For Immediate Release
July 10, 2004

TAB Ad Placement Study Results Show Sitour as a Leader in Quality!
Kingston, NY - The results are in...Sitour achieves a 98.7 compliance rating from independent TAB Research for 2004 ski season.

Sitour USA Achieves Very Strong TAB Advertising Placement Compliance Rating for 2004

Sitour USA Kingston, NY –  Sitour USA achieves 98.7% compliance on just released independent Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) research for the Winter Season ended April 2004.  Sitour USA commissions TAB to conduct an independent audit of its advertising placements to measure its success in placing ski Resort onsite media for its clients.  The TAB Audit Research was completed in April and tabulated in the spring.  TAB reviewed Sitour’s ad placement commitments by client contract and compared them with actual ads placed at ski Resorts.  Sitour USA is a leader in research and utilizes extensive 3rd party research including Simmons Ad Recall Study, TAB Placement Audits, and Market Probe Promotional Event Intercept Study to provide its clients with superior proof of performance.

TAB has been a research provider to Sitour USA for over 10 years. “TAB is commonly thought of as the leading Outdoor advertising industry watchdog,” says Monte Rios, President of Sitour USA.  “That’s why we use their service, because they are the best at measuring the quality of our advertising execution in the field.  We are proud of our strong TAB track record.”  Sitour USA Operations is an expert in the placement of advertising at ski Resorts.  “We are very focussed on getting each advertisement placed perfectly every time,” says Gerry Tschinkel, VP of Operations for Sitour USA.  “We want our clients to get every possible skier impression through the ski season, and it starts with perfect placement every time.”  Sitour USA Operations staff is very experienced working with Resorts to place client advertising with over 20 years of experience.

TAB, Traffic Audit Bureau, is an industry leading 3rd party research provider for media measurement.  TAB reviews contracted advertising placement orders in detail by location. TAB research measures a company’s compliance in placing its contracted advertising. Sitour USA provides research results to its media clients as part of annual reporting and includes historical trending across multiple seasons.

For the 2004 season just ended, Sitour USA achieved a 98.7% compliance rating for the 2003-2004 ski season.  The 90% confidence range on this compliance rate was 97.4% to 99.9%.  Historically, Sitour USA TAB compliance results are in the mid-90% range.  “We strive to achieve a perfect 100% compliance on advertising placement each season,” says Tate Lacy, VP Marketing for Sitour USA.  “Despite snow, wind, Resort operations and US Forest Service changes that impact advertising placement during the ski season, Sitour delivers the impressions our clients demand.  It is our commitment and what makes us a leader in advertising at ski Resorts”. 

Sitour USA consistently provides independent research based proof of performance to its clients. TAB compliance research is part of a package of research elements that Sitour uniquely provides its clients.

For additional information or an immediate custom proposal, call Sitour USA at 845-331-9000 or contact any of our staff via our website @  www.sitourusa.com/contact/index.

About Sitour USA: Sitour USA owns and operates a network of over 4500 media placements at 150 of the nations top ski Resorts. Sitour USA has delivered ski media programs for Chevy Trucks for 10 years offering 4 media formats: Panorama Map Ad Displays, Lift/Clock Corral Ad displays, In-Lodge Poster Ad Displays, and Ski/Snowboard Rack Ad Displays. Sitour USA is based in Kingston NY with strong ties with New England ski Resorts, and operates satellite offices in Boston MA, and Lake Tahoe CA. Sitour USA was founded in 1983 by ski industry professionals and offers strong experience in ski Resort operations.  Sitour USA leverages its strong ski Resort relationships nationally to maximize ad awareness for fortune 500 clients including Mercedes, Pfizer, Kraft, Unilever, Nestle, Anheuser Busch, Diageo, Visa, Sony, and Dannon. Sitour USA uses dedicated regional teams to place and service client ad placements and complements this media delivery with dedicated event teams to deliver sampling and on-mountain consumer events for its media clients. Sitour has proven success in delivering integrated ski Resort media and event programs that help brands “own the snow” - with skiers and snowboarders.

