LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

Rob McBride ISI PRESIDENT

Rediscovering the ISI Purpose

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VERY SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATION can answer three fundamental questions:

What do we do? How do we do it? And most importantly, Why do we do it?

Te “what” and “how” will inevitably change over time as

the needs of our members change, but the “why” defines the fundamental purpose of our existence. It is the foundation of everything we do as well as the principles we uphold.

In this edition of ISI EDGE, you will read some exciting

news about program and service changes (what we do) and new initiatives (how we do them) that will allow us to better serve our membership. Tis is just the beginning of an ongoing strategic plan to update ISI to meets the needs of the ice sports industry moving forward.

I want to take a minute here to talk about the “why” of ISI. As

many of you know, ISI was formed in 1959 by a group of ice arena owners, operators and programmers convening in Chicago with the goal of combining forces to strengthen and professionalize the evolving indoor ice arena industry. One of the greatest challenges facing this developing industry was generating interest in ice sports and converting the occasional participant into a returning loyal enthusiast.

A COMMON GOAL

Tis founding group was as diverse as the industry itself (then and now) with public and commercial arena owners, skating school pioneers and instructors, facility managers and operators, as well as arena builders and suppliers. What brought them together was the singular purpose they shared: to grow and support the ice sports industry.

It wasn’t about championship teams, trophies, medals, or even

dreams of glory. It was a much simpler and, in my opinion, a more noble pursuit: find ways to share their love of ice sports through creating a healthy and thriving ice arena industry.

Tis group of pioneers and their successors developed

education and training programs to professionalize all facets of the industry: the first standardized learn-to-skate curriculum; national and international recreational skating programs and competitions; certification courses in management, operations, programming, planning and design of new facilities; and the list goes on and on.

Fast-forward to today, 58 years after that auspicious beginning,

and the world looks quite a bit different. Our industry is no longer a fledgling dream; we now have well over 2,000 artificial ice arenas

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across the United States, many with multiple ice surfaces and a myriad of programming and services never imagined in 1959. A healthy mix of public, commercial and non-profit ownership has fueled this growth and provides stability to a maturing industry.

Some might look at where we are today and ask, “Why

do we need an ISI any longer?” We have other industry training programs, there is another option for a learn-to-skate curriculum and there is another national industry conference and trade show …

My answer? We need ISI today more than ever before!

Te founding principles of ISI — participation, fun, fairness, affordability, professionalism, education — are crucial to preserve in light of the very real threats looming on the horizon.

Ice sports have become increasingly focused on elite skill

development that requires a tremendous commitment of time and financial resources from parents and participants alike. Tis is gradually making our sport “out of reach” for far too many. Our participant base is stagnant and in some cases shrinking as we become more and more dependent on fewer families paying a lot of money to balance our books. Tis trend is affecting hockey as well as skating with house caliber players pulled into elite travel programs or skaters rushed out of group instruction into private lessons. It’s “churn and burn” without any consideration of the long-term effect on the sport or industry.

At the same time, many arenas are coping with spiraling labor

and benefit costs by cutting programmers back to part-time positions in a shortsighted effort to avoid benefits and get costs under control. Tis will inevitably shift our industry even further toward this unsustainable model of elite programming with a diminishing foundation of recreational “fun” programming.

Tis is where the ISI philosophy and best practice systems will

play such a critical role in this next chapter of the industry. It is not a new mission for us but rather an understanding of how our founding mission relates to this current world we find ourselves in.

Te new programs and tools we are unveiling as well as

the ones we are developing for the future are aimed squarely at growing and retaining participation to create a strong and diverse base to support your arena and coaches. Our educational programs will increasingly be delivered to you regionally to make them more accessible to all arena employees. Our online library of resource materials will provide a virtual policy and procedure guide for arenas. Te development of our cloud-based integrated software suite will save countless hours for programmers, allowing you to invest your time where it matters most — growing your programs. Our redesigned website will make it far easier for you to quickly get the information you need as well as drive interest to your programs. Our educational courses will provide invaluable assistance to you in reducing operating costs and providing superior customer service to keep your patrons returning.

In summation, ISI exists because of YOU! You are our “why!”

Your success and the success of your arena and programs is our sole purpose of existence. Along this sometimes bumpy 58-year journey, we may have forgotten that fact once or twice, but be assured it is the central focus of everything we are working on for today and the future.