Prowinter, Italy’s meeting point dedicated to operators from the snow, rental and ropeway industry, is scheduled to take place from 10 to 12 April 2018. It is continuously gaining importance as a platform to draw a balance at the end of the winter season which has already been kicked off at the Ski World Cup in Sölden (Austria), and is expected to experience an upward trend – not least thanks to the upcoming Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. Apart from winter sports, Prowinter is also going to proceed in its efforts to bring up the topic of all-year-round mountain tourism.
The Ski World Cup in Sölden which took place on the 28th October has already kicked off the season for the winter sports fans across the globe and of course for the international ski market as well. Producers, retailers and ski resorts are ready to welcome their customers and to tend to their every need. And while it was Sölden to open the ski season, Prowinter – Italy’s only specialized trade show for rental and winter sports, scheduled to take place from 10 to 12 April in the Fiera Bolzano Exhibition Center – is once again going to conclude it.
Prowinter is not just a trade show, it is a platform targeted at rental for mountain sports. Since 2016, new entrepreneurs get the chance to present their ideas for the future of alpine tourism and sports in Prowinter’s very own Startup Village. Prowinter is a meeting point for shop owners, associations and ski clubs. Decision makers from the rental, retail and ropeway sector gather information on the winter industry, as well as state-of-the-art mountain infrastructure and management. Lastly, Prowinter is always an opportunity to draw a balance, and to pay tribute to those who have been successful in the previous season. Numerous award ceremonies are held each year, rewarding Italy’s famous winter sports athletes next to up-and-coming talents as well as ski instructors.
One eye on the present, one on the future
“We are highly motivated to create an event which is able to respond to the growing needs of the rental sector and everything that revolves around the topic of winter sports”, says Geraldine Coccagna, exhibition manager of Prowinter, “also being mindful of the fact that there is something beyond the cold season that we have to keep an eye on as well.”
In fact, a few editions back, Prowinter has started to feature operators from the bike sector, following a general trend that has led many rental shop owners to offer not only ski but also bike equipment, especially during summer. “Without doubt, the rise of e-bikes has brought about a very strong impulse in the rental sector, and we as a platform are in the right position to function as mediators able to seize the opportunity that the mountain industry will have to follow“, concludes Coccagna.
Prowinter LAB continues
Diversification and innovation are the two key factors which in the end fulfil the customers’ needs: climate change, for instance, pushes touristic destinations all over the world to adapt and develop new strategies to satisfy their year-round clients, even when snow is scarce. In this ever changing environment, decisions should not only be taken quickly, but also be based on as much information as possible, that is why Prowinter decided to take on Prowinter LAB as a project for 2018. This observatory, born in 2016 and first presented at Prowinter 2017, is aimed at collecting and analyzing data from Italy’s still largely unknown rental sector, in order to allow the sector’s operators to rely on hard facts when making their decisions.
The comeback of Alpitec
Prowinter 2018 will once again be hosting Alpitec, the B2B sector for mountain technologies: a part of the exhibition is therefore going to focus on snowmaking equipment, ropeway systems and slope maintenance, but also year-round infrastructure like fun parks.
INFO: Prowinter 2018