For Immediate Release
June 3, 2004

Sitour Announces Winterfest 2005 Resort Schedule
Kingston, NY - Preliminary Resort schedule for next season's Winterfest event tour delivers 20 event days - January through March 2005.

Winterfest 2005 Tour Schedule Confirmed – 1st Ski Resort Event January 8, 2005

Sitour USA Kingston, NY - Winterfest 2005 Events will begin January 8th 2005 and continue through March 20th. Given last winters spectacular success with on-mountain events for Chevy, Captain Morgan Rum, Pfizer Neosporin, Dannon Drinkable Yogurts, and others, Sitour USA has brought back the popular Winterfest event tour for 2005.  As always, Winterfest will be a tour of one-day, grass roots, on-mountain events at 20 popular ski Resorts. 

Sitour USA people make it all happen calling on their 15 years of experience executing on-snow promotions. “The attention to detail and the know - how to get it done right is what our people bring to our clients” says Gerry Tschinkel, VP of Operations for Sitour USA. “Our people are the best on-the-snow, and they prove it in how their passion for owning the client experience pays off with the ski Resort and with skiers and snowboarders”.  Sitour USA promotion managers have great experience from some of the biggest promotion agencies around, combined with a unique knowledge of execution in cold, wind and snow.  “Our managers love skiing and snowboarding” says Andrew Yard, Promotion Manager Sitour USA. “It’s the love of being in the mountains, on-the-snow, that gives our team the unique capability to succeed in the cold, wind, and snow across all aspects of the execution from travel to set-up”.

Sitour USA uses an established tour schedule and plan from Resort scheduling through day of event set-up.  The 1st step is capturing the brand’s experience in a concept idea.  Artists, and technicians bring this core idea to life. “I am always amazed at how bringing together artwork, brand messaging, audio and video components, and a well thought out staffing plan really brings a brand idea to life” says Tate Lacy, VP Marketing for Sitour USA.  “ It is the process of working with our clients and their agencies over the summer well before the snow falls that gets us to great events in the ski season”. Sitour USA plans events with media clients through the summer and fall of each season.

“In the end”, says Monte Rios, President of Sitour USA, “it is all about the results we achieve for our clients”.  Sitour USA executed 92 events at ski Resorts during the 2003-2004 ski season. The combined reach of these events was over a half million skiers and snowboarders.  Each Sitour USA event engages 5,500 skiers and snowboarders each day and impressions reach far higher as the event locations are at the highest traffic locations seen by everyone at the Resort. “We are proud that our efforts for Chevy last season achieved thousands of qualified vehicle leads and vehicle walk-throughs”, says Lisa Wensberg, VP National Account Manager for Sitour USA. “It was a great achievement and the results really show the impact we have on helping Chevy own-the-snow”. Sitour USA provides events for its media clients in tours like Winterfest 2005 and within large custom stand alone events.

Sitour USA is now presenting the Winterfest 2005 tour to all media clients.  20 grass roots events will be offered in 2005 with the first on January 8th 2005.  The Winterfest 2005 schedule* is as follows:

For Immediate Release
May 10, 2004

Sitour Onsite Advertising Covers U.S. ADIs
Kingston, NY - Sitour Onsite Advertising network of almost 5,000 ad placements reaches all major U.S. ADIs. Strength areas include California and New England ADIs.

Sitour USA Onsite Ski Resort Advertising Network Delivers Mass Reach and covers Major US ADIs

