Sports & Brand Congress: Quality in winter sports always prevails
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The 10th Sport & Brand Congress in Vienna featured, for the first time, a panel dedicated solely to winter sports. Organized by the Snowsports Academy, the panel included CEO Martin Dolezal, Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) Marketing Director Christiane Gasser, and Thomas Köhle, Managing Director of Ischgl Tourism.
It was a premiere in the elegant setting of the Hilton Vienna Danube Waterfront: At the renowned Sport & Brand Congress, organized by the Swiss ESB Marketing Network, a key focus on the main stage was dedicated for the first time entirely to winter sports and tourism. The range of topics extended from strong brand building and future-proof digitalization to year-round offerings and increased initiatives in urban areas.
From Vienna to the wide world
The Snowsports Academy, which has grown from its Vienna base over the past two decades into a finely networked platform for the global promotion of snow sports, hosted this high-caliber panel discussion. Its managing director, Martin Dolezal, emphasized the significant economic importance of winter right from the start: "Snow sports are a genuine and vital industry in Austria. Sixty-five percent of ski days are taken by international guests – and they come to us precisely because of the high quality. This applies to cable cars, hotels, and slopes, as well as to the top-level ski schools and lifestyle offerings."
That's precisely why, as early as 2000, the Vienna Ski and Snowboard Instructors Association began positioning itself internationally as a Snowsports Academy and offering training in English, Dolezal explained. "Last season, 3,000 participants from 40 nations completed our courses and now act as ambassadors for snow sports worldwide. Furthermore, with 25,000 course days and 20,000 overnight stays annually, we also contribute to economic development in our partner regions."
In addition, the Snowsports Academy acts as an active partner (e.g., ISPO Munich) and also as an organizer (Snowsports Conference) at industry-specific trade fairs, conferences, and congresses. "The key to all our initiatives is reflected in our motto, 'Snow Connecting People,'" says Dolezal. "Because people and their passion for snow sports are always at the heart of everything we do."
A strong brand for the future
For the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV), the highest quality and professionalism at all levels are the minimum standard. As Austria's most successful sports federation and one of the world's most successful ski federations, they aim to regain their number one position in the Alpine Ski World Cup, emphasized Christiane Gasser, Head of Marketing and Communications: "We naturally have clear sporting goals and want to be back on top by 2025 at the home World Championships in Saalbach." However, the federation is much more than just an organizer of elite sports: "We are also a multiplier for winter sports, a successful event organizer, an initiator of recreational sports programs, and a service provider for the ski and snowboard community."
To take a further step towards modernization and digitalization, a new logo was launched in April 2023, which, according to Gasser, also aims to place greater emphasis on the internationally marketable brand name "Ski Austria." The relaunch was widely and controversially discussed in the Austrian media – and within just a few days, it generated sensationally high brand awareness for the new logo. The day after the launch, #skiaustria was among the top 10 trending topics on Twitter. In addition, there was a segment on the news program "Zeit im Bild," 253 articles (print, online, social media) with a reach of 17.7 million, and a total of 137,699 interactions on Ski Austria's social media channels. ( https://www.sportsbusiness.at/neues-ski-austria-logo-etwas-besseres-kann-einer-marke-kaum-passieren/ )
“Our dynamic and modern brand presence also allows us to reach a young and urban audience,” Gasser explained at the Sport & Brand Congress. This is why they created the two hashtag slogans #skiverrückt (ski-crazy) and #snowboardverrückt (snowboard-crazy). “Because that’s precisely the core that unites us all. Everyone can experience the joy and enthusiasm with us, whether at the Night Race in Schladming, the Junior World Championships in St. Anton am Arlberg, or a mass participation sporting event. Sport connects people, nations. On the slopes, the world seems to be right.”
A destination for all seasons
The Ischgl/Paznaun region certainly hasn't lacked recognition in recent years – albeit under rather negative circumstances. Therefore, it's wonderful to be welcomed back into the international sports and business community, as Thomas Köhle, Managing Director of Ischgl Tourism, explained. The region's clear objective for the future is: "A winter sports resort known for lifestyle and event tourism, on its way to becoming a year-round destination," said Köhle. "We have such top-notch infrastructure – it would be a shame to only use it for five months."
