort’s marketing strategy consisted of four core pillars to promote and advertise the World Cup at Killington. These campaigns stretched on for over a year, beginning with the announcements in October of 2015. According to the resort, they consisted of advertising (print, digital, banners, etc.), public relations (press releases, press conferences, and social media posts using #beastworldcup), sales (hosting groups, granstand and VIP tickets, lodging, lift tickets) and promotion (videos, partnerships.)
Killington Resort will host the women’s World Cup race again Thanksgiving weekend 2017 and 2018. The resort won the bid to host in part due to the success of their first year promoting, attracting and successfully producing the worldclass event.
Additionally, Pico Mountain won for Best “Bring a Friend” Campaign, and POWDR’s Boreal Mountain Resort in California earned the marketing award for Best Use of Mobile Technology.
Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado and Mt. Bachelor in Oregon also won two of NSAA’s four Sustainable Slopes grants.
Established in 2009 to support mountain-resort sustainability projects, the Sustainable Slopes grant program has awarded nearly $124,000 in cash grants and close to $360,000 in in-kind donations.