Vovia Client Feature – Get to Know Castle Mountain Resort

One of my favourite things about agency life is the opportunity to work with and learn about various businesses and industries. This is especially exciting when those companies align with my own personal interests and passions, and Castle Mountain Resort definitely fits that bill.

For the unaware, Castle Mountain Resort is located in the Westcastle Valley approximately 2.5 hours drive (270 kilometres) south of Calgary. The ski hill is known for steep continuous fall-line runs and deep, light powder snow of 910cms annually – That’s over 30 feet!

I was stoked to sit down recently with Cole Fawcett from Castle Mountain Resort (CMR) to talk about all the exciting things happening at the hill and what’s up for 2022. Strap on your boots and bindings, pals, because this client feature really shreds.  

Tell us about your role at CMR and how it has changed over time.

I’ve been working here since August 2016, so about 5 years now, and although I started as the sales coordinator, which was more purely sales, I was happy to move more into marketing over time. I am now the Sales & Marketing Manager for CMR, and I am super happy with this role and position. 

I would say that I had limited exposure to marketing in the beginning, but I worked hard, flexed my marketing degree, and eventually got the opportunity to prove myself to the team. I got the nod in the summer of 2018, and was very excited, albeit a bit terrified to take on the responsibility. I had never worked in a pure marketing role before, but I was certainly up for the challenge. I would say my role changed from 80% sales and 20% marketing to 80% marketing and 20% sales, so it was definitely a bit of a learning curve. I am still involved with the sales teams today, but am more responsible for generating the demand.

I am passionate about media buying, would consider myself fairly thrifty in my approach, and the challenge keeps me motivated and excited every day at work; especially during the covid times. 

Do you have any big Projects or Goals at CMR that you are working on?

My number one goal and something I think about daily is – to ensure a sustainable path forward for CMR. 

This is something that’s in our lifeblood, and although we are a for-profit entity, we operate much like a not-for-profit business. Much of our messaging has been centred around our independence and community ownership for years, and this is a very unique trait in this industry. 

Unlike many businesses in this space, we reinvest almost every dollar of profit (if not every dollar) back into the hill, the infrastructure, the snow, and the experience so that our patrons and pass holders can have the adventure they deserve when they come to CMR. 

So, just to reiterate, my goal is always to preserve this characteristic that makes CMR so special, while also finding ways to innovate and stay modern and competitive with other experiences. 

Tell us about your relationship with Vovia

I first learned about Vovia through the grapevine. They are well known in the region and in the industry, and were referred to me by a few partners and colleagues. 

I truly consider Vovia as an extension of our internal marketing team, and they have been extremely helpful in the busy season when I just don’t have time to be executing and optimizing the digital campaigns. I really appreciate Vovia’s expertise, flexibility, and consultative approach. 

If you could describe Vovia in one word, what would that word be? 

Responsive! Due to the nature of our business, we have to be able to turn off our spends at a moment’s notice if we, for example, sell out of our passes or if the snow melts early. Vovia has been extremely flexible in moments like these and is always very malleable to our ever-changing needs. You never really know what you’re going to get when working with new partners, but Vovia pivots fast, works well in our dynamic environment, and has given us peace of mind and media during our busiest times of the year. 

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We are looking forward to continuing another great ski season! Be sure to plan your ski trip or check out the latest news and events on the Castle Mountain website.