Sitour USA Kingston, NY - Sitour USA advertising placements available in its network reach many major US ADIs.  Advertising placements are posted at ski Resorts from November 15th through April 15th each winter season.  Even warm weather ADIs like Los Angeles, the largest resident market for skiers, are well covered through Sitour USA advertising placements at key drive-up and destination Resorts.  Active consumers can be found throughout the country in every major market and Sitour USA network ski Resorts are geographically dispersed to match the mass of skiers and snowboarders.  Sitour USA picks its network Resorts for highest mass reach using local “drive-up” Resorts at the core of its national network.
Sitour USA operations teams work closely with ski Resorts in every ski region. “ We are always talking to ski Resort owners and operators to understand the underlying trends driving ski Resort visits” says Gerry Tschinkel, VP of Operations for Sitour USA. “We pick Resorts close to where people live because this is where the bulk of ski Resort visits are.  We are a mass player so the popular local Resort is very important to us”.  The experienced Sitour USA staff reviews the visit trends from the National Ski Areas Association each season to understand where families actually ski.  “Sure the big Colorado destination Resorts are big, but despite their size, they still are not the mass reach we can offer with a large number of local Resorts” says Monte Rios, President of Sitour USA. “Think of it this way, the skiing family goes to their local mountain 10 weekends a season, vs maybe taking a 4 day trip to a Colorado destination Resort once every 2 years.  The mass reach numbers are just better at the local Resorts.  Also, young snowboarders, the target our clients often want, are found at the smaller Resorts – they’re not the big Resort consumers at all”

Sitour USA begins its network review each spring with direct dialogue with Resort operators leading up to the National Ski Areas Association Convention in early June. Through these discussions, Sitour USA determines the exciting visit growth areas at small and large Resorts.  Sitour USA then identifies the available advertising placements by advertising category to identify the most impressions available to key client segments like Automotive, Spirits, Food, Beverages, and Personal Care. “We often find restrictions at specific ski Resort locations due to US Forest Service rules, or current Resort sponsorship contracts” says Tate Lacy, VP Marketing for Sitour USA. “We know from experience that even if the ski Resort has a big name or large destination draw, in the end, our media clients want impressions and the ability to place a clients advertising with no restrictions is critical.  That’s what it’s all about in the season end analysis – viable impressions to generate mass reach and cost effective CPMs.”

Sitour USA delivers hundreds of millions of ski Resort ad impressions every season for clients like Chevy Trucks, Dannon, Mercedes, Pfizer, Kraft, Unilever, Ski Press USA, Sam Adams, and Bel Kaukauna.  Sitour USA media programs utilize 4 unique media formats: Panorama Map Ad Displays, Lift/Clock Corral Ad displays, In-Lodge Poster Ad Displays, and Ski/Snowboard Rack Ad Displays.  Sitour USA media program CPMs range from $0.62 to $2.50 with most integrated programs delivering about a $1.00 CPM.  “When I speak to outdoor buying and planning agencies, they always recognize Sitour USA as providing the mass reach opportunity to reach skiers and snowboarders across any ADI or nationally” says Jeff Miller, National Account Manager Sitour USA.  “We deliver the ski impressions in every market and at a CPM and out of pocket cost that fits into a ski plan easily and is a good buy vs other opportunities to reach these active consumers”.

Sitour USA ski Resort advertising network delivers national scope and covers many US ADIs.  The below listing itemizes Sitour USA advertising Resorts by ADI covered.

For additional information or an immediate custom proposal, call Sitour USA at 845-331-9000 or contact any of our staff via our website @ www.sitourusa.com/contact.

For Immediate Release
May 1, 2004

Sitour National Ski Area Association Trade Show
Kingston, NY - Sitour continues its leadership with US ski Resorts at this year's annual NSAA convention in Savannah, Georgia.

Sitour USA represents advertising clients to Ski Resorts at National Ski Areas Association Convention in Savannah GA

Sitour USA Kingston, NY – Sitour USA is ready to represent its advertising clients to over 600 ski area executives at the upcoming National Ski Areas Association's (NSAA) annual National Convention and Trade Show in historic Savannah, Georgia. The May 17- 20 convention helps set new ideas for ski areas to attract more ski Resort visits for the industry and Sitour USA represents its industry leading signage solutions supported by fortune 500 client advertising as a strong contributor to the overall industry.  Sitour USA not only helps brands connect with ski consumers, it also helps brands get into skiing.  Sitour USA Operations staff maintain an active dialogue with ski area executives and help communicate the needs of client brands from big impact ad placements, to product placement to sampling.

