ASR or the Action Sports Retailer Trade Show is all the marketing and sales aspects of the action sports industry pumped up on energy drinks and splattered into a giant room at top volume. Its fun, it’s annoying, it’s sensory overload for sure.
I love ASR because I get to run around and see many of my friends and catch up on all things from who’s had a new kid to what the latest materials are for apparel or surfboards. I love running into all the athletes, the artist, shapers, surfers, skaters and rock stars.
Scott Russo from Unwritten Law, Greg and Jed Noll to Joel, Christian (Wach, Hosoi and Fletcher), Kelli Murray, Gary Linden, Randy French, Andy Davis, Tyler Warren, Sean Haggar, Noah Shimabukuru, Kahana Kalama just to name a few of the people I ran into. The big show happens twice a year, once in September once in January.
January usually has more of a focus on shapers and surfboards while September seems to have more parties and big events going into the holidays.
This January was one of the smallest shows I’d seen since maybe Long Beach ASR days. Quiksilver and Hurley were missing from the show.
These are two of the main companies you’ll find on “mainstreet”, the main isle running through the middle of the entire show. Some of the companies you’ll find here are Billabong and Billabong Girls, Hurley, Reef, Rip Curl and their juniors brand, Rusty and Rusty girl, Dakine, Oneill, Vans and the like.
It was a quiet and small show but much of the core still seemed to be there in attendance even if they didn’t have a booth.
It was nice and homey actually and I ran into some good folk. The industry seems to be in quite a bit of trouble at this point from the rumblings in the scene. Out of major challenges usually comes innovation and hopefully the industry will bounce back along with the economy and I look forward to things heading back toward a positive business experience in September and through to January 2010.
Lets look at some of the photos from the show including a few of the Glue Network murals being painted to benefit Gabriel House, Invisible Children and Street Angels. Some great artists donated their time and even Christian Hosoi stopped to take a picture of the amazing art. Artist Austin Blasingame, Kelli Murray, Johnny (KMN DZ) Rodriguez and Ekundayo collaborated to create three 6’ x 8’ walls while Katherine Brannock painted live on hats provided by Flexfit. The event was sponsored by Flexfit, Jedidiah, ASR and Montana Cans.
