Black Box Distribution to Host Retail Show in January
kristina
- December 09 2008
- 3,488 views
- 49 comments
The first-ever Crossroads retail show will take place at Black Box headquarters in Vista, California on January 21st and 22nd and will include a demo and best trick contest open to the public. The event is an expansion of the open house Black Box typically hosts the day before ASR, and although Crossroads will overlap with the January ASR show, Black Box president Jamie Thomas says the intention was not to become a competitor with ASR.
“If anything we’re helping give some of the people that may attend ASR more of a reason to make the trip out,” Thomas says. “It’s getting harder and harder for retailers and distributors in the skate industry to justify traveling to San Diego for business around the time of ASR, so we’re trying to give them a reason.” He also points out that Crossroads will really only overlap ASR for four hours, as the second half of day two will be dedicated to the public demo and best trick contest.
Black Box has invited a long list of skate manufacturers to exhibit at Crossroads, including Podium Distribution, Sole Technologies, and C1RCA—all of whom pulled out of the September ASR, citing poor timing. While inviting your competitors to exhibit product in your own backyard might not seem like the soundest of business practices, Thomas doesn’t seem concerned.
“So far, thirty-three different brands have confirmed their attendance. Hopefully almost everyone will get involved,” he says. “We’ve hosted open houses in the past with just our brands and they’ve been a success, so if we can get all the relevant brands in our industry in one place our hope is that the draw will be that much greater and the industry as a whole will prosper.”
Podium—which will return to the ASR floor in January—was one of the first companies to confirm their attendance. “This is another opportunity for us to be in front of our retailers in a unique environment,” says Podium VP Tim Gavin. “Jamie is a friend of ours and although he is a competitor, he is a friend. That is just another cool aspect of our industry, we can put the competitiveness behind us and come together as an industry. During times like this I think that is important, especially for the core brands that don’t have the cash cow that the jock companies have.”
In the past, Black Box has opted to host an open house rather than exhibit at ASR because of the larger retail show’s declining relevance in skate. “I feel that there’s very little justification for the financial commitment required to participate in ASR considering the show has very little relevance to skateboarding. If we were a surf or bikini brand, ASR would make sense. To be honest, I don’t think the skateboard industry has taken ASR seriously for several years,” says Thomas. “The open houses were to show what was new for our brands while sharing the culture of our company. This event will hopefully do that for the industry as a whole, we’re just the host.”
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December 9th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Thats awesome!!
December 9th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Sounds like a great idea…good luck Jamie!
December 9th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
The Cheif knows whats up
December 9th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
While one must fully appreciate and respect Jaime’s success as a skate indstury leader, I beg to differ regarding the relevance of ASR to the skate market. The registration data shows the exact opposite from what is being quoted in the above article. ASR is proud to be the largest single financial sponsor to the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC). John Bernards knows that when he needs us we are always there for him. ASR has consistently held excellent pro/am skate events on site at the show and ASR consistently enjoys the full support of some of the skate industry’s largest brands, such as Vans, DC, Element and others in good times and bad times. These brands admitedly STILL write millions of dollars in orders at ASR, just ask them. What is always curious to me about splinter shows like the one Blackbox is planning is that they cannot possibly serve the retailer to have to force them to shuttle all over San Diego to see the brands when we should all be under one roof. Let us please not forget that none of these events would exist if ASR was not spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote 6,000 buyers to come to San Diego.
ASR under Andy Tompkins has gone well out of its way to do everything possible to serve the skate market and we still attract thousands of skate retailers and buyers. Otherwise, I don’t think Blackbox would have much success attracting a lot of retailers if it did not hold this event in and around ASR.
