Surf Expo’s BRA Petition: Reactions From George Leichtweis & Frank Messman

mike lewis

• November 03 2009
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• 3 comments

In early October, the Board Retailers Association (BRA) released an online petition encouraging skate manufacturers to attend Surf Expo in January 2010. In conjunction with an upcoming article in our November issue, we reached out to key retailers and manufacturers to find out their takes on the petition and general thoughts on the direction skate trade shows are headed. Here’s what Modern Skate & Surf Owner George Leichtweis and Black Box CEO/Partner Frank Messman had to say.

It looks like this petition is getting a strong response from retailers – why do you think that is?

GL: It seems that the skate manufacturers of both hard goods and shoes have been backing off of attending the major trade shows, both Surf Expo and ASR.  We as shop owners outside of the California scene have little time and money to go to the increased number of fragmented shows that separate our industry.  As a core skate shop owner, I think that these larger shows need to be “re-invented” to become more relevant and more affordable to skate manufacturers and core shops alike.

The BRA Skateboard Committee put this together correct? What spawned it?

GL: This concept came from meetings at Surf Expo and ASR with BRA and IASC and SIMA each involved.  The obvious fact is that the trade-show scene is becoming fragmented and honestly does not serve the end customer, the retailer, well by making us go to so many shows to meet with the principals of each company.  As  chairman of the Skateboard Committee for BRA, I represent many small, independent shops that simply do not have the time or money to go to all the shows.

Why do you think this face time is so important?

GL: I have always said that this business is about relationships.  Skating is a lifestyle and the trade shows need to represent that lifestyle in a manner that is true to its roots.  I don’t necessarily buy product because it is the “safe” thing to sell, I take risks on people’s creations that express their interpretation of the skating lifestyle.  This comes from meeting the owners and upper management of each company and sharing our experiences.

Do you not think shows like The Moat Show can fill the void of manufacturers not coming to Surf Expo?

GL: Although I think that The Moat Show and Crossroads are great events that capture that image of skating in its purest form, it is hard to say from a business standpoint how many orders were actually written.

What has the response been from manufacturers?

GL: At our meetings earlier this year, they were very interested in finding a solution to the problems that exist:  high cost of shows, increase in retailer attendance, relevant representation of skate at the shows resulting in more orders written at shows or shortly after.

What do you see as the Utopian trade show state?

GL: I think that combining The  Moat Show, Crossroads, Warped Tour feel, with the business environment of Surf Expo and ASR would be the best opportunity for this industry to continue to support the established companies, and feature new and innovative companies and products in one location as the “main” trade show on each coast.  There should be smaller, regional shows to support the main shows, and they can serve those that do not have the time or funds to make it to the main shows.

Anything else you’d like to add?

GL: Over the 30 years that I have been involved in this business, I have seen the lines of skate, surf, wake, and snow blend together.  Each of these are “individual” sports or activities where you compete against yourself to get better each day.  You don’t have to be the biggest, the tallest, the fastest or the strongest to fit in.  Each has had their ups and downs in popularity and as a retailer, each of these sports has helped me stay in business while others were in a down cycle.  Everything has its ebb and flow.  No one is king forever.  I believe that each of these categories feeds off each other and could be represented properly so that all can succeed.  This way we can continue to live out our childhoods for our entire lives…which is the ultimate goal…never grow up.

Do you see this as an effective means to improve attendance by manufacturers and relationships between manufacturers and East Coast retailers?

FM: Absolutely. If manufacturers can see that a substantial number of their customers want them to exhibit then one would be foolish not to take that into account when making decisions about which trade shows to participate in.

Will Black Box be more likely to attend Surf Expo based on the results of this petition?

FM: I have not seen the final results, but if there were a very large number of retailers asking us to show there, then this may sway our decision.

What are your thoughts on the necessity of attending Surf Expo?

FM: Other than Crossroads the only show Black Box has ever shown was with our Fallen brand at this past July’s Agenda Tradeshow. However as Black Box gets more focused on how to best reach all of our customers around the country Surf Expo is certainly a consideration.

Do you see skate only, regional shows like Moat and Crossroads taking the place of the larger, multi-sport shows for skateboarding, or are these just an added benefit of coming to the larger shows and getting more face time between retailers and manufacturers?

FM: I don’t think Crossroads and Moat in their current forms would be able to truly take the place of the larger multi-sport shows, but Crossroads could of course evolve into something that could take the place of a larger show – or we could find a way to collaborate with one of the larger shows in order to create a complimentary situation that would both benefit skateboarding and be convenient for the retailers and distributors.

What would your message be to core retailers on the East Coast that are concerned about manufacturer support of their shops?

FM: My message would be that Black Box always has and always will be one of the industry’s strongest supporters of core retailers – anywhere in the country and around the world. Specifically on the East Coast we support core retailers by having very limited distribution, by touring with our teams on a regular basis and by participating in events and perhaps in the future local trade shows.