Don’t let it’s long title fool you: The Public Relations and Mass Media Committee is about creating the communications strategies that will continue to keep skiing and snowboarding in the limelight.

The Committee, which is chaired by Tom Kelly from the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, held its annual meeting with more than 30 members on the first morning of full action during Congress week on 6th June.

There are always a wide variety of topics on the Committee’s agenda, especially in these modern times when the digital landscape is evolving a pace that is sometimes difficult to keep up with. In fact, the digital revolution was a major topic of discussion at this year’s meeting, as a panel of media experts batted around ideas on how NSAa and FIS can best strategize their communication channels moving into the future.

Tom Kelly said of the Committee, “it’s important that we come together as a group and really share ideas and best practices. Ours is not a Committee about static reports, or creating rules and regulations. It’s a transfer of knowledge and a tool for the key communication experts to bounce ideas off one another and learn about new trends – or brainstorm how to best manage the existing trends.”

The Committee also takes a 360 degree view of the snow sports world. It has always played an integral role in the Bring Children to the Snow programme, which is aimed at increasing the number of children participating in snow sports. In addition, this year, the committee spent time covering the topic of sustainability and how to use communication tools to help everyone involved in winter sports be more environmentally friendly.

“We are open to all areas of conversation,” said Kelly. “Ultimately, we have to be ready to communicate about the themes that are important in the world of snow sports. Right now, we continually hear about digital media, climate change and trying to get the younger generation involved in snow sports. This is why we have these points on our agenda. The more we understand about what our member nations face, the better we can communicate and improve.”

Source: fis-ski.com