For some reason, despite numerous attempts, Blackbox will not meet with us to see how we can avoid splinter events and work together as one. We heard about this event after the fact. I am putting this out to Jamie right now, that he and his staff should do the industry a service by working under one roof with ASR, to keep the Action Sports industry together. We are very open minded about how to structure things. ASR’s most important mission is to serve the RETAILER and forcing them to have to drive all over the place cannot be a good long term strategy. Jamie, if you are interested in having this event run at the SD Convention Center to save retailers hassles,additional travel days, and the opportunity to see everything under one roof in 3 days, you should call us or better yet, I will call you if you agree to take my call. If you think it is a good idea to continue to spliter an industry that is right now under serious economic pressure from all fronts with many retailers and brands on the brink of extinction than doing your own event is your perrogative. However, I believe I speak for many when I say that I don’t really see how it helps anyone.
My number is 949-226-5706. I am the VP of Nielsen Sports Group, the buck stops with me. Call me and let’s work together to keep the Action Sports industry together. United we stand, divided we all fail.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
http://people.forbes.com/profile/joseph-j-flynn/8816
mr. flynn is a suit with a bottom line.
best of luck with crossroads, jamie. wish i could be there in person to support you with this.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Mr. Flynn,
WIth all due respect, no one from your organization has ever contacted me in the 8 years Black Box has been in business.
Quite simply, we are a skateboard company that’s wants to be amongst other skateboarders and skateboard companies. If ASR was affordable and was 100% relevant to ’skateboarding’ then there would be no reason for us to host a show, but the fact is that if we didn’t host a skate specific show, retailers wouldn’t get to see the brands that are not interested in attending ASR. (Which is 50 or more skate specific brands)
Servicing the ’skateboard’ industry is our primary goal and I apologize if that does not benefit your company.
Best Regards,
JT
December 9th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Dear suit,
What are you afraid of. If your show is so good, why worry about what Jamie Thomas does? It’s because you know ASR isn’t what it was, and never will be again. Concentrate your efforts on Fox, or Affliction, or maybe even Quiksilver, you know brands that cater to bros. You do know bro’s, right, bro?!?
December 10th, 2008 at 4:34 am
Good. Maybe if ASR didn’t become more of an annoyance, people would be exclusive to it.
Wait…errr…I mean, Damn you Mr. Thomas.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:44 am
So what can ASR offer to Skateboard retailers that Jamie cant? Lets see…
ASR
Expensive booth space
Weak skate demos in a weak park
$10 pizzas and $5 cokes
MMA kooks, Chinese surfboards, lots dumb fake people
$12 parking fees
chasing companies from their hotel room shows
Crossroads
Cheap boothspace
Epic skate contest in an amazing park
free food
no kooks and all good skate companies
free parking
everyone welcome on day #2
cool people fun atmosphere
Thats worth the trip I would say.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:09 am
FINALLY, i was wondering when black shirts with skulls on them was going to get their own trade show!
December 10th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Where can I find out more info on how to attend the Crossroads trade show?
December 10th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
With the economy, I bet JT is not going to be doing tradeshows for long. I’m sure he is more worried about laying people off and paying the bills on his skatepark and keeping his team happy right now, not to mention his house payments. It’s funny how things come full circle. Much respect to him… but we are in tuff times and I can’t imagine shops paying to come out this time. Maybe in the future… but not this time.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
money, i really don’t think jamie has anything to worry about. as bad as the economy is right now, there are thousands upon thousands of kids that love skateboarding, and they’re going to continue to purchase black box products. i’ll be the first to admit it, i’ve started buying blank boards, but i still worship the ground jamie walks on, and more specifically, the shoes he does it with. i don’t know if i’ll ever buy any shoes that aren’t fallen again. i also buy all the good DVDs and sweet clothes.
either way, as cool as ASR is, i think crossroads is about a billion times better. ASR really is just aimed at all the so called “extreme sports”. crossroads is straight up skateboarding, and that jamie is inviting competitors shows what kind of a man he is. crossroads sounds like the perfect tradeshow, and if they put the éS game of skate there instead of ASR, i will have no reason ever to look at the ASR again…
mr. flynn, or whatever your name is, have you ever even skateboarded before? and i mean really skated. not just hopping on a board for publicity…
December 10th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
-Isn’t the Skate Hardgoods at ASR 50% off?
