2008 San Diego ASR - Best Booths and After Party Insight

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A New Year means it's time for the kick-off of San Diego ASR; the thrice-annual trade extravaganza where over 500 action sports brands and a parade of retail buyers, top manufacturers, industry pros and media hipsters from all 50 states and more than 60 countries gather together to conduct the business of surf, skate, snow, swim, and inline and urban streetwear marketing and merchandising. Sweet.

Established in 1981, ASR San Diego shows provide for a 72-hour industry soiree where different cultures and companies collide, up-and-coming brands and theme players are discovered and trends are set for the coming seasons. It is a venue where the been there seen that trade staples such as skate, snow and surfboards find a rejuvenated interest, one can navigate through stacked booths of hot toys and even hotter gear, and the Jeff-Spicoli-as-Hero mantra runs deep.

Around every corner awaits a gender surplus of eye-candy to stroke the needs of any palate, as well as a gratuitous sea of tattoos and other displays of artistic allegiance. Independent spirits and unique visions unite under a common ideology advocating pro-expressionism, anti-pretension and a core belief that any day is a good day to shred and to look good doing it.

With so much to cover in just three days, Andy Tompkins, San Diego ASR's Show Director, helped to outline some key elements that will define the 2008 January show.

Q: What top new action sports companies and/or brands will be featured at the January 2008 ASR show?

A: There are both some new to ASR, returning and newer to the industry brands that will be “must sees” at the January ASR event including:

Aftermath, Allyance, Atticus, Boosted by Boost Mobile, Deluxe, Double B Enterprises, Ellwood, MacBeth, Matuse, O'Quinn, Paul Frank / Small Paul, Spicy, Temple Effectives, Stereo Sound Agency, and Vestal.

Q: In your opinion, what are the top 5 companies and/or brands to look out for at the show; i.e. what makes this company/brand different, what makes their products different, cool and trendsetting and what industry pros sponsor the brand?

A: This is a tough question; there are hundreds of leading established brands with very progressive collections and some up-and-coming brands that could likely be the next big thing in the industry at ASR. A few with interesting stories include:

Brigada Eyewear - retro eyewear brand started in 2007 by pro skater Erik Ellington, Jim Greco and Andrew Reynolds finds a home in the ASR Goldbox Mission presented by Boost Mobile alongside close to 50 emerging action sports and youth culture labels.

Quiksilver Women - the industry's largest brand expands into fashion forward apparel for women in their late teens and twenties.

B Swim - high energy swim brand with unusual styles and prints.

Stereo - Skate decks, wheels and accessories from Chris Pastras and Jason Lee's brand Stereo return to ASR in the Skate Hardgoods Zone.

Board Builders Pavilion - Over 20 of the world's top surfboard builders and supply manufacturers come together to give retailers and media an at once look at what's next for surfboards.

Q: What brands/companies are notoriously the biggest attention-grabbing and/or host the most rowdy booths at ASR?

A: Volcom generally comes up with a booth theme that ties into their marketing campaign for the upcoming season. Over the years they've thrown toga parties, dressed as peanuts and held rock concerts in their booths. ASR attendees never know what to expect from the Volcom booth!

Q: What is the official kickoff & closing party for ASR, and where are ASR stars and company legends likely to be found tearing it up in San Diego?

A: The show opens at 9am on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at the San Diego Convention Center and runs through Saturday the 26th. ASR is open only to the action sports industry, which includes retail buyers and exhibiting manufacturers. With ASR comes a variety of movie premieres, music and industry parties to the Gaslamp and downtown San Diego.

It is shaping up to be a great year with record pre-registration numbers and a packed show floor! For more information on the 2008 San Diego ASR show, please visit asrbiz.com or call 949.226.5744.

And just as a pirate ship brings with it scallywags of every variety, the January 2008 ASR San Diego show is sure to usher in some diabolical industry characters of its own who are coming along for the ride. Hence, the energy is going to be rocking in San Diego for the ASR weekend, but you might want to lock up your just-turned-legal daughters.

Official San Diego ASR After-Party: Seduction Thursday at Envy - special ASR theme - the only night guests can get into Envy for free. Send your guest list requests to: vip@discoversd.com. To learn more about the Envy party and to sign up for VIP limo bus transportation from Firehouse in Pacific Beach to Envy Downtown, read the details here.