A win-win for skiing and business: Successful kick-off of the WienSki Business Club

A high-caliber panel discussion and around 100 ski enthusiasts from the worlds of sports, business, media, and culture marked the beginning of a new chapter in Viennese winter sports. The conclusion of the successful launch event for the WienSki Business Club: "Let's work together to get more young people involved in snow sports again."

The WienSki Business Club is an initiative of the Vienna Ski Association (WienSki). The platform aims to create an innovative network between sports and business. Regular meetings and joint activities are intended to foster new business contacts and valuable synergies. In addition, the club will make a financial contribution to supporting young winter sports athletes. The kick-off event took place in the spacious setting of INTERSPORT WINNINGER in Stadlau, where, as host Manuel Winninger emphasized, the largest selection of ski models in Austria can be found in a 1,000-square-meter space.

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Equally impressive was the list of panelists: Patrick Ortlieb, FIS and ÖSV board member and Olympic champion; Christina Wilfinger, CEO of SAP Austria; Martha Schultz, Vice President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber; Barbara Bleier-Serentschy, Head of Marketing at Volksbank; and Gerhard Hrebicek, President of the European Brand Institute. The primary topic of discussion was how to attract more young people to snow sports and the role that metropolitan areas like Vienna play in this. The audience included such prominent figures as football coach Peter Stöger and musician Andy Lee Lang.

Create infrastructure, preserve cultural heritage

Before the discussion began, Roland König , the new president of the Vienna Ski Association since June 2022, explained the association's goals for the coming years. For example, a new economic advisory board has already been established within the association. "We want to maintain and, in some cases, revive the fascination with skiing in Vienna. It's about achieving broad appeal among the population so that more children learn to ski. Therefore, we need to create the framework and infrastructure to enable the sport to be practiced successfully – even at a high level," König explained.

Another key initiator of the Vienna Ski Business Club is Martin Dolezal , chairman of the Snowsports Academy. “Snow is an Austrian cultural asset – and it’s a unifying element, because skiing brings people together. And with the Business Club, we want to create precisely this kind of environment – with the primary goal of promoting snow sports and their importance in eastern Austria and in the capital city of Vienna.”

This also applies to the crucial area of integration, as Martin Dolezal illustrated with an example from the Semmering region during the Covid pandemic: "Many people from diverse cultural backgrounds went up there at that time, and it was very clear how much enthusiasm they felt when they came into contact with snow. They slid down every open space with everything imaginable – whether with plastic bags or simply on their bottoms."

Key experiences in kindergarten

Martha Schultz , Vice President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and owner of six ski resorts in Tyrol, also sees the first contact with snow and the sport as a pivotal experience. "In our ski resorts, we also operate the restaurants and accommodations – from youth hostels to 5-star hotels. Twenty-five years ago, I started looking into the topic of school ski trips, primarily because of the so-called 'January lull' in ski season. Nowadays, 60,000 students from Germany come to us annually, from the far north to the south. And fostering precisely this enthusiasm is our mission – for example, with the kindergarten ski weeks we also organize, which are very popular."

Patrick Ortlieb , a board member of the FIS and the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) and a hotelier in Vorarlberg, echoes this sentiment. "The fact is that there are fewer and fewer school ski trips in Austria. But in Vorarlberg, we're now starting up kindergarten ski trips again – because getting children out on snow is the most important thing." He added that the ÖSV's recreational sports department and the regional associations also play a crucial role in this. Therefore, Ortlieb sincerely thanked the Vienna Ski Association for taking on the organization of the Vienna Ski Business Club.

“Especially in densely populated areas like Vienna, an indoor ski slope is also a topic of discussion,” Ortlieb added. “A basic requirement for this is clearly energy self-sufficiency – not only in times of an energy crisis like the current one. But it’s about that first contact with snow – and a second, third, and so on, so that one day you can go skiing in Hochfügen or on the Arlberg.”

Heroes, digital media and simulators

Christina Wilfinger , Managing Director of SAP Austria, a native of Styria, learned to ski in the Joglland region and remains enthusiastic about it to this day. "Austria is a skiing nation – and that's incredibly attractive. From an international perspective, it also offers an opportunity to attract skilled workers to Austria." Another key aspect, she says, is re-engaging families, especially in urban areas. "To turn these people into fans, I need to understand them and their needs precisely. Event marketing and the power of brand recognition are crucial here – after all, there was a parallel slalom race in front of the town hall square once."

“To win these new customers, you should also use technical means and digital media such as TikTok or SnapChat to get into people’s minds in a positive way – especially when young people today have an attention span in the millisecond range,” said Wilfinger.

Barbara Bleier-Serentschy heads the marketing department at Volksbank and is responsible for the cooperation with the Austrian Ski Federation's (ÖSV) ski jumping team. "One advantage of this sport is that I don't need snow. This means I can easily and quickly implement it using mats. Simulators are also a great asset. Just using them gives me a good feel for what it's like to jump down a slope on skis." The great success of the Vienna City Eagles, one of the most successful junior teams in Austria, demonstrates the sustainability of this strategy. But there's also an excellent team spirit among beginners. "They share equipment with each other. And I can generate new motivation and enthusiasm for the sport by spreading the word among my friends and acquaintances," says Bleier-Serentschy.

Skiing as identity

For Gerhard Hrebicek , President of the European Brand Institute, “skiing is a key identity-defining brand for Austria. It’s a successful export, and we see that particularly in our international relationships when we invite customers to go skiing. People everywhere know us for it. This is not only economically significant for industry and tourism, but also emotionally, in terms of coziness, music, and conviviality.” To further anchor this spirit in a metropolis like Vienna, he and Martin Dolezal of the Snowsports Academy developed a concept for an indoor ski slope back in 2010. “But I think projects with carpet or plastic slopes are just as important,” Hrebicek explained. “After all, there are swimming pools, and not everyone goes to a lake.”

At the end of the official part , Martin Dolezal gave his summary. "The topic of snow sports is currently very emotionally charged and should be considered more objectively. But when something is heavily featured in the media, it also offers opportunities. Of course, there is room for improvement in many respects – for example, regarding travel to the ski resorts by train."

He sees another crucial point in a general shift in thinking. "We're not used to roller ski slopes, plastic slopes, or indoor ski centers in Austria, but the situation is completely different in countries like the Netherlands. Many people there learn to ski this way and develop a desire for a holiday in the Austrian mountains. We should take that as our model in Vienna and bring the fun directly into the city." Dolezal's motto for this is #SnowConnectingPeople – whether on the slopes or at events like the WienSki Business Club.

Photos – Copyright Tanja Zach

For inquiries & contact:

WienSki Business Club Martin Dolezal +43 650 385 41 47 businessclub@wienski.at www.wienliebtski.at