Very little in the way of on-mountain improvements were announced at the 2009 Fall Forum last Wednesday at The Yarrow.

Typically the forum is a place for the three resorts to highlight new features that will be ready for the coming ski season. After a tough economic year, spokespeople for the resorts had little to announce other than new programs to improve service and brand loyalty.

Marketing experts said they plan to run the same ads as last year. The only new lift, at The Canyons, won’t be started until next summer.

Still, with the economy improving slowly and early snow fall making everyone hopeful, the messages shared Wednesday were optimistic.

The exception might be Leigh von der Esch from the Utah Office of Tourism. Operating on a slimmed budget of about $1,085,000 last year, she said she’s expecting another tough year and is “just trying to hang on to what we have.”

“We’re heading into a very tough legislative session,” she said.

Direct visitor spending brought nearly $4 million into the state last year; everyone in tourism needs to make the case to legislators for future marketing funding, she said.

State branding should not be taken for granted. In a recent poll, 42 percent of participants said they thought Delicate Arch was in Arizona.

She also said Delta’s suspension of direct flights to and from Tokyo was a disappointment, and their planned in-flight ads had to be redirected to other venues.

Last year’s comedic snowflake ads with people in giant rubber suits will be used again.

Raelene Davis, director of marketing for Ski Utah, announced the launch of new interactive Web ads next week and the new iPhone application for checking snow conditions in mid-November.

New print ads will profile famous athletes like Rachael Burks, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and Louie Vito and talk about their ties to Utah.

Cathy Miller, director of marketing for the Park City Chamber/Bureau again explained that Winter Vacation Planners will only be sent upon request this year.

She said the Chamber/Bureau is in the middle of an intense media campaign this fall promoting Park City-centered stories to 50 to 60 editors and over 100 media outlets nationwide.

The same ads used in New York City last year will be aired in Los Angeles this year, she said.

Coleen Reardon at Deer Valley Resort said her company is ready with its new lodging division and said it was a rough transition, but will be good in the long run.

“It was a tough summer but we’re starting to wrap our heads around it,” she said. “It will allow us to better control the experience of guests.”

She said the Snow Park Lounge has been renamed the EBS Lounge in honor of late Deer Valley Resort-founder Edgar B. Sterns. It can also stand for Edgar’s Beers & Spirits according to the Deer Valley Web site.

Reardon also mentioned several competitive ski events to be held at the resort this winter including a World Cup.

Todd Burnett, vice president of marketing at The Canyons Resort, announced a new luxury service called The Canyons Club.

The price of membership gives skiers extra perks such as valet parking, line-cutting privileges, ski storage and special food and beverage options.

There will be no private ski areas as the resort does not want to alienate its regular clientele. The club is part of an effort to better serve a certain segment of the market, Burnett explained.

“The idea is to serve guests at a higher level,” he said.

He said he wasn’t ready to announce any big capital expenditures, but said an expansion in the Iron Mountain area is coming next summer with a new lift and 200 additional acres of terrain.

Burnett said Talisker and The Canyons are positive about the future and that a record number of season passes were sold.

He declined to give an update on the planned golf course.

Krista Parry, director of marketing and communications at Park City Mountain Resort, said the success of the five-person cap on children’s ski lessons has prompted the resort to cap adult classes to the same size this season.

“We think we’re the only resort to do that,” she said.

The new blog with mothers sharing their Park City winter vacation experiences launched three weeks ago at www.snowmamas.com .

Parry also announced a new program for locals called Start Now for people who have never skied. For $25, a first-time visitor can rent equipment, get a lift ticket and a lesson.