Who will get the Gold?

Every January the winter-wonderland of sports is celebrated in style. For twelve years the EPSN sponsored 2010 Winter X Games have been heating things up with super pipe snowboarding, pumped up live-music, tons of promotional giveaway sand talent galore.
After slicing down steep slopes and rocking out to popular bands, boarders, their sponsors and all involved in the snow sport industry part with the Winter X Games (hopefully with medals in hand) and parade over to another winter event.

The Snow Sports Industries America trade show (SIA) has been around for 37 years and boasts the best in snow sports gear & equipment, technologies and branding opportunities. As an after party to the widely celebrated X Games, SIA has been taking place the following weekend. Unfortunately, this year, both the X Games and SIA trade show have been schedule for the very same weekend, January 28-31. To add to the butting-head snow sport events, the 2010 Winter Olympics will take place two weeks later on February 12.

With the X Games and SIA trade show happening the same weekend, they may want to start a promotional giveaway war to see who can draw more attendees. It's pretty clear that the champion event will be the 2010 Winter X Games because of the hype and their major broadcast on ESPN. However, without attending the SIA trade show, how can snow sport athletes, manufacturers and sponsors be prepared for the 2011 Winter X Games? The SIA has been the place to find the hottest gear and most innovative technologies for the snow sport world. They've been a haven for trade show giveaways and networking opportunities for athletes, sponsors and manufacturers, and they plan on keeping it that way.

With the Olympics only two weeks away from the X Games, many athletes will want to sit the X Games out to prevent any injuries and to pack in more training. This may be a benefit to SIA because those athletes and their crews will be readily available for the tradeshow. Still, most winter sport athletes will compete in the X Games and find the time to fly 3 1/2 hours away to the SIA trade show in the same weekend. The X does stand for extreme - and these athletes are going to prove it by heading to the Olympics right there after.

The amount of attendees and media attention outcome for each of the snow sport events has a pretty certain fate. The Bronze Medal goes to the Snow Sport Industries America trade show. The Winter X Games Snag the Silver Medal and in Zeus-like fashion, the Winter Olympics will most definitely take the Gold.