2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide - 34

ABOVE: At each FWSA Convention, there is a Friday afternoon Pool Party where attendees
can gather, relax and renew old friendships, plus make new acquaintances. RIGHT: A few
hours later, they gather again to meet with industry representatives to learn about their
resorts and assist with planning future club travel destinations. In addition, attendees and
guests can bid on fantastic opportunities in the Silent Auction, followed by a DJ playing
some great dance tunes. It's a fun and informative evening!

Set the scene at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa, in Indian
Wells, California, and see just what FUN can
be had. The Orange Council of Ski Clubs
hosted the 87th Annual Far West Ski Association Convention, June 13-16. The Hyatt offered their guests a number of swimming
pools, an on-site golf course, a wonderful spa
in which to relax, all set in a most luxurious
atmosphere.
With daytime activities planned on
Thursday, a number of people arrived early, in
order to take part in those activities, which included a trip to the Palm Springs Air Museum,
the home of the world's largest collection of
WWII, Korean and Vietnam War aircraft. If
you are into any kind of battle history of this
country, and love old airplanes, this was definitely the place to be. We also had a tour of
Celebrity Homes throughout the downtown
area of Palm Springs, which kept a small
group of our club members busy for the morning, with a nice stop downtown for lunch, before heading back to the hotel.
The Pub Crawl, sponsored by Steamboat
Ski & Resort Corp., kicked off at the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa, located just
across the parking lot from the Hyatt. Pub
Crawlers "Got Their Party On" by going over
in groups, to enjoy food and beverages at the
Stir Lounge, followed by a shuttle trip into
downtown Palm Springs to check out the
Thursday Night Street Fair. This gave everyone a chance to check things out downtown

for a couple hours before taking the shuttle
back to the Vista Verde Patio at the Hyatt, for
dessert and a nightcap.
Friday morning began with a group of 22
golfers teeing off at the 13th Annual Michael
German Memorial Golf Tournament. After a
quick continental breakfast at the Indian Wells
Golf Club, the group went out to the course
for a challenging 18 holes of golf. Sponsored
by Club Med, our group enjoyed the day with
some of our industry partners, and other
friends shooting for prizes for "long drives", and
"closest to the tee". Barbara Blase and her "Hawaiian Honeys" rounded up players for photos,
using floral leis, and Hawaiian attire throughout the day. A barbecue lunch, the presentation of awards and raffle prizes topped off the
event.
Other activities included a Spa Day, at
the beautiful Agua Serena Spa, and a Tram
Ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tram, taking
riders up to the State Park for a look at the
beautiful San Jacinto Mountains. Guests were
able to hike a bit at the top of the tram, and
then take the ride back down for lunch at the
Pines Café. At the end of the afternoon, all of
our guests were able to meet up at the Hyatt's
Oasis Pool for the annual Pool Party. Thank
you to all the ladies in Central Council, along
with sponsor, Brian Head Resort, who put on
this wet and wild party, complete with water
pistols.
The Silent Auction and Trade Show, on
Friday night was the time for delegates, and

local guests to visit with an array of resort
partners, lodging partners, tour operators, and
other representatives to plan trips for the coming year. A change from past years, Travel
Expo participants had the opportunity to
begin getting their Passports signed off early,
by visiting with the resort of their choice, talking with representatives, and asking questions
about possible trips, during the Trade Show.
The actual Travel Expo was held on Saturday
morning, so that delegates could finish up
with their appointments, or sit down with
their favorite resort representative for some
quality time to plan a winter trip.
On Saturday morning, two Snowsport
Leadership Academy sessions were offered
for our guests to attend. The first one: "Are
You Covered...A Look at Your Club's Liabilities, Causes and Insurance", was led by Far
West's insurance broker, Fred Liebel, along
with Jim Hovren, an attorney from the Bogus
Basin Ski Club, who handles various insurance claims.
The second one, "Strategic Travel Planning... Delivers Successful Trips", was led by
Debbie Stewart, VP of International Travel
for Far West, along with some of our industry
partners, presenting a guideline and tips for
those successful trips that all of our clubs and
councils hope to have. The final session, held
after lunch, was titled "Getting Over the Ifs,
Through the Ands, and Around the Buts
...Overcoming Objections", led by Michael
Bouton, VP of Membership, Todd Hood, Suc-

34 Far West Skier's Guide 2O19 - 2O2O / Visit the Digital Edition at www.fwsa.org.

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2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide

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