-So, “core” companies, get involved to help improve this “weak” park
-Make your lunch
-No more MMA
-Chinese Surfboards? Are you kidding me? What product is not made in China, and sold in the U.S.? It’s called competition. Talk to your retailer about that. They decide what they want to sell.
-Chasing companies from Hotels? Why are they there? Because ASR brings buyers, media and the industry attention.
It’s easy to hate. Haters, bring some ideas, insight and help increase the overall landscape of the Sk8 category. If you care about the category, give y our 2 cents. Reach out proactively rather than be negative.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:32 am
One thing that strikes me right away is the fact the ASR really hasnt changed its model over the years and maybe thats whats wrong. Back in the mid-late 80’s, it was totally relevant. Their was no internet or fancy websites. No skate companies had the funds to afford road reps or 50 page color catalogs. If shop owners wanted to see the latest and greatest they HAD to go to ASR.
Here we are 20 years later and guess what? ASR offers nothing to a skateboard company that they themselves cant get through inside and outside sales reps, a good website and catalogs. If ASR were open to the public, that might help. I guess what has happened is ASR got more caught up with making money than supporting the industry. Why do you think they are so worried over Jamies Crossroads show? Its a threat to them making money.
Its good to see skateboarders giving the kooks in suits the finger and doing things their way. Thats why skateboarding has always been a leader and trendsetter in this industry. Good fro you Black Box, Jamie Thomas and all skateboard companies who are going to be involved!
December 11th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Damn I am impressed. Normally I would talk shit on JT for being a big hypocrite and that he himself makes tons of money off the same kooks in suits and their kids who skate. I am an industry insider who grew up surfing and skating. I wouldn’t consider myself a core skater being that growing up near the beach has made surfing my true passion in life. Tons of respect to skaters being that I know first hand how gnarly it is.
But this time (and I am stoked on JT for being punk enough to do it) what I have to say is that, this move by JT has balls. And that’s what I like about his alternative show to ASR. He’s completely correct. ASR is just about money (for CEO outsiders) and the corporate big wigs behind it know this and that is why they are scared about JT’s show. I have been in this industry for nearly 20 years and the ASR show has become such bullshit. Not to mention the September show is out of whack to a development calendar. That show should be in July for Christ’s sake.
Back in the day the ASR show “was” more legit. Retailers had to go to see the latest and greatest and be part of our “tribe”. I do agree that I think we (surf, skate, snow) can be all under one roof however. But, leave it to a skate brand to have the balls to just do their own thing. Not sure how many retailers outside of So Cal will attend the Black Box show, but good on ya for throwing it. It has passion, core, fun and business all together packaged in a way that pays tribute to why we all got in this business in the first place. I for one am tired of the head corporate big wigs and CEO posers rape this industry of ours. What JT is saying with his show is that “It’s time to take back what is rightfully ours”. We all want to make a living doing what we love and do it our way. Props JT! Maybe some surf brands will follow your lead.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
This is really interesting, I think that Black Box has a good thing going. Between what they are doing and Agenda we just may be seeing the last days of ASR.
ASR is outdated, and they were not interested in change until it was too late.
Jaime, lets combine efforts and really shake things up!
–
Aaron Levant
President
AGENDA, LLC.
T. 323-653-0066
http://www.agendashow.com
AGENDA TRADE SHOW
SAN DIEGO, CA. January 22-24, 2009
LOCATION: The San Diego Concourse
202 C Street San Diego, CA 92101
Less than 1 mile from the San Diego Convention Center.
December 11th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Now thats rad! People getting together to take down ASR! WOO HOO! wait…where would I see the latest MMA and frisbee vendors if ASR is gone?
Oh well, i’ll live.