Sitour USA connects with their ski area counterparts continuously in the ski season.  The annual NSAA convention is the kick off of this dialogue for the 2005 winter season.  “Resort operators understand the advertising support model we bring to them and we try to continually expand the priority of integrating our client brands into the overall ski Resort experience” says Tate Lacy, VP Marketing for Sitour USA.  “Resort Marketing Directors really do want to work with our brand clients and we function to facilitate the dialogue to find brand solutions that work within the ski Resort venue".  Sitour USA often samples client brands to ski area executives at the show to start the dialogue about how brands can be part of ski school, food service, or general promotional objectives at the ski area.

“Each year we want to provide something fun and different at the show to create an environment where ski area executives can learn about what is new at Sitour USA” says Gerry Tschinkel, VP of Operations for Sitour USA.  “Each Resort knows we have great signage solutions.  We also want them to know about our client advertisers to understand the opportunities to leverage advertiser media, sampling, and promotion efforts”.  Sitour USA begins planning for each show in March to develop displays, messaging and client presentations for ski area executives, marketing and promotion staff.
Sitour USA has built direct Ski Resort distribution for Balance Bar and Maxwell House brands through efforts with ski areas coming out of the NSAA convention. “Building sampling and distribution programs is only part of the success” says Bill Smaine, National Account Manager Sitour USA. “When Resorts better understand how we help clients like Bud Light or Post Grape-Nuts or Audi Cars, they are more able to help us find the solution that works within the Resorts action plan.  This early dialogue helps us put together media placements that really help the brand own the snow at the Resort.” Sitour USA works with ski area operators continuously in the management of  a network of over 4,500 media placements across 150 ski Resorts. According to Monte Rios, President of Sitour USA, “Our participation with NSAA allows us to have the knowledge and the relationships inside and outside our advertising network to help brands find the right solutions that work at ski Resorts”.

Sitour USA begins its work with ski Resorts for the 2005 ski season at the upcoming NSAA convention on May 17th. Sitour USA represents the value client brands bring to the ski Resort experience and establishes the ongoing groundwork to facilitate brand programs for 2005 that effectively link clients with ski Resorts for win win solutions.
For additional information or an immediate custom proposal, call Sitour USA at 845-331-9000 or contact any of our staff via our website @  www.sitourusa.com/contact.

For Immediate Release
April 15, 2004

Sitour's Summer 2004 Ad Recall Study
Kingston, NY - The results are in... Sitour ads again score strong ad awareness and positive purchase intent for Sitour clients.

Sitour USA Achieves Strong Client Advertising Recall in 2004 Simmons Research Study

Sitour USA Kingston, NY – Sitour USA achieves ad recal up to two times place based media benchmarks in the recently completed Simmons Research study for the Winter Season ended April 2004.  Sitour USA commissions Simmons to conduct an independent intercept survey across key advertisers to measure the impact of its onsite media.  Simmons interviewed skiers and snowboarders on-mountain to determine their awareness of advertising and its impact on purchase intent. Sitour USA conducts extensive research including Simmons Ad Recall Study, TAB Placement Audits, and Market Probe Promotional Event Intercept Study to provide its clients with a superior track record of proven performance. Highest ad recall results were as much as twice place based media norms.

Simmons has been a research provider to Sitour USA for 4 years.  Nielsen conducted previous ad recall research for Sitour USA. “We have had great support from our team at Simmons” says Monte Rios, President of Sitour USA. “We have used both Nielsen and Simmons and find both to be of great quality.”  Each has provided us the ability to deliver a superior level of proof of performance to our agency and brand clients”. 

The Simmons study is conducted at Sitour advertising Resorts.  Intercept interviewers onsite at the Resort spend 2 days – 8 hours per day interviewing skiers and snowboarders using a survey questionnaire. Simmons designs the survey each season to capture brand awareness, ad awareness, and purchase intent scores associated with seeing client advertisements on the mountain.  Survey participants are tested for unaided, aided, and photo prompted recall of client advertising at that Resort.  Sitour USA provides research results to its media clients as part of annual reporting and includes historical trending of ad awareness and purchase intent across multiple seasons.

