EUROSIMA BOARD MEETING ON SNOW: A COHESIVE AND CHALLENGING START TO THE YEAR

 

Founded in 1999, EuroSIMA is the European association of Action Sports manufacturers. Its aim is to act as a catalyst for the board sports industry in Europe, bringing out the best in our sector. With over 185 members representing 4,000 professionals, EuroSIMA is committed to federating, educate, develop and promote the industry in a responsible manner.

 

What are EuroSIMA Board Meetings?

Every quarter, EuroSIMA brings together its executive team and the members of the EuroSIMA Board, made up of some fifteen senior executives from companies in our sector. Our board meetings are an opportunity to discuss industry news, assess the health of our companies, highlight current challenges and define the association's main lines of action. To kick off 2024, we've decided to get away from our usual meeting rooms and get back to the roots of our association: our passion for outdoor sports.

 

The first Board Meeting 2024 in the mountains!

 

We wanted to organize this first meeting of the EuroSIMA Board of Directors in 2024 in this mini-seminar format, immersed in the Pyrenees (La Mongie), to encourage cohesion, exchange between our members and good times spent in the great outdoors. After all, this is the very essence of the boardsports brands our members are in charge of and are passionate about. That's why we wanted to get away from our traditional indoor meetings.

We felt it was important to enable our members to get together in the mountains to experience, feel and enjoy moments that remind them that their passion for board sports and nature are at the heart of their commitment to our industry.

For this exceptional organization, EuroSIMA relied on one of its member companies: PYRÉNÉANCE, an incoming agency specializing in mountain sports holidays.

With the macro-economic context at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 not looking too rosy, the key managers of our companies are faced with a whole host of worries on a daily basis (inflation, inventory levels, unfavorable weather, rising energy costs, the repercussions of conflicts on the costs and delivery times of goods...). We felt it was important to start 2024 on an optimistic and different note, to enable everyone to take a step back from the problems facing their businesses over the 2 days.

 

The two-day program

• Morning board meeting
• Afternoon: ski / snowsplit and freeride tour to reach the Aygues-Cluses refuge for the night
• Evening: high mountain guide Philippe Barthez presents his profession and introduces the concepts of risk and safety.
• Second morning: philosophical workshop led by Jérémy Raffet to debate the notions of work, value and counter-culture.
• Afternoon: ski / snowsplit and freeride tour back to the resort

 

 

Members present

Jean Louis RODRIGUES (President EuroSIMA), Christophe SEILLER (Director EuroSIMA), Zoë ZADOUROFF (Marketing Manager EuroSIMA), Juline BABOULENE (Communication Assistant EuroSIMA), Joost GROOTSWAGERS (Volcom), Mathieu LEFIN (Rip Curl), Fred BOUCHER (Napco), Nicolas DAZET (Ocean52), Philippe SIRECH (Spotyride), Darren BROADBRIDGE (Pure Surf Camp), Pierre LAIGNEL (Hackschooling), Matthieu GUYONNAUD (Sealocker), Aurélien SILVESTRE (Oxbow) and Lionel FRANSSEN (Napco).

This team was completed by : Bernard and Mathieu CREPEL, Jean Baptiste COFFIN (Pyrénéance), Jérémy RAFFET (Philosophe), Guillaume ARRIETA (Photo & Videos), Julien GASSIOT (Pyrénéance) and Philippe BARTHEZ (Mountain Guide).

 

Highlights of the 2 days

 

 

 

 "[...] In these moments of embarrassing difficulty, tears involuntarily cleaned my cheekbones. Mid-transition, a hairpin turn with only my duck feet to exaggerate the skiing. I was falling backwards, and at that moment, the face of my lost daughter told me to hold on. That day, a few of us were out of the water. I felt more like a seal on the beach. I was enjoying myself, but gracelessly, watching the swan-like movements of JB and Julien, our mountain guides.

But we managed, and although our sleep was sporadic due to too much wine and the obligatory snoring monster, we made it through the night. The old folks were up first and I sat next to Bernard Crepel for breakfast.

Twenty-five years ago, when I first started working at Quiksilver, I remember seeing Bernard and Claude Etchelecou in every position. They're mountain men, I was told. They had tanned faces and an assurance of experience that only adventure could provide. At the time, I didn't know who Mathieu was, until I started seeing pictures of him in winter magazines. In those crazy moments at the top of the hill, they both gave me advice and stayed by my side while I followed the pack. Bernard explained how complex his relationship with his son had always been because of Mat's career. It eased my stress; I wasn't alone in thinking about my son in Paris following a very different path to my own.

The mountain has united us in a way we never imagined." Darren BROADBRIGE, Pure Surf Camp.

