London ski show 2015

The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Show, Battersea Park, London 2015

There was much anticipation in the lead up to The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Show in 2015 with the change in venue from Earls Court to Battersea Park.

For several years, mixed reports were coming out of the show – ‘not exciting enough’, ‘lack of atmosphere’ and a general feeling that consumers were paying to enter a retail environment where they were offered nothing more than they could purchase online.

The closure of Earls Court as an exhibition venue forced the Telegraph Events group to search for a new home and they chose Battersea. The basic result? A much better event for the consumer all-round.

But, it had its challenges too. The outdoor area featuring a real snow big air jump, main stage with live music, bars and food stalls and a variety of exhibitors was a victim of the London weather that didn’t exactly smile on the event – it rained, a lot.

London Ski and Showboard show outside

Outside area at the show

Still, this didn’t stop the party atmosphere on the Friday evening when The Cuban Brothers took to the stage and got the audience dancing, everyone was talking about it the next day. On that one evening, they managed to create a party feel that the ‘ski show’ hasn’t seen in many years – if they could recreate that on two or three of the nights then that’s an exciting prospect.

Cuban brothers on stage

The Cuban Brothers on-stage

But of course it’s a ski and snowboard show, so let’s not forget that the focus must remain on this part otherwise it will become another Freeze which was not a snowsports event, but a music and drinking festival with a ski jump thrown in for good measure.

The athletes on the big air jump at times drew the crowds, but again, the rain made many of the sessions a challenge. Just unlucky, the concept is a good one and there should be a display of snowsports like this at the show – the UK has some of the world’s best freestyle skiers and snowboarders now so why not promote that talent at home?

The food was a big improvement on anything you found in the old Earls Court venue…phew. It was, in general, ‘affordable’, although the advertised ‘Michelin starred street food’ stalls, were definitely not anything remotely close to any Michelin starred food I’ve eaten. Nothing wrong with hot dog and fries, Waffles, Pizza (the best thing on offer), burgers and meatballs, but not haute cuisine.

There was a fine dining restaurant at ‘The Lodge’ – a mezzanine floor where a VIP bar was available at a cost of £25 and a meal, designed by Michelin Starred Chef Angela Hartnett cost £49.50 per person. If you paid £75 this included entrance to the show, the VIP bar and a 3 course meal with a glass of champagne. Considering the price of a ticket to the show, this wouldn’t be considered extortionate but certainly not what most people had in mind – it always looked very quiet in the restaurant section, although at times the VIP bar did have a good atmosphere as exhibitors decided to use it to entertain their customers.

On the Thursday evening, the World Snow Awards took place where the shortlisted brands under various categories were selected as winners. One of them was Swedish clothing manufacturer, Peak Performance and another was Les 2 Alpes, winning the best European resort category. Alpine ski racer Chemmy Alcott won a lifetime achievement award, which is undoubtedly a well-deserved title.

Inside the hall itself, the resort tourist offices, tour operators and retailers such as Ellis Brigham, took the prime spots. The Norway Home of Skiing bar area was well located right in the middle of the main hall and one of the only places you could get a decent seat. In fact, this was a common criticism of the show, where it was hard to just sit down, relax and have a bite to eat out of the rain. The venue doesn’t help, space is limited, but there needs to be more space for this either inside or outside (under cover) next year.

As you walked further back there were two smaller halls that felt like temporary structures (or more temporary than the main hall) – generally it didn’t look like exhibitors in this section were in anyway compromised by being here, but the feel of the main hall was that little bit….nicer. Right at the back was the Mountain Talks Theatre stage where the fashion show and talks about winter sports including one from Telegraph Editor Henry Druce (and overview of the upcoming winter with what to expect from gear and resorts) was fun and informative and another hosted by yours truly about off-piste and backcountry skiing alongside British ski team racer Emily Sarsfield and Richard Barker from Kicking Horse Powder Tours.

Richard, Rob & Emily on stage

Back outside, some of the exhibitors were having a tough time with the weather – although it didn’t seem to affect the Uniqlo brand as they have away a free top to every visitor….quite nice they are too. Still, I think next year the smaller brands might opt for an inside stand despite the increased cost.

We’ve already heard that next year’s show will push back a week to the traditional half term slot – if this is the case then they need to look at what’s available for younger kids because they had a better set up at Earls Court. Perhaps because it wasn’t in the half term week they didn’t bother so much. Let us know your thoughts though, because I didn’t have any kids with me this year, so hard to get a good feel for it.

Overall, a better experience for the consumer than before – a better one for exhibitors? The verdict is still out, but it’s a tough balance. For a long time people have been wanting more of an event and this is what we now have, but can that take the focus away from the exhibitors? If The Telegraph can build on the show and drive the numbers then possibly they will have the best of both worlds.

Here’s some comments Snow.Guide received from some of them:

“The London Ski Show is where the industry gets together to promote themselves to the public. To get the best out of the show, consumers need to go with an inquisitive spirit and lots of ideas of what they want from their skiing. Whether it’s to improve, ski more places or update their equipment. Tour the stands and see what the ski industry can offer. Consumers need to talk more about what it is they want and exhibitors can listen and tailor their products accordingly. More happy contented skiers fulfilling their ambitions is what we are all after. Don’t go just to be entertained, go to find out how you can get more from your skiing experiences”.

Phil Smith – Director, Snoworks Ski Courses

“We had some great conversations with people who are interested in coming on our trips to the Powder Highway this winter to ski in Kicking Horse. As to the show – good presentation and set up – I like the location and it felt busy”.

Richard Barker, Kicking Horse Powder Tours

What We Liked

  • The entertainment on the main stage, especially on the Friday night
  • The Norway Home of Skiing bar area
  • The British athletes showing how to do it in the air
  • The overall venue compared to Earls Court
  • The Pizza
  • The exhibitors who all put so much hard work and effort into being there and providing information to the skiing public in this country
  • The people who turned up despite the rain and seemed to have a good time
  • The Genius Bar staffed with real ski experts and industry legends

What We Didn’t Like So Much

  • The access to the venue – we have heard rumours of golf buggies but there needs to be some way to get people from the rail/tube stations to the door – one suggestion to me from Martin Breach at SkiA Ski Trainer was to use the kind of snow trains you get in ski resorts to transport people there.
  • Although the food was an improvement, there could be much more done – the street food was ok, but really it was hot dogs, chips, Alpine style cheesy food….but there’s skiing in Asia too (Japanese noodles), North America (Burritos), Spain (Tapas)….and I don’t get the Michelin star label unless I missed something.
  • Could the ticket costs be spread a bit – I mean, I think £25 is good value if you were there on Friday and stayed all evening, watched the Cuban Brothers and did the whole thing. £25 on the Saturday? Yes that included the fireworks display at Battersea Park which is then good value, but it’s a ski show, so if you don’t want fireworks it looks expensive.

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