December 11th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
http://business.transworld.net/2008/12/11/asr-lightens-load-on-retailers-for-january-event/
Looks like ASR read this message board…haha.
too little to late.
December 11th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Well, let’s face it, the staff at ASR are not really in touch with the actual brands ASR. They are not what I would consider core end users to what ASR sells. What they should do is what ISPO does, really find a face that understands the history and cultures of the portfolio of brands that ASR represents. Understand the capital expenditures a company has to put up in order to exhibit, wokr out deals with the over priced labor unions that plague the show set up and tear down each year and regulate the expenses. I mean something should have been done the minute the shoe companies pulled out, that was an indicator to me.
I actually think the days of gravy are coming to a close for ASR unless they put together a better management crew. Realistically understanding the action sports brands and cultures needs to be paramount for them moving forward. Show Management, meaning Nielsen, needs to evaluate the impact of the crew in charge of running the ASR show, take some advice from BRA, SIMA, IASC members and put together a plan, then a package for all of us exhibitors that actually makes sense.
The alternative, AGENDA takes over or makes an alliance with Blackbox to form a more popular show.
So will this start a new trend for SIA exhibitors now that the show is moving to Denver? Hmm??
December 12th, 2008 at 6:13 am
I came to the US 4 years ago from Sweden after successfully applying for, and receiving a green card in the Diversity Visa Green Card Lottery on the web site http://www.usadiversitylottery.com
My Experience the last 4 years living here in Tallahassee Florida, is that Americans are extremely polite and friendly and hard working people and I am very impressed by the Americans I have met so fare. My opinion about Americans before I came to this wonderful land was completely wrong and I am happier than ever living here today and am not going back to Sweden any day soon and probably not at all.
Cheers,
Peter
December 12th, 2008 at 10:15 am
So it sounds like this:
Retailers hate ASR
Jamie is punk as fuck
Some guy from Sweden likes Americans
The guy who runs ASR is a kooky suit who make $250,000 a year
Crossroads is a rad song and now a rad show
ASR is freaking out
Agenda is way stoked
December 12th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
A.lways
S.ucked
R.oyally
Face it. It’s never been cool.
Face it, they’ve always used skateboarding as a tool to attract the high dollar jock companies. So now the tables are turned, skateboarding will use ASR.
ASR man, you’re grasping at straws. Your scare tactics don’t hold water. Skateboarding isn’t going anywhere. Maybe the suits will lose interest, that’s fine with us.
Let’s hope that Jamie’s gathering is/becomes what ASR always could have been.
Now…If we could only weed the jocks out of the skate industry…
December 12th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Agenda is full of lifestyle/streetwear brands that are parasites of the skateboarding industry. It’s the same model as the MMA brands, minus the meatheads. Skateboarding is the operative ingredient to making a company relevant to, you guessed it, skateboard retailers. How is a company that makes tall tees with cartoon characters relevant to skateboarding? Limos to the show from ASR - oh yeah, that screams skateboarding. I would personally rather see the bikini models @ ASR than the suburban gangsters that ‘used to skate’ pushing tee graphics reminiscent of the Looney Tunes/Phillies Blunt stuff from you know…..the good ol days.
Crossroads + Agenda = ASR.
December 12th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
oh yeah….nice work, Jamie.
December 14th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I have been in this industry for twenty years. I have seen the gamut of shows, bros and hos nation wide and on both coasts. There are literally hundreds of action sports based trade events going on every year that most of us in this industry are even aware of. WWSRA, WSA, SIA, Outdoor Retailer, Magic (Pool, Project and Union), Sacred Craft, Thread, Dealer/Rep shows… all have some form of action involved. JT is simply adding another venue within which to show our wares. Good on him. JT is a true American icon in business. Much respect. His middle finger is pointed towards Nielsen.
Adding a new show speaks volumes for our industry as far as health and longevity. JT would not consider wasting his hard earned cash on a possible proposition and massive expense such as a trade event without considering the positive and possible negative outcomes. Crossroads says, “Our industry is growing and there is a future for us promoting skateboarding to the masses worldwide”. That is huge! That means no matter the current economic downturn, we have a future in business.
