ASR Set to Kick Off in Long Beach
The annual Fall edition of the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo (ASR) will run Feb. 2–4 at the Long Beach [Calif.] Convention Center with expectations to meet or exceed attendance numbers from last year’s show.
Event organizers report that more than 500 exhibitors have already registered for the upcoming show, compared with last year’s mark of 550 exhibitors representing 800 brands of surf, skate, swim, footwear, resort and urban streetwear products.
Several of the bigger exhibitors have increased their booth space for the show, according to Josh Woodbury of Standwood & Partners, the publicity firm for ASR, a division of VNU Expositions.
“Upscaled and new [exhibitors] for this show include Crossfire Technologies, which ended up with bigger booth space for Long Beach 2002 than in San Diego 2001 [the Spring/Summer edition of ASR held last September],” said Woodbury. “Sole Technologies takes the cake for the biggest booth space this year, with 5,200 feet, followed by perennial big hitters like Vans, Hurley, DC Shoes, Osiris and, of course, Quiksilver with all of the brands it has under one roof. At Long Beach, you’ll also see fringe brands like Nike ACG, Adidas American and Dickies.”
Special features/events at ASR will include the traditional Street Course for skateboarders, featuring some of the industry’s best street riders; the “Skate Jam,” sanctioned by the California Amateur Skateboard League (CASL), with amateur riders from CASL’s nine divisions; and Vert Ramp demos. Also, skater Tony Hawk will sponsor through his namesake brand an event called the “Old School vs. New School Birdhouse Doubles Contest,” in which a set of older riders will compete with younger riders on the Vert Ramp.
The show will also include a Street Team panel, comprised of skateboarders, snowboarders and surfers to provide different perspectives on the action sports scene in a variety of geographic areas, organized by Board-Trac, a Trabuco Canyon, Calif.-based market research company. Additionally, Board-Trac will conduct an advertising and retail focus group to discuss what motivates consumers to purchase what brands and why.
Anticipating the Look
Boardsports-related apparel manufacturers are gearing up to show the latest trends at ASR, which has become a showcase for many of the most prominent manufacturers of action-sports and youth-lifestyle apparel.
“Our Fall line looks great,” said Bob McKnight, chief executive officer of Costa Mesa, Calif.-based Quiksilver. “In the men’s area, there’s a gravitation back toward a kind of handmade look, with a lot more treated and textured and finished looks. The sweatshirt category will be good for us.”
Irvine, Calif.-based Billabong will be showing its summer line at ASR, and according to Steve Wilson, vice president of merchandising for Billabong, the line pays close attention to trim detail, techniques and labeling.
Color and print is important for Billabong’s trunks, which continue to be strong sellers, Wilson said, and the new line includes such novelty prints as diagonally engineered flames on the sides of trunks and a print that is visible from a distance but appears to fade away up close. Walkshorts have a slight sheen, and the company is seeing increased interest in corduroy.
T-shirt prints include double-stacked, high-density foil and distressed flocking.