 

 

The 2024 outlook

The year 2024 is shaping up to be a tricky one, and the watchword for our EuroSIMA member companies remains "caution" in their market development operations. That's why we want them to feel the collective strength of our "industry", our ability to develop shared operations, and to call on our partners in local and private government to reassure our business leaders.

We'll be working alongside our members to help them promote and develop their brands, products and services, via our EuroSIMA strategic development axes: Circular Economy, Sustainable Development, CSR - Digital Business Transformation - Employment, Training & Skills.

In the spirit of the EuroSIMAfamily!

 

The EUROSIMA STRONGER TOGETHER campaign

It's a campaign dedicated to highlighting our meeting times and the formation of strategic working groups. It's our way of underlining the strength of the collective to face our challenges, because we're stronger together! It's an initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration within the action sports industry by forming working groups on specific, technical themes.

This campaign aims to unite our members, experts and key players around common challenges such as responding to crises like the Covid pandemic, setting up working groups to tackle the issue of PPE suits, and our bi-annual board meetings. Thanks to this collaborative approach, EuroSIMA aims to find concrete solutions and strengthen our industry's influence in strategic decisions at French and European level, demonstrating that there is strength in numbers when it comes to solving sector-specific problems.

 

__________

EUROSIMA BOARD MEETING ON SNOW: COHESION AND CHALLENGE TO START THE YEAR OFF RIGHT

Founded in 1999, EuroSIMA is the European association of Action Sports manufacturers. Its aim is to act as a catalyst for the board sports industry in Europe, bringing out the best in our sector. With over 185 members representing 4,000 professionals, EuroSIMA is committed to federating, educating, developing and promoting the industry in a responsible way.

 

What are the EuroSIMA Board Meetings?

Every quarter, EuroSIMA brings together its executive team and the members of the EuroSIMA Board, which is made up of some fifteen senior executives from companies in our sector. Our board meetings are an opportunity to discuss industry news, evaluate the health of our companies, highlight current challenges and define the association's main lines of action. To kick off 2024, we decided to get away from our usual meeting rooms and return to the roots of our association: our passion for outdoor sports.

 

The first Board Meeting 2024 in the Mountains!

"When Christophe and I first talked about this project, because it was his idea, our aim was to get the managers of our companies out of their usual context. This is no easy task, as they all have very full agendas, and it's "never the right time....". I say this with respect. We wanted to create an even stronger team spirit, sharing good times but also moments of solidarity to enrich and solidify this group.

Indeed, we come from a very individualistic sport, and we want to be STRONGER TOGETHER. It would appear that our initial objective has been achieved." Jean Louis RODRIGUES, President EuroSIMA.

We wanted to organize this first meeting of the EuroSIMA Board of Directors in 2024 in this mini-seminar format, immersed in the Pyrenees (La Mongie), to encourage cohesion, exchange between our members and good times spent in the great outdoors. After all, this is the very essence of the boardsports brands our members are in charge of and are passionate about. So we wanted to get away from our traditional indoor, closed-door meetings.

We thought it was important to offer our members the chance to get together in the mountains, to experience, feel and enjoy moments that remind them that their passion for board sports and nature are at the heart of their commitment to our industry.

For this exceptional program, EuroSIMA called on one of its member: PYRÉNÉANCE, an agency specializing in mountain sports trips.

The macro-economic context at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 is not very encouraging, and the main managers of our companies are faced with a whole host of worries on a daily basis (inflation, inventory levels, unfavorable climate, rising energy costs, repercussions of conflicts on the costs and delivery times of goods, etc.). We believed it was appropriate to start 2024 on a different, optimistic note, to help everyone take a step back from the problems facing their businesses over the course of these 2 days.

 

The two-day program:

• Morning board meeting
• Afternoon: ski / snowsplit and freeride trip to reach the Aygues-Cluses refuge for the night.
• Evening: high-mountain guide Philippe Barthez presents his profession and introduces the concepts of risk and safety.
• Second morning: philosophical workshop led by Jérémy Raffet to debate notions of work, values and counter-culture.
• Afternoon: ski / snowsplit and freeride trip back to the resort.

 

Members present:

Jean Louis RODRIGUES (President EuroSIMA), Christophe SEILLER (Director EuroSIMA), Zoë ZADOUROFF (Marketing Manager EuroSIMA), Juline BABOULENE (Communication Assistant), Joost GROOTSWAGERS (Volcom), Mathieu LEFIN (Rip Curl), Fred BOUCHER (Napco), Nicolas DAZET (Ocean52), Philippe SIRECH (Spotyride), Darren BROADBRIDGE (Pure Surf Camp), Pierre LAIGNEL (Hackschooling), Matthieu GUYONNAUD (Sealocker), Aurélien SILVESTRE (Oxbow) and Lionel FRANSSEN (Napco).

