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We were proud to host the 18th annual WSIA SUMMIT at the Everline Resort & Spa in Lake Tahoe, California on March 6-7, 2024.

Stay tuned for details about SUMMIT 2025!


THANKS TO OUR 2024 SUMMIT SPONSORS

About

The WSIA SUMMIT is a can’t-miss annual gathering of the senior leadership of all the major companies in the towed water sports industry. We focus not on competition and sales, but collaboration and education and how we can advance our activities for all.

Schedule


Badge Pickup for Early Arrivals

1-5pm

For anyone getting in a little early (and who already registered online), you can grab your badge to save time. Look for the WSIA table in the lobby.


Badge Pickup

10am–5pm

Only for attendees that registered in advance online.


Pre-event Activity

1:30pm

Racers: Meet at 1:30pm at the outside area near the Resort Chair for information on the course and to go to the start together.

This fun and informal race is hosted by our friends at Alliance Multimedia and is a great chance to get out on the mountain early with colleagues and friends.

Or if racing isn’t your thing, join the crowd at the end of the race near the resort lift, around the outdoor apre ski area.

Follow Alliance on social media for all the latest info on the Maniac Downhill!


VIP Reception

5-7pm

By invitation only. A special chance for our sponsors and speakers to meet up and network with our WSIA board of directors, committee chairs and staff. A great opportunity for sponsors to connect with industry leadership.


Coffee & Light Breakfast

8:00am

Grab a quick bite on your way to the lift for “morning on the mountain” with your fellow attendees. Then we make our way outside for the group photo.


Group Photo by the Resort Lift

8:45am

Make your way outside by the resort chair for our traditional big group photo. Whether you are headed up the mountain or not, be sure to get in this pic!


Walk-up Registration & Badge Pickup

9am–

Pre-registered attendees can quickly pick up their badges and walk-up registration is open at this time.


Kickoff Lunch

12:30pm

All attendees gather together for the official opening of the SUMMIT, with presentations from WSIA Officers and Staff, with updates on our successes and challenges for towed water sports, our strategy for the year ahead, plus other important announcements.


Kickoff Speaker: Hunter Thane

1:45pm

Hunter Thane is the founder and host of Grab Matters, a watersports podcast with an emphasis on wakeboarding. Featuring open and honest conversations with professional athletes (both current and former), industry icons, and those who carry a passion for all things wakeboarding.

Hunter’s goal is to inspire the next generation of wakeboarders, address issues found within the sport, and serve as a hub for towed watersports discussion.

He will help us kick off this year’s Summit with what he has learned during his first 40 episodes, sharing some hilarious and insightful clips along the way. His show has already hosted many of the biggest and most influential names in water sports, and its popularity continues to grow.


WSIA Committee Meetings

2:30pm–5:30pm

Most committee meetings are open to all attendees, but some may have private sessions.

This is a great chance to learn more and be a part of the discussions with our different committees: towboat, AIS, equipment, wake parks, camps & schools and parasail.


Networking Reception

6pm


Dinner

7pm


Keynote Speaker

8pm

Dr. Chris Thornberg

Internationally Recognized Economist & Analyst

Founding Partner, Beacon Economics

With a career rooted in academia, Dr. Christopher Thornberg holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics from the Anderson School at UCLA, where he later taught in the MBA program and served as a senior economist with the Anderson Forecast. As a thought-leader and dynamic public speaker, Dr. Thornberg speaks in front of tens of thousands of people every year, urging audiences to ask the right economic questions before accepting pervasive social and political narratives.

Dr. Christopher Thornberg has been called many things throughout his career, but his favorite thing to be called is correct. He founded Beacon Economics in 2007 and the firm quickly made a name for itself as the only major forecast on the West Coast to correctly predict the collapse of the sub-prime real estate bubble and the global recession that followed. More correct calls followed, including predicting the rapid V shaped recovery from the pandemic and the subsequent surge in inflation. Under Dr. Thornberg’s leadership, Beacon Economics has become one of the most respected research organizations in California producing economic forecasts, impact analyses, policy studies, and regional economic analysis for private industry, public agencies, and nonprofits.

His presentation will be followed by Q & A.


Social Time

9pm


Executive Committee

7-9:30am

(Private/WSIA EC only.)


Water Sports Foundation BOD meeting

10–10:45am

Guests welcome. Hear about all the latest updates and new projects from the educational arm of the WSIA.


WSIA Board of Directors meeting

11am–1:30pm

Guests welcome but may include private sessions. Reports from WSIA officers and committee chairs, as well as progress reports from Government Affairs, Operations and Marketing/Communications departments.


Afternoon Sessions

3:00pm–5:00pm


Networking Reception

6pm


Awards Dinner

7:30pm

Plus Prize Giveaways!


WSIA Leadership Awards

8:30pm

This annual awards banquet honors the best people, companies and products in the water sports industry.


Social Time

9:30pm

End of event