For the 2004 season just ended, Sitour USA media delivered over a 70% ad awareness for client A, more than 2 times the place based media norm of 31%.  Purchase intent scores also were strong in the high 50% range.  Historically,  Sitour USA ad awareness scores across all clients average near 50%.  “We achieve strong ad awareness across the average of all clients for a variety of reasons” says Tate Lacy, VP Marketing for Sitour USA. “First, many of our clients are multi-year, so they grow their ad recall with the ski consumer over many seasons.  Second, Sitour media placements are unique in that they have very high relevance.  As a skier or snowboarder, you really need the information on the Panorama Trail Map at the top of the mountain, so you look at it closely many times a day.  The advertising associated with this map has great relevance, and lots of impressions.  Finally, the ad placements have very low clutter relative to other place based media, so the advertising recall is not diluted by distractions.”

Sitour USA consistently provides independent research proof of performance to its clients.  The recent Simmons Study published in April 2004 demonstrates the value of this type of research by confirming that ad awareness can be up to twice as high as place based norms. Purchase intent is also a strong end result proving ski Resort advertising ultimately helps brands drive volume.

For additional information or an immediate custom proposal, call Sitour USA at 845 331-9000 or contact any of our staff via our website @ www.sitourusa.com.

For Immediate Release
April 1, 2004

Sitour 2004 Event Recap
Kingston, NY - This past winter season sure was full of fun and some great skiing and snowboarding. Our events saw strong traffic despite the cold temperatures.

Sitour USA Completes 2004 Season with 92 event days and Hundreds of Millions of Ad Impressions
Sitour USA Kingston, NY – From the week before Thanksgiving 2003 at the US Ski Team kick off in Park City Utah through the US Snowboard Nationals on March 28, 2004, Sitour event teams have traveled to execute 92 events at US ski Resorts.  Sitour event teams engaged over half a million skiers and snowboarders delivering vehicle walk throughs, sampling, on-mountain sweepstakes, contests, prizing, music and of course lots of fun.  Sitour USA has 15 years experience tackling the logistics support behind on-snow events enabling the mass of events completed this season.  Sitour coordinates dialogue and agreements between media clients, their agencies, and ski Resort managers to facilitate the brand solutions that work effectively within the Resort venue.  Sitour USA events are a perfect complement to media placements on the mountain.

“Our success starts and ends with our people” says Andrew Yard, Manager of Promotions for Sitour USA. “We have bright, energetic people who love to be at ski Resorts and have the ability to learn the clients brand and represent it well to consumers". Sitour USA Operations staff works very closely with ski area event and promotion coordinators. According to Michele Primo, Operations Assistant Sitour USA, “Communication is the key to working with the ski areas. They are so busy getting the lifts running, they rely on us to think through all the details so they can feel confident of a good execution and know what they need to do to support the client”. “Our tour managers and tour staff are the most important brand ambassadors” says Gerry Tschinkel, VP of Operations for Sitour USA. “These star people make it all come together on the mountain and become the brands front line spokesperson with skiers and snowboarders.” Sitour USA event managers have the unique knowledge of executing in cold, wind, and snow.

“It all starts in the spring well before the ski season begins” says Tate Lacy, VP Marketing for Sitour USA.  “We worked on the Chevy Trucks execution in May. By September, all elements from artwork, to tenting to travel and transportation are completed”.  Sitour USA executed over 100 smaller events in the 2002/2003 ski season.  According to Gerry Tschinkel, VP of Operations for Sitour USA, in 2004 we simply took our events to the next level – making them bigger and even more impactful”.

“The results this ski season are very strong” says Monte Rios, President of Sitour USA.  “We executed 92 events at some of the biggest ski Resorts and biggest ski events of the 2003-2004 ski season.  The combined reach of these events was over a half million skiers and snowboarders.  And we delivered hundreds of millions of media impressions as well.  That’s work, and our team did a fantastic job.  I’m proud of the results we achieved this season.”  Sitour USA delivered hundreds of thousands of samples in 2004 through lift ticket windows, and condo sampling. One of the best results for 2004 was the new Sitour USA Cold Storage Delivery System executed for Dannon Yogurt.  This new system expands our capabilities to help our clients deliver more samples more easily to skiers and snowboarders.

