ASR Shifts 2010 Dates

“By realigning ASR's dates we believe the industry can best position itself
for future growth,” says Andy Tompkins, ASR Group Show Director. “Through
ongoing dialogue with both our exhibitor and retail attendees, it became
apparent that the timing of the ASR January show was too early to completely
service fall line breaks. In the future, August show dates will allow buyers to
preview the entire landscape of action sports product before making purchase
decisions.”

The move to February dates allows ASR to serve as a critical west coast, fall
product buying event. A later winter date also opens up the busy mid-winter
calendar saving exhibitors the cost and hassle of overlapping events. ASR
worked closely with manufacturer organizations SIMA and IASC, along with the
Board Retailers Association and leading surf, skate, swim and fashion
manufacturers to determine date patterns that work best for the marketplace.

“The subject of tradeshow dates have been a hotly debated discussion for
both spring and fall due to the different needs and buying patterns of the
exhibitors and buyers attending the show,” states Joel Cooper, CEO of Lost
International and SIMA Treasurer.  “Both ASR and SIMA did extensive
research including polling retailers and manufacturers. We believe these dates will
best serve the industry as a whole.”

As action sports brands steadily increase the size of their spring and summer
lines, more complex production schedules across a number of international
factories result. This growth is pushing sales windows and product deadlines
forward over time.

“The new ASR 2010 August dates are much more conducive to our spring line
breaks, production planning and lead times,” says Tom Ruiz, Volcom VP of
Sales. “This will really allow the manufacturer to have more visibility by
seeing more accounts earlier. This leads to better planning, less guessing and
in the end less inventory that ends up being 'dumped.' Everyone from manufacturer
to retailer benefits in the long run.”

The shift to August for spring and summer lines is especially welcome news to
swim and footwear brands. “The swim business releases their lines in mid-July,
so the mid-August dates are much better for us,” says Monica Wise,
President of L*Space. “Our reps are out in the marketplace from mid-July
forward. We look forward to the earlier dates and feel that the ASR show is an
important link in connecting with our customers and the overall branding plan
for L*Space.”

Earlier spring sales deadlines are resulting in a parade of reps through retail
stores during the months when action sports retailers typically see the most
traffic. ASR's move to August funnels the parade route into a focused three
days, under one roof – best serving the future needs of both retailers and
manufacturers.

“I'm pleased to see the dates for ASR moving to closer fit the buying
windows for spring and fall,” says Bruce Cromartie, President of B.C. Surf
& Sport. “I think any inconvenience will quickly be offset by the
reduction in time required for in-store and regional shows. I expect the new
dates to be far more productive for our buyers.”

As recently as five years ago, many smaller action sports retail owners and
head buyers had to serve double duty as sales people. Today, more of the
industry hires staff specifically to make buying decisions for the store. As a
result buyers are more flexible to attend shows in different date windows. ASR
strives to provide the industry with the largest collection of brands in one
location helping to move our marketplace forward.