Steamboat Pilot & Today

Winter activities related businesses that depend on vacationers have a chance to spread their net wide from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Steamboat Grand. That is the date of the Winter Activity Fair hosted by the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association.

Referrals and networking are important tools for small business owners everywhere. In resort towns such as Steamboat, there's an increased emphasis on informal marketing. Guests depend heavily on taxi drivers, hotel front desk personnel and food servers to guide their decisions.

Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said next week's activity fair is intended to allow businesses and resort workers to mingle and exchange information.

More than 20 businesses have signed up for the fair, and reservations are ongoing, Polumbus said.

"This is a chance for businesses to communicate what their story is, where they are located and how it works," Polumbus said.

Businesses pay $60 to set up a table at the fair. Admission is free to the public with the promise of free food samples and prizes. Many businesses, from dinner sleigh ride companies to snowmobile tours, have their own strategies for reaching people who can influence vacationers. The activity fair affords a chance for businesses to network among themselves.

More than a half-dozen restaurants already have signed up for the fair, including a new Beau Jo's store preparing to open on Lincoln Avenue. Steamboat Powdercats-Blue Sky West will be there to talk about guided backcountry skiing. Bucking Rainbow will be present to remind hotel concierges that they can turn their guests onto Rocky Mountain trout fishing even in winter. And Gail Holthausen from The Potter's Wheel will be there to promote her business as a diversion for nonskiers.

Representatives of the city-owned Howelsen Ice Arena will attend to ensure lodging staff members can answer their guests' questions about the availability of indoor ice-skating in downtown Steamboat.

Interested businesses may contact chamber representative Kathy Coates at 879-0882 or register via e-mail at kcoates@steamboat-chamber.com.