ASR Announces Holiday Edition Dates
The Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo announced its 2007 ASR Holiday edition will run May 23–24 at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Calif. The two-day event was launched in 2006 in reaction to the heightened focus on the Holiday season and fourth quarter among surf-and-skate manufacturers and retailers.
ASR bumped up the date for the 2007 event by a week from last year’s edition, which ran the last week of May and was held in tents in the parking lot of the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort in Newport Beach, Calif. ASR polled some of last year’s approximately 75 exhibitors to find out what dates would work best. “It’s right after the [Surf Industry Manufacturers Association] Surf Summit and before Memorial Day,” said Lora Bodmer, the show’s spokesperson. “We changed the timing to best fit with the majority of retailers and manufacturers.”
Andy Tompkins, ASR director, said the new location would make room for more exhibitors and make for a more professional environment. “And it is centrally located between San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties, so we should have a strong pull from retailers in those three areas,” Tompkins said. To add depth to buyer attendance, ASR will court high-profile international and East Coast buyers for the show.
Quiksilver, O’Neill and Split have signed on to participate in the show. “We’re expecting 2007 to be as big or bigger than last year,” Bodmer said. Tompkins estimated that up to 100 brands will show at ASR Holiday. —Erin Barajas
