Agenda trade show kicks-off today July 9, 2015, in Long Beach, CA, bringing together the leaders in the industries of streetwear apparel, footwear, action sports inspired fashion, urbanwear, skate, and accessories. This is the show that starts the next round of fashion trade shows coming through, and is one of the most popular shows for discovering trends in youth culture.
In addition, AgendaEmerge, the conference is taking place featuring range of workshops and brand leaders who are sharing their stories and challenges to industry and people looking to work in the world of streetwear.
Last month, AgendaEmerge also announced that they would partner with The Berrics to create an online outlet that will produce daily video content targeting the youth culture space.
Aaron Levant, founder of Agenda, along with Steve Berra and Eric Koston, co-founders of The Berrics, have announced a strategic partnership – an online destination curating an inside look at the brands and people shaping today’s industry.
AgendaEmerge.com will deliver daily content, mainly in the form of impactful video. The content will focus on the creative and entrepreneurial communities, providing insightful narratives and unprecedented access.
“Agenda Emerge is a continuation of the strong foundation we have been building with The Berrics since 2009,” says Levant. “It’s a natural extension from the huge impact we’ve been able to create.”
The Berrics, which began as a skate park, evolved into one of the most influential entities in skateboarding through its unique content, cult-like fan base, and significant social media output.
On their involvement in the Emerge project, The Berrics cofounder Steve Berra has this to say: “The thing about a line is, at one point you are always the last one in it and at another, if you’re tenacious enough, you’re next. If you step out of that line because you can’t wait, because there’s a shorter one around the corner, because they tell you it can’t be done, because you don’t believe in what you’re doing, then you’ll never get on the ride and you will never know. This seed is planted, we possess the patience and we have the know-how. It will be exciting to grow together.”
While The Berrics has previously focused primarily on skate-oriented content, this partnership will broaden its scope and content range. As the lines between youth culture and lifestyle continue to be blurred, both Agenda and The Berrics see their influence and audiences overlapping.
“We are launching Agenda Emerge with the vision of creating the CNBC or Bloomberg for our industry, appealing to both our trade and consumer audiences,” explains Levant. “Creating this platform gives us an entirely new way to communicate brand messages beyond the trade show floor and year round. During the off months from Agenda, I interact with the founders of so many amazing brands and get to hear their stories. The knowledge that I gain from them is priceless. This platform will provide an outlet for these brands to tell their stories to a global audience who would not normally get to hear these first hand.”
Levant notes that content marketing is the future of marketing. “We are stepping away from the majority of our traditional marketing initiatives to focus on content creation. In doing this, we are able to offer our customers a lot more than just selling them a piece of floor space. The goal is to create an overall greater value proposition for them.”
To do so, Agenda has cut the majority of its traditional marketing budget to invest in the Agenda Emerge platform. “The global trade show landscape as well as the distribution and retail models are rapidly changing,’ notes Levant. “Creating this platform is a long term strategy to give us a clear point of differentiation over all other shows in the market.”
The Agenda Emerge name is previously attributed to a series of conferences held annually in Long Beach, CA and New York City, corresponding with Agenda trade shows. These conferences were launched by Levant in 2013 as a way for influencers in the youth culture space to tell their story first hand, have included talks from the likes of Shepard Fairey, Tinker Hatfield – VP of Nike Innovations and Creative Concepts, Tom Campion – Founder of Zumiez, Marc Ecko – founder of Ecko Unltd/Complex Media, and hip hop legend Nas. The conference will continue under the same name and will be an extension of the newly launched media platform. Content and footage from the bi-annual conferences will also be utilized in the online videos and features.
