Back in December of last year (2009) when we heard that several trade shows were flying retailers in and putting them up for a couple nights just so they could walk the isles of a convention for two days we asked a rather obvious question in a post titled Skate Trade Show Overload:
We have to wonder what happens to the entire trade show business model when they have to pay retailers to attend. Lord knows retailers need to be treated well these days, but it still seems to bring us back to the question that’s been plaguing the boardsports business for several years: are trade shows even relevant anymore?
It would appear that today ASR’s parent the Nielsen Company answered a little late with a resounding “No” according to a post on Shop-eat-surf.com. According to what Tiffany Montgomery described as “multiple people briefed on the matter” ASR has cancelled all of their upcoming trade shows. She says:
The demise of the industry’s largest trade show on the West Coast, with 700 brands, 450 manufacturers and attended by 18,000 people from over 60 countries, has the potential to dramatically alter the trade show landscape in the action sports industry.
Nielsen VP of Operations Lori Jenks is quoted in the the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“Unfortunately due to the difficult economic environment and the consolidation in the action sports industry, Nielsen Expositions have decided to suspend the production of both ASR events in San Diego indefinitely,” wrote Lori Jenks, vice president of operations for Nielsen Expositions.
As we all know, the only companies who stand to be hurt by ASR going away are the small and the new. But then they’re the ones who get in the way of the big corporate labels anyway. The major labels can afford to do their own sales work, and if the barrier to entry on the little guys gets a little higher through all this, who really cares, right?
It should be even better news for Agenda’s Aaron Levant. His show has always specialized in the small guys. If ASR leaving the trade show game is good news, Levant didn’t want to talk about this afternoon. The only response we got from him was, “No comment on the ASR situation.”
[Link: Shop-Eat-Surf and San Diego Union-Tribune]
Since selling the Planet Earth brand to K2 Sports in 1997 the Chris Miller founded brand has done nothing but bounce around from concept to concept. In the most recent move K2 Sports has ditched the brand entirely and licensed it to a Quebec based W.L. Activewear. Owned by Phil Dixon, the Whiteland distributes AlpineStars, Bern helmets, and Aerial7 headphones in Canada as well as owning the Liquid Boardwear brand, according to a story on Sports One Source.