It is true ASR and Surf Expo have become corporate, soft and irrelevant to our industry. But so have so many of the brands that spawned this lifestyle and need for having an event in the first place. It is time for the bigger shows to get their act together, hire some relevant employees with true vision to run the shows and make a change for the better.
Honestly, the future of trade events will be opening to the public. No more closed door, elitist crap. Open it up for all involved and watch the world come knocking…. ASR could make a killing charging covers. Look at Comic-Con… Get the end consumer totally CONSUMED and therefore, connected and involved.
Few people write paper at the shows anymore. The days of leaving with $100k in orders or more is gone. My biggest take at a show was $330k. Never again….
Want to know about a real threat to skateboarding? So Cal 7-11 stores carry skateboard decks…
December 14th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
You are 100% correct. The “lifestyle/streetwear” brands you talk about are pathetically trying to leech on to skateboarding every bit as much as the “big corporate jock companies”.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Interesting. This could be really good for the industry. Time to go back to the good old curtain and rod show, like The Know Show and Stocklist shows in Canada.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Great call on the Comic Con and Auto shows. Open to the public makes it worth something. It creates demand and interest, something ASR has been lacking for years.
December 17th, 2008 at 9:18 am
I am totally torn on this issue. I have used ASR actively for all it is worth for the past 15 years from being a sales rep, launching my own brand, building booths for other brands, promoting brands and so forth.
I think ASR is relevant in the sense that they have consistently brought the show since the 80’s, put money into marketing the event, brought us informative seminars and brought thousands of buyers over the years. They have also hosted the ‘es game of skate and recently Automatics Battle of the Shops (if that’s not core I don’t know what is). ASR is on everyone’s calendar every year as a place that should be attended if you are involved in the industry.
Here are some questions I beg everyone to ponder including Mr. JT and Mr. Flynn
Has ASR lost touch with the core skate market?
What ultimately is ASR’s role in the industry at large, in the retailers business and the brands business?
What would the Skate industry look like if ASR disappeared? How would that affect your business today and over the next year?
If there were no ASR would we need another show to replace it?
Is Crossroads a band-aid (an answer to a bad economy) or will they be committed for the long term?
Ultimately will retailers and brands benefit more from ASR or Crossroads this coming January (in terms of input/output or time/$)?
Is there room for Crossroads to operate in conjunction with ASR akin to Agenda?
My feeling is that Crossroads is going to be a cool place for skaters to visit. It will be fun and light. There will be music, core brands, cheap food and lots of skateboarding. I don’t know if it will be buyer centric…
I know first hand how much time, effort and $ ASR puts into bringing buyers to the show. Do brands write orders like the good ‘ol days? NO. Can retailers justify traveling to ASR when they can have a road rep stop into their stores… tough call.
From personal experience business is all about Relationships, building them and maintaining them. Trade Shows are the greatest platform for this. Will ASR survive? Is Crossroads here to stay? It will be interesting to see.
I am on the side of people that care doing things that are best for everyone involved. If anyone would like to reach me personally on these and other divine matters, comment back with your email address….
Now go skate!
PS -GES are a bunch of Nazi’s.
December 17th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Crossroads will make a contribution. for sure. % of marketing return vs. $$ written?? I propose its much about marketing and roots. why? Skateboarding is about wood, wheels and a bunch of stuff that is open to buy. Skateboarding is also about shoes. Pre-book.
its also about softgoods - also pre-book.
take the shoe industry away from ASR and you land a mma right cross…
serious blow. take the skate buyer out of the bulding and you lose the edge, the younger buyers, and much of the hype and chaos that is so important to the theme that seems to be perpetuated by those in charge of ASR.
