ASR Hires New Show Director
Action Sports Retailer, the San Juan Capistrano, Calif.–based company that organizes trade shows for the surf- and skate- clothing crowd, has hired Andy Tompkins as group show director to replace Kevin Flanagan.
Tompkins is responsible for marketing and sales strategies, industry relationships and growth opportunities for ASR, which is a division of VNU Expositions Sports Group. He previously worked for Outdoor Retailer Winter and Summer Market and Fly-Fishing Retailer World Trade Expo, two trade shows produced by VNU Expositions.
Tompkins joins ASR at a time when the company is preparing for the debut of its newest edition, ASR Holiday. The show, set to run May 31–June 1 at the Newport Dunes Resort in Newport Beach, Calif., is aimed at getting manufacturers and buyers together for the Holiday season. The show is off to a good start, apparently spurred by the industry’s growing importance for the fourth quarter. ASR representatives said exhibitor space is sold out.
Flanagan, who was with ASR for several years, joined action sports brand Reef, a division of VF Outdoor, as vice president of global marketing. He is charged with building Reef’s brand identity of its surf-oriented apparel and footwear products. Under Flanagan’s direction, ASR expanded to Europe, saw three consecutive years of growth and launched the Holiday show. —Erin Barajas
