COVER FEATURE
A change of agenda
Agenda, a streetwear and lifestyle fashion event organised by Reed
Exhibitions, has taken the unusual decision to pivot from trade to
consumer. EN caught up with the organiser to find out more
T
here are plenty of events that exist at
a halfway point between trade and
consumer, and that appeal to both in
equal measure.
While Agenda Long Beach has historically
been a trade event bringing together skate,
surf, streetwear and lifestyle brands, it first
opened its doors to the public in 2017 and
found a whole new passionate visitor base.
“We received feedback from a lot of
brands, both large and small, that while
a trade event wasn’t necessary, creating
meaningful experiences with consumers
is more important than ever,” says Rob
Weinstein, vice president of marketing at
ReedPOP West. “We ‘test marketed’ this
consumer festival in 2017 and 2018 during
Agenda’s summer Long Beach show and both
events got a great response.”
While the trade arm of the Agenda brand
will still exist at its Las Vegas event, from
2019 onwards the Agenda Festival Long
beach will be aimed purely at consumers.
The revamped event will feature over 500
pop-up shops, limited edition product drops,
art installations, panel discussions, skate
contests, athlete meet and greets, and locally
curated food trucks as well as a diverse
range of life musical performances.
The move from trade to consumer is an
interesting one, especially as discussions
around the ‘festivalisation’ of trade events
are increasingly gaining traction and
attention in the industry. As trade visitors
increasingly expect organisers to provide
‘experiences’ at business events, the lines
between trade and consumer may continue
to blur, particularly in certain industries.
With the ubiquity of social media, businesses
can be closer to their customers than
ever before and can quickly and easily
communicate with them directly.
As with Media 10’s Best of British,
bringing consumers into the trade space
allows brands to demonstrate their
effectiveness and popularity among
consumers and may well prove an even more
effective sales environment for exhibitors.
“We’re confident that the switch will work
for lots of the bellwether Agenda Long Beach
brands,” adds Weinstein. “Additionally, this
new format will attract new exhibitors and
sponsors.
“We feel strongly that this is the right
move. Our past two summer editions
of Agenda Long Beach have included a
consumer festival day and this natural
evolution from B2B to B2C reflects both the
success we’ve experienced with the Agenda
consumer festival thus far, as well as the
rapidly changing industry landscape.”
When the move was announced, Ron
Walden, group vice president of fashion and
lifestyle at Reed Exhibitions, commented:
“The business of fashion for our customers
has changed dramatically over the past five
years.
“While large brands are focused on fewer,
more meaningful retail relationships, smaller
start up brands are utilising technology and
digital platforms to market and sell directly
to the consumer. This makes meaningful
experiences with consumers more important
than ever for our customer brands, both
large and small.”
The content at the consumer event will be
designed to appeal to the ‘Gen-Z consumer’
(the generation following millennials, born
mid-1990s to early 2000s and making up a
stunning 25 per cent of the US population)
“Like our trade events there will still be
a conference element,” says Weinstein. “But
it will focus more on entertainers – from
athletes to social media stars.”
The event will be ticketed rather than open
to trade and when it comes to marketing
Weinstein says the organisers plan to “be
everywhere that Gen-Z spends time – online
and on social media”, in addition to building
a dedicated website and app for the event.
In an era where the trade show model is
often considered more consistent and more
stable, Agenda’s move from B2B to B2C is
something of an anomaly. What is clear,
however, is that it was a decision made with
a comprehensive knowledge of what would
best serve the show’s industry and exhibitors
going forwards. EN
exhibitionnews.co.uk | January 2019
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