Skateboarding
Trade shows were established for the sole purpose of conducting business and meeting the faces behind retailers, distributors, and industry professionals alike. For the skateboarding world, the forefather that started it all was ASR (Action Sports Retailer) where those key elements mentioned all gathered, but is mostly known for its infamous debauchery. As years went by and the economy shifted, ASR ceased to be, but the stage was set for other trade shows like Agenda, which evolved from a business-to-business show into a consumer-facing festival. In this day and age, trade shows are few and far between, but people like Dom Deluca—founder of Brooklyn Projects— put in the effort to round everyone up once again. Get an inside look at The Project trade show that hosted The Gathering—a skateboard curated show to help skate shops, brands, and pros all be in the same room in hopes of creating a greater effect on the industry. Hear from skate heads Bryan Herman, Louie Barletta, Blake Carpenter, and more as they give us snippets of the past, key learnings, and what it means to be talking shop with everyone today.