I checked out Day 1 of the Agenda Trade Show in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday.
The show was packed, and the overall vibe was positive.
By 11 am, the halls were full of people and most booths had buyers inside writing orders and conducting business.
The show was divided into four sections for skate brands, streetwear brands, snow brands, action spots lifestyle brands, and there was a fifth, small room featuring up and coming fashion brands.
Everything had a common feel and was accessible, allowing buyers and retailers to walk the show easily in half a day.
A few people made comments comparing the show to the earlier ASR shows. Others were relieved to have Agenda come in and take ASR’s place.
“We’ve been to ASR, but this is a much better show,” said Jeff Samson, a buyer for Shoes.com.
“It has a great vibe and it seems like the people here really know what they are doing,” he added.
New this year was a small section for snowboard brands. The area was fairly busy all day.
“For us the show is good timing because it’s right in the middle of our selling season and we’ve already been able to see 10 accounts before 11am,” said 686 CEO Mike West.
This is also the first show that Agenda staged in Anaheim.
While a few people commented they missed the previous Huntington Beach location, which was directly across the street from the beach, they enjoyed the bigger space.
“There’s definitely more companies which brings more energy, more press, more retailers and overall a lot more buzz,” said True Love and False Idols’ Jim Shubin.
Pete Ferrer, the VP Sales and Marketing for Toms Shoes, said this show is great for his brand because it fuses action sports and fashion, which is how Toms divides its sales segments.
“I also like that every booth is consistent so we don’t have to worry about outspending our competition.”