This team was completed by : Bernard and Mathieu CREPEL, Jean Baptiste COFFIN (Pyrénéance), Jérémy RAFFET (Philosophe), Guillaume ARRIETA (Photo & Videos), Julien GASSIOT (Pyrénéance) and Philippe BARTHEZ (Mountain Guide).

 

Highlights of the 2 days

"The most important thing for us was to see what kind of cohesion emerged from this session! This is never easy, as our company directors and board members remain competitors in the market and are not usually obliged to share more than a more or less formal meeting or exchange.

In this particular case, immersing a group of nature-loving participants in ski touring and splitboarding, in rather tricky weather conditions and during intense physical effort, we were able to feel a real sense of group cohesion and shared values emerging from our Board.

This is what we want to emphasize throughout the year with our slogan #eurosimafamily. And here, we were able to experience it and see it with our own eyes." Christophe SEILLER, EuroSIMA Executive Director.

"A memorable Board thanks to EuroSIMA and top organization with Pyrénéance! A real pleasure to see the team completed by Bernard and Mathieu Crepel. We won't forget the anthology of the night in the refuge, the high-altitude philosophical workshop with Jérémy, the exchanges with board members over a good génépi, the return trip as hard as the outward... A big thank you to the EuroSIMA team. Jean Louis, we missed you at 2000 meters! Looking forward to the next episode of #eurosimafamily adventures. " Philippe SIRECH, Spotyride.

"I'd like to thank you for the opportunity I had to share these two days in La Mongie with you. This was my first Board EuroSIMA, and it was a great, enriching experience. What I remember most was connecting with a bunch of enthusiasts. We had representatives from companies with different profiles and sizes, but a common passion. Snow wasn't the dominant element in our practices, which were more water sport oriented, but everyone's strengths and weaknesses made us a team. Those who were more at ease helped those who were less so, a real moment of sharing. " Lionel FRANSSEN, Napco.

"Eurosima offered to organize the first 2024 board meeting at La Mongie. Chris called me the week before to see if I'd come. Two days of skiing in the mountains, in good company, how could I say no? That was before I found out we'd be ski touring, which was totally foreign to me. The meeting, the update on the current state of the industry and our planning for the year preceded the hike up the mountain to find refuge in a hidden valley.

In these moments of embarrassing difficulty, tears involuntarily washed down my cheekbones. Halfway up, a hairpin bend with only my duck feet to exaggerate the skiing. I was falling backwards, and at that moment, the face of my lost daughter told me to hold on. That day, a few of us were out of the water. I felt more like a seal on the beach. I was enjoying myself, but gracelessly, watching the swan-like movements of JB and Julien, our mountain guides.

But we made it, and although our sleep was sporadic due to too much wine and the obligatory snoring monster, we made it through the night. The old folks were up first and I sat next to Bernard Crepel for breakfast.

Twenty-five years ago, when I first started working at Quik, I remember seeing Bernard and Claude Etchelecou in every position. They're mountain men, I was told. They had tanned faces and an assurance of experience that only adventure could provide. At the time, I didn't know who Mathieu was, until I started seeing photos of him in the winter mags. In those crazy moments at the top of the hill, they both gave me advice and stayed by my side while I followed the peloton. Bernard explained how complex his relationship with his son had always been because of Mat's career. It eased my stress; I wasn't alone in thinking about my son in Paris following a very different path to my own.

The mountain united us in a way we never imagined." Darren BROADBRIGE, Pure Surf Camp.

 

The road to 2024

The year 2024 is shaping up to be a tricky one, and the watchword for our EuroSIMA member companies remains "prudence" in their market development operations. That's why we want them to feel the collective strength of our "industry", our ability to develop mutualized operations, and to call on our partners in local or private government to reassure our business leaders.

We'll be working alongside our members to help them promote and develop their brands, products and services, via our EuroSIMA strategic development priorities: Circular Economy, Sustainable Development, CSR - Digital Business Transformation - Employment, Training & Skills.

Working together in the spirit of the EuroSIMAfamily!

 

The EUROSIMA STRONGER TOGETHER campaign

This is a campaign dedicated to highlighting the value of our meetings and strategic working groups. It's our way of highlighting the strength of the collective to face our challenges, because we're stronger together! It's an initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration within the action sports industry by forming working groups on specific, technical themes.

The campaign aims to unite our members, experts and key players around common challenges such as responding to crises like the Covid pandemic, setting up working groups to tackle the issue of PPE suits, and our bi-annual board meetings. Thanks to this collaborative approach, EuroSIMA aims to find concrete solutions and strengthen our industry's influence in strategic decisions at French and European level, demonstrating that there is strength in numbers when it comes to solving sector-specific problems.