I did the Black Box show and stood in my little booth talking shoes and shaking hands and I plan to be there again. as a guy that loves surfboards and wetsuits and that is really really tired of seeing all the cut and sew guys lining the aisles, maybe someone should consider a SD version of what John Griffith does in Santa Cruz for the surf industry too? rep shows are growing and really do serve the buyer and are affordable to the sales rep and the companies. One more thing - I have been a buyer.. was for years. I loved all the concessions we got… Now I am a seller and I get scr3w#d coming and going at ASR… I can’t even acces the show unless my company gets me in - not without a gold card… maybe ASR should make it harder for kids with shopping bags to access its show and easier for those of us that are a real part of the industry on the business side.
food for thought.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
So you sound like an ASR guy for sure…
Im pretty sure Jamie isnt going into the business of trade shows. He is just giving Skateboard companies a place other than ASR to do business. Does Jamie want surf brands and snow brands inviloved? My guess is no.
See, you kooks from ASR want to turn this into something else like Crossroads vs ASR. Its more like Skateboarding is taking care of its own instead of letting some rich assholes leach off of their hard work.
Viva Crossroads…ASR, go F yourself.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:29 am
How does a company sign up for the Crossroads show? I really wonder if anyone is going to show up for the damn thing. I emailed them (BBD) and have not heard back as we were interested in participating. Hmm?
December 18th, 2008 at 9:25 am
You have to email Jeff Dickson over there. Last I heard they were quite full. I also think they invited the companies they wanted involved. Thats the difference between Jamies show and ASR. ASR will take money from any shit-show in town, where it seems JT wants to support real companies who have been around and paid their dues. Maybe with the exception of World Industries…they’re just straight kooky.
December 19th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Why isn’t anyone bashing Agenda?
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:38 am
Why has Crossroads been cut back down to a single day? I know many who had already made travel arrangements and now will not get a chance to be there due to it only being on the 21st.Was there a deal brokered between ASR and JT?
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
Jamie did respond. They apparently are full which is cool. I really don’t want to do ASR….or Agenda.
No doubt World Industries is straight barno. Are they included with Crossroads?
December 30th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I used to go to ASR all the time when I was a buyer for a chain of stores. This year I went and started my own board co and am now trying to attend January’s show to possibly find a new domestic board presser and I get denied ASR entry. Granted I did register as a buyer but I am only going to buy, not to sell. I even gave then ever piece of information they asked for and still got denied. I even gave them forms from me “buying” from other brand name companies and still they said no. I thought they existed to help and grow the industry, they are actually making it more difficult for me to help stimulate it with my new product and ideas. I guess they would rather me find some Chinese company to press my shit along side squirt-guns and matchbox cars….
~Jordan
January 5th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I support Jamie and I worship the ground he walks on. I am a retailer and I think we should really talk about what the REAL problem is….Keeping skateboarding INSIDE SKATESHOPS. Last year 6 locally owned skateshops closed (one Hanger 94, Two Urbans, AMFM, Orphaniage and one Black Wax). Meanwhile, (same year 2008), Zumiez opened 6 new stores and Active opened 3 new stores in San Diego.
Shows are important, but if more shops close who’s going to go to them!? And let me tell you, those 2 accounts have NOTHING for the double set!
January 11th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
If JT is so concerned about skateboarding then why did black box have a warehouse sale right before Christmas that cut the legs off of all the local shops in North County San Diego? Not too supportive-
January 11th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
good for jamie. i respect him and his business….. one word of advice jamie…. dont partner with agenda! Aaron Levat is a douche, a hypocrite and a sad vision of a businessman. do your own thing… it will prosper.
hopefully your show will keep skateboards out of mall shops and let skateboard shops….real skateboard shops also prosper.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:44 am
VIVA LA CROSSROADS!!!
Both have very good points and rationale. It basically comes down to skaters hanging out with skaters. Sure, you have some dude-bro friends, but your ?REAL? friends are the skaters you hang out with on the daily. You know, the ledge waxing, rail grinding, hesh shredding bastards you call homies. The same applies to Crossroads in a sense.
