Director Fred Welch discusses relocation

The glittering oasis in the desert known as the gambling capital of the world, the entertainment capital of the world — and most famously, Sin City — has yet another new attraction: the headquarters of the Trikke Academy, the division of Trikke Tech where trainers and dealers learn their trade.

For months, rumors about the move had been circulating on social media, but this week, the Academy made it official with an email blast notifying its subscribers. Calling it a “long, decision-making process,” the email also highlighted Las Vegas as a “vibrant and exciting place for business and travel.”

For more on what the relocation means for the Trikke Academy and its traveling road show of seminars and riding clinics, TrikkeWorld conducted the following carving Q&A with Academy Director Fred Welch:

TrikkeWorld Magazine: Trikke Tech remains headquartered in Buellton, CA, but the Trikke Academy has relocated from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Why?

Fred Welch: The main reason is, moving the training division of Trikke Tech to Las Vegas basically allows Trikke to be in two states at once. We also realized there is very little Trikke activity going on here, if you can believe it. We've done several Academies here, but no one from Vegas has actually attended.  

So the opportunities are wide open and the promotional exposure is huge. Even with the major downturn in the housing market in the state of Nevada, Vegas is still a vibrant place. The casinos are just one aspect of it. And it's actually great trikking weather 10 months out of the year.

For training, you need space. And I don't care where you live, at some point, you have to move indoors. Compared to California’s pricing for commercial space, we can develop a pretty nice training facility here for pennies on the dollar. 

TWM: In March, the Academy will be carving up Vegas with major events over successive weekends, first with a Riding Skkool, then with an Academy seminar, both with bonus Skki Days. Do you think the city's other attractions — shows, resorts, casinos — will be an added draw for people considering attending those events?

FW: I think so, especially for this year's National Riding Skkool. The weather will be great here in March, and let's just say, the excursions should be quite a kick this time around.  

The Academy has established a great new relationship with the Aliante Station Casino + Hotel, which will be our location for both events. It's a high end, off-the-strip location. It even has its own movie theaters. They originally came back with out-of-the-ballpark rates and we were getting ready to go with another hotel. But a big thank you to Ann [Pirone — Trikke Academy Coordinator], who picked up the phone at the 11th hour, saying, "last call.”

The Aliante re-assessed and ended up really coming through. We're even going to have the entire upper floor parking lot as our riding space. Vegas views on one side and wide open mountain range on the other. We are so lucky.

TWM: What else about Vegas makes it ideal for the Trikke Academy?

FW: The amazing desert landscape for anyone willing to venture off the strip. I think an endurance ride, or even an LSM ride, through Red Rock Canyon would be fantastic. We're checking into regulations and permits. Look for that announcement soon.            

Now when it comes to the LV Academy, I don't think [the tourist attractions] have the same draw. People primarily come ready to get down to business and learn. People also pick their Academy location for a lots of reasons — date, proximity, riding season. But we also know that the idea of a "destination location" can be part of it, too. 

The past several years, we've had Vegas as our first Academy location of the season, primarily because you have ski slopes only 45 mins away. It makes it easy to add a bonus Skki Day, which has given quite a few folks the chance to experience it. And with the dry climate, the chance of getting rained out for outdoor classes is significantly reduced, so it all just makes sense.  

TWM: What are the prospects that Vegas will become the next carving hotbed?

FW: It certainly has that potential, based on a variety of areas — demographics, exposure, promotion —  but it takes a while to build up real riding community. So, Vegas has a lot of catching up to do. We're just hoping it starts to become one of the many Trikke hotbeds, plural.