Like the industry it represents, the Action Sports Retailer trade show is finding its way in a new era.
ASR, which holds two shows a year showcasing clothes inspired by surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, isn’t the raucous, sprawling party it used to be.
For one, the show is about half the size it was at its 1990s peak.
That’s not surprising, given the dramatic downturn in action sports clothes in the past two years or so.
The recession caused shoppers to cut back. And those who kept spending shifted tastes to trendy retailers such as Forever 21, Topshop, H&M and Hollister.
But as action sports clothing shows some early signs of a turnaround, ASR is contending with an upstart rival that’s managed to lure some of the industry’s up-and-coming brands.
“We’re definitely competing for the same business,” said Aaron Levant, president of Los Angeles-based Agenda LLC, which puts on the rival Agenda Tradeshow in Huntington Beach.
The new realities aren’t lost on ASR’s owners, San Juan Capistrano-based Nielsen Sports Group, part of New York-based Nielsen Co.
Nielsen has been making changes to ASR, once known as a beer-soaked, bikini-clad party for clothing companies largely from Orange County.
Changes have included adjusting dates to better fit the schedules of retailer buyers—the show’s lifeblood—and making it easier for smaller companies to exhibit, including at two smaller boutique shows.
Buyers at ASR come from around the globe to check out the latest fashions and place orders for their stores.
They represent retailers such as Anaheim-based Pacific Sunwear of California Inc., Irvine-based Tilly’s Inc., Zumiez Inc. of the Seattle area and department store operators such as Nordstrom Inc. and Macy’s Inc.
Mom and pop surf stores and smaller chains, such as Huntington Surf & Sport and Jack’s Surfboards, both of Huntington Beach, also are ASR regulars.
Other Shows
While Agenda has emerged as a rival to ASR, the show’s primary competition is Surf Expo, a broader beachwear show in Florida that includes action sports clothing makers. It’s put on by DMG World Media, part of Britain’s Daily Mail and General Trust PLC.
Most of the industry’s biggest names exhibit at ASR, including Irvine-based Billabong USA, Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc., Cypress-based Vans Inc. and Irvine-based La Jolla Group Inc.’s O’Neill. There also are smaller, up-and-coming brands such as Newport Beach-based Atwater and Huntington Beach’s O’Quinn Clothing.
In all, ASR has about 600 brands in 100,000 square feet of space at the San Diego Convention Center, down from about 180,000 square feet in the 1990s.
Rival Agenda has made headway luring smaller buzz brands and even some of bigger names, including Costa Mesa-based Hurley International LLC, part of Nike Inc.
Agenda’s show at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa has about 150 brands in about 40,000 square feet of space.
ASR and Agenda each hold two main shows a year. ASR’s shows are typically three days long. Agenda’s run for two days.
The shows generate revenue from exhibit space sales and sponsorships. Agenda charges $4,000 for a booth. ASR’s prices start at $2,500.
Agenda has carved out a niche in shoes and clothes inspired by skateboarding, which have held up better in the downturn than other segments.
Adidas AG’s Reebok, Converse Inc. of Massachusetts, Venice-based Toms Shoes Inc. and Duffs International Inc. of Britain are among those that exhibit at Agenda.
The show’s signature company is considered to be Costa Mesa-based Rvca Clothing, Levant said.
The edgy clothing maker is one of the industry’s buzz brands with many watching it as the next possible breakthrough company.
Rvca also shows at ASR.
Some companies have gotten selective about where they exhibit.
Lake Forest-based Sole Technology Inc., maker of etnies skateboarding shoes, began showing at Agenda in 2006 and later started sitting out ASR’s show.
Some, such as Torrance-based DVS Shoes and Los Angeles-based Crooks & Castles, only exhibit at Agenda, which looks for exclusivity.
“We handpick the brands,” Levant said.
ASR has more of a global audience, said Andrew Tompkins, vice president of Nielsen Sports Group.
“Our differentiation is an international audience that ASR is able to attract,” he said. “ASR has been the place to come see the pulse of the industry, to understand what the trends are.”
A lot of buyers go to both shows.
“I always make an effort to go to both,” said Duke Edukas, owner of Surfside Sports in Costa Mesa. “Both shows are relevant.”
Amid the recent downturn, some exhibitors have been choosing to show at either Surf Expo or ASR.
Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc., the largest maker of actions sports clothes, sat out the February ASR show after doing Surf Expo in January. Quiksilver is expected back at ASR in August.
Surf Expo spans about 250,000 square feet and sells to a wider range of buyers, including those representing Caribbean resorts and souvenir shops as well as to mass buyers, including the military and Target Corp. About 940 companies exhibit.
No one expects ASR to go away.
Parent company Nielsen has $4.8 billion in yearly sales and has spent an undisclosed sum to revamp the show. There’s been speculation that ASR could buy Agenda someday.
Nielsen used to be part of the Netherlands’ VNU Expositions Inc., which sold the business to investors in 2007.
Boutique Shows
A key part of ASR’s strategy has been to hold a pair of boutique shows, Class@ASR and Crossroads.
Class gets high marks from buyers and exhibitors alike for its no fuss booths. It also has less of a party vibe than ASR’s main show.
“We like the way it’s laid out,” said Surfside Sports owner Edukas. “In the past, we’d walk through these trade shows with booths as big as Camelot.”
Class exhibitors included Rvca, Atwater, Irvine-based L*Space America LLC, Los Angeles-based Grn Apple Tree and Irvine’s Lifted Research Group.
“Every line in Class we take super seriously,” Edukas said.
The Crossroads show focuses on skateboarding-inspired apparel and launched this year. Companies can opt for predesigned, turnkey booths, which is easier for smaller companies.
As the economy improves, chances are that attendance and the number of exhibitors will increase at all of the shows.
“These trade shows reflect the markets they serve,” Tompkins said. “When things are really good, the show will have more sponsorship interest, more brands and more entrepreneurial startups. When things are more difficult, like they’ve been, they can stray.”