JT isn?t looking to bash ASR, break up the industry or piss anyone off. He?s just doing what he does best, being all about skateboarding! Go JT. Ride the Sky kicks ass. Great job guys!!!
January 19th, 2009 at 11:51 am
The reason it’s worth it has to do with the bottom line: Jamie owns his warehouse, it will cost next to nothing to set up and have the retailers come. ASR, in part due to the union labor laws (I’m not entirely against labor unions, but the labor rates are exorbitant), is enormously expensive with a low rate of return for everyone except the largest companies. ASR always justifies their price by citing costs, and Joe Flynn implies that ASR has done everything that the skateboarding industry has asked, which is just not true at all.
The bottom line? Those retailers are writing orders whether or not they’re at ASR, and the cost - in the case of some companies upwards of half a million dollars per show - just isn’t worth it in these times of “serious economic pressure.” Crossroads will let skateboarders focus on skateboarding issues without those expenses, in a way that I feel will be fun, efficient, and in an environment where skateboarders are welcome.
I predict I’ll feel good walking away from Crossroads, but we’ll see. Watching security guards throttle kids by the neck, dealing with the collusion of the hotels and ASR, getting hassled by meathead froeders who now make up a large part of the “action sports” industry, and thinking about all the BS that ASR folks dish out in the name of business? I haven’t felt good leaving ASR for a long time.
United ASR makes their money, divided maybe we’ll come up with something better. Maybe we already have.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
50% off is still 10% of Crossroads rates. A hardgoods company could fly their ten best retailers out to Crossroads for that 50% rate.
The point isn’t for the skate companies to deal with making the park better. If ASR folks knew what was up they’d do it themselves. And more specifically, I have had numerous conversations with ASR people about making that stuff better and the bottom line is always money. They aren’t interested in spending more money to make it better.
It’s not about making your lunch, it’s the implication of free food or a vendor there to cash in because they’re the only game in the neighborhood. One is friendly and about skateboarding, the other is set up as a business. Nobody’s saying there’s anything wrong with being a business, but at some point it just makes more sense to change the business model. ASR has made a large number of minor changes and they scream that they’ve done what people asked. Wrong. They’re irrelevant and you’re saying that because people are pointing out that irrelevancy then we’re hating.
You want ideas? ASR should change their model. Prices need to come way down. Get circus tents and hold the show in there in a parking lot, or go to the Sports Arena, much cheaper, don’t use labor unions, lose the red carpet in the aisles (I heard that was a 1.5 million dollar expense each show, could be wrong), don’t charge people who want to hold skateboarding events at your show (they help your show), let the beer flow before 4, it loosens up the buyers, duh, stop the collusion with the hotels so that I can book my own hotel room without having to pay the ASR surcharge, move all the skateboarding companies right next to each other, simply tell the security guards that they are not to bother the kids who skateboard outside, and the guards at the door that if they got a badge, they can go in, period. Etc, etc.
I know, I know, this stuff doesn’t make sense to ASR, and that’s exactly why there is “competition.” Talk to the other trade show about competition, it happens when there’s a need.
As for bringing ideas, I’ve been involved in numerous conversations about improving ASR for the skateboarding industry, and for the most part the big ideas aren’t considered, the little ideas are granted and are expected to appease. They did for a while, ASR got a couple hard goods companies back. But it’s not OK anymore, and the competition is stepping up.
Crossroads isn’t “negative.” It’s an alternative that may work, but the bottom line is that there wouldn’t be a need for anything else if the grandaddy of action sports trade shows was still relevant to our business, right?
I suspect that the folks at ASR are so stiff and unable to see a new paradigm that nothing major will change, and this conversation will be ongoing for many years. It would be nice if the folks leading the ASR charge simply realized that they need drastic change (not minor appeasements) and actually did something drastic.
I won’t hold my breath.