Sitour USA delivered a strong 2004 ski season.  A strong calendar of events, combined with greater event size delivered more consumers than ever before.  New innovations in sample delivery established even greater capabilities to connect brands with skiers and snowboarders.  Sitour USA media placements delivered hundreds of millions of media impressions integrated with event and sampling programs at ski Resorts nationally.

Sitour Familyfest 2004 January 29, 2004
Kingston, New York - If family fun, music, free samples and cool games at a beautiful ski Resort sounds good to you, then come to FamilyFest 2004 at a Resort near you! Be sure to visit the event sponsor tents for fun games, giveaways and samples sure to put a smile on your face.

If family fun, music, free samples and cool games at a beautiful ski Resort sounds good to you, then come to FamilyFest 2004 at a Resort near you! Be sure to visit the event sponsor tents for fun games, giveaways and samples sure to put a smile on your face.

Come to the Balance Bar tent to sample some great new Balance Bar Gold flavors. Balance Bars are based on the 40-30-30 nutritional philosophy which works well in conjunction with a diet high in protein with moderate carbohydrates. It's a delicious way to help meet your body's need for energy. Plus, they have 23 essential vitamins and minerals. Now, who wouldn't love that?

Be sure to make your way over to the Neosporin tent where you can play the ball toss game, learn some interesting facts about Neosporin and take home a free sample to try. Neosporin is the # 1 doctor recommended first aid antibiotic ointment for over 25 years. It is suitable for your whole family and no other triple antibiotic ointment kills more types of bacteria. Neosporin is available nationwide in food and drug stores.

Over at the BabyBel Cheese tent you can play plinko, win prizes and taste some wonderful mini BabyBel cheese. Mini BabyBel meets the growing demand for wholesome, great-tasting and portable snack foods. Individually waxed and wrapped for freshness and portion control. Perfect for a quick snack on the go, in lunchboxes or at home. This product is 100% natural cheese.

Don't forget Dannon. At their tent there will be samples of new drinkable yogurt like Frusion Smoothies and Light-N-Fit Smoothies. DANNON Frusion is a fusion of creamy lowfat yogurt and real fruit for a uniquely bold "straight from the blender" taste experience. Wake up your taste buds every morning with the only smoothie that's FrusionBlended! Now it's even easier to be good on the go - with DANNON Light 'n Fit Smoothies! No smoothie is lighter than DANNON Light 'n Fit Smoothies. With a great taste and only 80 calories per 7 fl oz bottle, you can drink them every day.

For Immediate Release
January 28, 2004

Chevy Mountain Experience
Kingston, New York - Beginning in early December and running through the end of March, the Chevy Mountain Experience (CME) is coming to a ski area near you! CME will be gearing up at Resorts throughout the East, West and Rocky Mountain Regions offering the ultimate ski and snowboarding experience to qualified Chevy consumers.

Kingston, New York - Beginning in early December and running through the end of March, the Chevy Mountain Experience (CME) is coming to a ski area near you! CME will be gearing up at Resorts throughout the East, West and Rocky Mountain Regions offering the ultimate ski and snowboarding experience to qualified Chevy consumers. Following a brief qualification process, participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a fun and informative vehicle walk-through. Featured vehicles will include an array of 2004 cars and trucks such as the Suburban, Tahoe, Trailblazer, Avalanche, Corvette, Malibu and the new SSR and Colorado. Participants become eligible for the Chevy Mountain Tour upon completion of their vehicle walk-through. The Chevy Mountain Tour is a 90-minute guided mountain tour lead by a professional ski instructor where the skiers and boarders are grouped by ability to enjoy " the best 90-minutes the mountain has to offer!" Participants will discover the secrets of the mountain and all it has to offer from their local guide.