Summer Alpine Sports Trade Exchange Launches On May 2nd 2019

SASTEX - The Summer Alpine Sports Trade Exchange, has been created in response to the growing demand for activity based holidays and to help the mountain industry better understand and shape their offerings to new markets.

The one day event, taking place on Thursday May 2nd 2019 at The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead, brings together mountain resorts, tourist boards, activity providers and equipment manufacturers, alongside tour operators, travel agents, retailers and media. SASTEX founder, James Gambrill, is launching the event the day after the well-established LISTEX (London International Ski Travel Exchange) summer edition.

The event includes a trade exchange, forum sessions and networking opportunities. Mountaineer and Adventurer Squash Falconer is the keynote speaker with other forum sessions including a look at the role of technology and how to help grow the overall market, taking place throughout the day.

James Gambrill founder of SASTEX, said: “Summer holidays in the mountains have long been a ‘well-kept secret’ in the general holiday market, but the increasing interest in health, wellness and activity, as seen in the huge participation growth in sports such as cycling and endurance events has begun to create a wider market for Alpine Activity holidays. Whilst some resorts have invested and pushed summer activities - such as mountain biking in Morzine or rock climbing in Chamonix, others are just now becoming aware of this enormous opportunity. With the hotels already there and minor adjustments in infrastructure - such as adapting ski lifts to carry bikes, mountain resorts can start to move to being true 4 season, 365 days a year tourism destinations”.

Dates and location: Thursday May 2nd 2019, The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans Hill, Hertfordshire, HP3 9NH, 9am – 8pm

SASTEX has been created to bring together resorts, specialist mountain activity holiday tour operators, the mountain sports media and other stakeholders together in one place for networking, contracting and planning to how to best take advantage of this growing opportunity. As with our winter event LISTEX, SASTEX will bring its own insights from primary market research to help the industry as a whole understand the current and emerging market, to grow summer mountain tourism for the benefit of all.

SASTEX Timetable - Thursday 2nd May 2019

• 09.00 – 10.00 Registration and networking breakfast
• 10.00-11.00 SASTEX Forum Keynote: Mountaineer and Adventurer Squash Falconer
• 11.00 – 11.20 Break
• 11.20-12.20 What is the role for technology in the mountains, force for good or not?
• 12.20-13.20 Lunch
• 13.20-15.00 Trade Exchange meetings (5)
• 15.00-15.20 Break
• 15.20 – 17.00 Trade Exchange meetings (5)
• 17.00 – 18.00 Growing the market – the Mountain Business 365 Model
• 18.00 – 20.00 SASTEX Party – drinks and canapés
• 20.00 SASTEX Ends