I’m catching up on posting some more photos from the IASC Skateboarding Summit and a few more details about some of the panels.
Click here to see more photos from the summit previously posted.
Click here to read what Alien Workshop co-founder Chris Carter said during his keynote interview.
Angelo Ponzi of Board-Trac presented some data that outlined the decline in skateboarding participation. Much of the decline has to do with an aging demographic, though a swell of new potential participants in the prime age group is coming through in the next five years, he said.
That aging demographic and the tough economy has led to less buying of skate goods, even by active participants. In 2009, active participants bought an average five decks a year, while in 2010, they bought three decks, according to Board-Trac data.
In softgoods, buying among active participants also fell to just under $2.5 billion in 2010 from $3.5 billion in 2009. Consumption among passive participants increased slightly however.
Cary Allington of ActionWatch provided data from the approximately 250 core stores on his retail panel.
In 2010, apparel sales were flat, hardgoods sales rose 4.3%, accessories sales rose 5.2% and footwear sales declined 5.1%.
Margins rose about a full point in all categories.
For more information about the rise of longboards in the skate market with some eye-opening data from ActionWatch, see our previous story from the Summit about the issue.
On the retail panel, Marty Ramos of Kona Skatepark said customers increasingly want quality products and service. A lot of customers are still deciding and want help from the staff.
Matt Pindroh of Liberty Board Shop said a wider-age range than ever before is shopping in his store. Customers range from 10 years old to 40 years old, he said.
Those in in their mid-30’s to 40s are often looking for something special and different to wear out at night and aren’t as price sensitive. Yet Liberty still needs to have goods for those kids who are just starting to skate at prices that won’t scare off moms.
Dave Nash of Sun Diego said the market is still about price, and the discounting that goes on online and elsewhere has hurt small skate shops. He also said having limited, differentiated product for independent stores is key.
Donny Damron of Pharmacy Boardshops echoed his thoughts, saying specialty product for specialty stores is important.
However, he asked that it be something good, not something that is ugly and won’t sell.
He also said manufacturers need to give stores a reason to talk about brands with customers – there needs to be energy behind a brand and the kids on the floor need to be excited about it.
Donny also said that most customers don’t care about technology in boards.
However, George Leichtweis of Modern Skate urged the group not to give up on technology because the stores need something to talk up, even if it’s a limited customer at the moment.
See Page 2 for details about the manufacturers panel and pro career panel
On the manufacturer panel Bod Boyle of Dwindle Distribution believes the skate industry is exciting at the moment with a lot of diversity in board sizes, graphics and styles.
He also notices all the different scenes going on in skate – the street scene, slalom, the Dogtown-looking kids, kids who bomb hills at night wearing headlamps.
Johnny Schillereff of Element said while hardgoods are central to the skate industry, the industry also needs to look at category extensions to grow and be able to tell the skate story at retail. He pointed to the surf industry, which grew way beyond surfboards.
In the next five to 10 years, he thinks its important for skate to tell its story beyond just boards and get some larger real estate on core floors.
Tom Ruiz of Volcom talked about the importance of segmenting product, and keeping the cool factor as a brand grows. He pointed to Vans, which has managed to maintain its authenticity and take care of retailers while having a pretty broad distribution.
Volcom has its Stone Age brand for core retailers, which may not have a huge financial return, but is important because it offers something special for retailers, he said.
“Everyone has to succeed and grow,” he said. “It’s a balancing act at the end of the day.”
Regarding technology in boards, Bod said 90% of Dwindle’s pro athletes ride tech boards, so there’s obviously a disconnect going on between what’s happening at the pro level and what’s happening at retail, he said.
Many skate sections in stores have not changed in 20 years except for the introduction of cruiser boards, he said, and more thought seems to be put into footwear walls.
Johnny also said if you look at the larger sporting equipment world, everything from golf clubs to tennis racquets have changed and progressed over the years. He believes if the industry works together and keeps trying, technological change in skateboards will eventually happen.
The panel on managing a pro career featured several pro skaters and a few team managers.
Steve Caballero, who has ridden for two sponsors for the entirety of his long career, said he came upon an important realization on. “When I was first sponsored, I realized if I made them happy, I would still be sponsored. That’s my theory and that works.”
He also talked about Stacy Peralta discovering him when he was a young teenager, and skating for Powell Peralta. Stacy made it easy for him, Steve said. All he had to worry about was skateboarding. Stacy didn’t party with him, and taught him how to act responsibly and professionally.
Steve also talked about making money so young – at one point he was making $17,000 a month just from his boards. Steve said just kept shoving money in the bank, and he had no real expenses. He was living at his mom’s in the garage, his car was paid for.
He drew an astonished laugh from the crowd when he said at one point the bank called him and said they couldn’t cover how much was in his bank account, so he had to transfer money and have a more sophisticated investment plan.
Jamie Thomas talked about how injuries made him a better person, and taught him how to overcome diversity and work toward a goal. Danny Way lives three houses down from Jamie, and Jamie said when he wakes up feeling achy, he thinks about Danny and realizes he has no reason to complain.
Several on the panel from the team management side talked about having constant, ongoing discussions with team riders defining expectations.
Volcom Skate Team Manager Remy Stratton said Volcom has intensified its contracts with skaters over the years. The contracts clearly outline what is expected, defines what a tour is, how many tours skaters are supposed to do, and other expectations.
As far as advice to prolong careers, Steve Caballero said his advice is to stretch before you skate, drink healthy drinks, and stay away from the stuff that will hurt your performance.
