ASR Holiday Proves Vital to Industry’s Buying Season

ASR Holiday Proves Vital to Industry’s Buying Season
Buyers appreciate convenient, ease of stocking holiday shelves at ASR Holiday

San Juan Capistrano, CA (May 25, 2007) – ASR Holiday returned to Orange County May 23-24 with a larger presence from both strong retail buyers and surf, skate, snow, moto and youth culture brands. Having listened to customer feedback from the 2006 debut, ASR Holiday shifted to a more convenient location, the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center and to earlier dates in May. Buyers applauded the event as a viable platform to conduct Holiday business. 

“Creating an event to meet the needs of an entire, diverse industry with many different interests is sometimes a challenge,” says Andy Tompkins, ASR Show Director. “We listened very closely to what the industry needed for buying in the holiday season and created ASR Holiday to be a tool for the action sports market going forward.”

ASR Holiday’s venue at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center in Costa Mesa, CA sits right in the backyard of many leading action sports companies. Attendees raved about the convenience and comfort of the event.

“Everything about the venue was great.  The location was convenient to the freeways, parking was easy and the building is nice,” says Dave Hollander, Becker’s. “I was busy previewing lines both days.  There were 2-3 new brands I saw at the show that I picked up for my stores.”

Getting holiday buying done efficiently before the busy Memorial Day weekend and summer season sets in, was a priority for the retailers from across the country, the Caribbean and Latin America who made the trip to ASR Holiday.

"ASR Holiday was very productive for buyers – the show was laid out well and easy to navigate.  It was beneficial to see all the key surf brands in one setting, well worth the trip from the East Coast,” says Brittany Williams, Manager of the Whalebone Surf Shop in North Carolina.

The 100 established and emerging brands showing holiday lines felt the strength of the retail presence in the form of paper and new accounts. James Onstott, National Sales Manager for Fox Racing says, “Over those two busy days we saw some strong, major accounts.  The A-list retailers represented at the show were there to work and not just walking around and see what was going on.”

Emerging brands also benefited from the smaller scale event. “As a small brand, Tavik was happy to be placed in the same area as the big guys which allowed for an equal playing field. Traffic at our booth was consistent and allowed us to secure orders from strong accounts including Jack's and Sun Diego,” says Erik Paulsen, Founder of Tavik.

Attendees ranged from specialty action sports shops to national department stores. Macy’s West sent a team of buyers. "The show floor had positive energy, but it was quiet and laid back enough to see lines and get work done.  We plan to make more appointments in the future and hope to see additional footwear and accessory brands at ASR Holiday 2008" says Carol Baiocchi, Vice President Women's Shoes at Macy's West.

Evening events including Atwater’s Anniversary Happy Hour and an Industry Mixer benefiting Surfer’s Healing on Wednesday night along with complimentary breakfast and lunch both days provided for ample relaxed, networking opportunities.