ASR Goes Digital
Come January, the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo in San Diego will take on a distinctively high-tech flair. As part of its move toward a more eco-friendly and user-friendly platform, ASR’s directory, the ASR LineUp, will be offered in an all-digital format. Expanded Show Preview and ASR Show Daily publications will be available on the show floor.
“The relevance and speed makes the new digital ASR LineUp a win-win for both buyers and manufacturers,” said Andy Tompkins, ASR’s show director. “We understand that as ASR grows, it’s becoming more challenging for attendees to follow all the events and news on the floor relevant to their businesses. These three products are being designed explicitly to help buyers, media and exhibitors make the most out of a trip to ASR.”
A digital ASR LineUp makes updates easier, cuts down on paper waste and creates a tool attendees can continue to use after the show is over, Tompkins said. The ASR LineUp will be accessible to all of the industry at the show’s Web site (www.asrbiz.com) and at entry points throughout the industry starting this month. An expanded Show Preview will include a schedule of events, seminars and a detailed floor plan for the show’s three-day run of Jan. 24–26. The new ASR Show Daily magazine will include breaking news, brands to watch, events and trends for the coming season. Each day, the ASR Daily will be available in hotel lobbies and throughout the San Diego Convention Center.
Quiksilver Top Hair-Raiser for Charity
One month of prickly faces added up to more than $65,000 raised for charity by 180 Quiksilver employees. In November, Quiksilver Chief Bob McKnight, sponsored surfer Kelly Slater, and employees and executives from the company’s American, Australian and French offices participated in “Movember,” a month-long fund-raising and awareness event for prostate-cancer research, in which participants grew mustaches during the month. Quiksilver’s charitable arm, Quiksilver Foundation, was the largest participating and top-earning team. The Foundation matched up to $100 of each team member’s earnings.
To commemorate the end of Movember, McKnight hosted a wrap party at Quiksilver’s Huntington Beach, Calif.–based offices complete with awards for “Best Mo.”
Reef's Green Effort Gets New Chief
Reef’s eco-focused Reef Redemption division has a new chief. The company promoted Mike Gass to the newly created position of director of Reef Redemption. Gass will direct the brand’s environmental initiatives; the Reef Redemption eco-friendly product line; and the Reef Redemption Fund, the brand’s charitable division.
“We have an amazing team of individuals committed to affecting real change in how we make product, conduct our business and give back,” Gass said in a statement. “It is great to be working on this project at a time when there seems to be a real shift in attitude, not only in our industry but in the overall business world, as well.”
Before being named director of Reef Redemption, Gass was a senior footwear product developer and an associate product line manager for men’s footwear at the company. He was part of the team that created the program two years ago. Gass will be responsible for researching and sourcing eco-friendly materials to expand the Reef Redemption product array in 2008.