To achieve this goal, the ski and cross-country skiing season – thanks in part to the high altitude of almost 2,900 meters – is extended well into spring, until May 1st. "I would ski in April anyway – the days are long, the temperatures are more pleasant, and there's more space on the slopes," said Köhle. In addition, there's an event series under the label "Spring Blanc," which this year featured three superstars performing in Ischgl: George Ezra, SIDO, and, for the season closing, Eros Ramazzotti.
The fact that summer is increasingly becoming the focus in a winter sports region is related to the employees, as Köhle emphasized. "Many only come if we offer them a job in the summer as well. Therefore, we created a special Crew Card, with which we aim to reach employees in a similar way to how we reach guests."
Summer tourism highlights include hiking, cycling, and mountaineering, as well as events like the Silvrettarun 3000 and the classic "Ischgl Ironbike." To extend the year-round offerings into autumn, the cable cars run until October 15th. The region, which also boasts 11 restaurants with 30 Gault&Millau toques and a thermal spa, features the "Golden Summit" activity series, promoting sports such as bouldering, mountain biking, and paragliding. The traditional winter season kicks off at the end of November with the "Top of the Mountain" concert – in 2022, Sean Paul headlined.
Digitalization as a key issue
The concluding panel discussion, which included audience questions, focused on the topic of digitalization. "There are certain visions regarding how we can reach a younger audience. Today's 12- to 14-year-olds are very familiar with VR headsets. Web 3.0 versions could involve skiing with an avatar and receiving feedback to get a feel for the terrain – perhaps supported by a simple suit with four sensors," explained Martin Dolezal of the Snowsports Academy, describing a possible scenario. "Furthermore, most tourist regions have high-quality video recordings that are ideal for these and other digital projects."
Thomas Köhle from Ischgl Tourism presented two concrete projects. “This year, we will exclusively register and contact our summer guests digitally via smartphone. In winter, we will then pilot a system where turnstiles at the ski lifts can be activated with a mobile phone. This year, we are testing this with our staff, and if it works, we will implement it for our guests starting in the 2024/25 season.” In addition to the aforementioned brand initiatives, the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) is also in the midst of a major digitalization offensive: “We want to relieve the burden on the regional associations and offer a higher overall service quality for the skiing and snowboarding community,” said Christiane Gasser. “Furthermore, we want to involve our partners and sponsors even more closely in digital opportunities.”
Sustainability and urban spaces
Sustainability and reaching new target groups in urban areas were considered at least as important as digitalization. "Skiing needs to come to the city, and for that we'll need artificial ski slopes and indoor ski halls," argued Martin Dolezal. "That might sound strange for Austria, but we've been working with indoor ski halls in the Netherlands for 20 years, and there it's standard practice to introduce people to snow sports." Dolezal cited a 9,000-square-meter artificial ski slope in Stockholm and an indoor ski hall in Oslo as further examples; the latter generates more energy than it consumes thanks to extensive photovoltaic panels and waste heat recovery.
For Thomas Köhle, the following question arises regarding this issue: "What is the alternative for the people who live in these valleys? They have built something up over the last 60 years and now want to continue doing so." However, they always take care to protect nature for future generations. "These people live here year-round. Therefore, we have permanently untouched and pristine valleys and slopes that are not used for tourism. Furthermore, the energy for our facilities comes 100 percent from renewable sources – including for the thermal baths."
Christiane Gasser, in turn, considered it particularly important that all stakeholders in the winter sports sector collaborate. "Many people in Austria are unaware of the economic significance of winter sports and tourism. Therefore, it is the shared responsibility of the media, associations, politicians, clubs, and other stakeholders to increase public awareness. Because sport moves people – not just emotionally on TV, but also gets them off the couch and onto the slopes. And one thing must not be forgotten: winter sports began in urban areas, and that is where their future lies."
Further information about the congress: https://www.sport-marke.at
Photo credits: Gabriele Griessenböck, Leadersnet-CMikes
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