WSIA - SUMMIT 2024
| Written by Levi Dills |
This year's WSIA Summit marked the 18th annual hosting of the event, and returned to the beautiful Resort at Squaw Creek. We had great networking and collaboration, insightful speakers, delicious food and over 8 FEET of snow!
All attendees gathered together for the official opening of the SUMMIT, with presentations from WSIA Officers and Staff, with updates on our successes and challenges for towed water sports, our strategy for the year ahead, plus other important announcements.
The event kicked off with a grab-n-go breakfast before some time together on the mountain and the Alliance Manic Downhill.
This fun and informal race is hosted by our friends at Alliance Multimedia and is a great chance to get out on the mountain early with colleagues and friends. Or if racing isn’t your thing, join the crowd at the end of the race near the resort lift, around the outdoor apre ski area.
After our kickoff lunch, attendees broke up into different committees, including Towboat, Equipment, Wake Parks, Camps & Schools and Parasail.
Hunter Thane, founder and host of the Grab Matters Podcast, kicked off this year’s Summit with what he has learned during his first 40 episodes, sharing some hilarious and insightful clips along the way. His show has already hosted many of the biggest and most influential names in water sports, and its popularity continues to grow.
Internationally Recognized Economist & Analyst Dr. Christopher Thornberg was this years Keynote Speaker. As a thought-leader and dynamic public speaker, Dr. Thornberg spoke on the economic forecasts of the watersports industry and recovery from the pandemic and the subsequent surge in inflation.
Dr. Christopher Thornberg has been called many things throughout his career, but his favorite thing to be called is correct. He founded Beacon Economics in 2007 and the firm quickly made a name for itself as the only major forecast to correctly predict the collapse of the sub-prime real estate bubble and the global recession that followed. In his closing statement he stated that
"The Future of watersports is looking good!"
His presentation was followed by Q & A for the audience.
For more information and future events please follow the link to WSIA
