Stab Magazine | What Exactly Is AGENDA?

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

458 Views

What Exactly Is AGENDA?

Come on in, the liquor’s flowing. 

news // Jul 1, 2016
Words by Morgan Williamson
Reading Time: 4 minutes

It’s an “industry day” and the bro-down, red palms and purple knuckles are pulsing. There’s been a good run of swell in Southern California and the discussion around the waves is all time high: Getting any? Where? Newport’s been fun. Sick! – the chatter regarding the dying crowds as the local flock becomes surfed out is notable… even tiresome. Apparently another Agenda’s rolled around in Long Beach and the song remains the same: business on the surf side, fun and drinks on the skate side.

Agenda’s huge for surf brands and beyond; every significant and emerging co cuddles up to their booths to either gain distributors, make connections or just show face and stay relevant. If you live in the greater region of Southern California you’re probably aware of Agenda. It’s the trade show you see countless photos displaying florescent capital letters and storage containers on Instagram when it goes down. It’s an “in the know” deal that brings in an absurd amount of revenue for both the trade show and companies… from booth to booth you can hear the cha-chings and taste the silver and green… or if you’re at Vans, they’re cooking up waffles to match the soles of their shoes (such genius!).

IMG 9654

Agenda, California: the scene of scenes.

The minimum cost to get your biz into Agenda is 1,500 dollars… and that gets you less than a mini mall kiosk. Most are occupied by small candle and leather brands. If you want something a bit larger that’s not going to fully deplete your company’s budget, it’s going to run you four grand to get a space amongst countless brands searching for the same thing. After talking with a few of the smaller businesses of which I’ve never heard of – nor remember their names – getting into Agenda is a huge deal. It’s how smaller companies get their biz in the mix. They decorate their booths to portray the brand’s vibe and find new distributors. Some are bare bones, some are elaborate, but for a respectable booth four grand’s the minimum. That’s not even getting started on the cost of decor. On the opposite end, a company like GoPro for example, forks out a startling 65K for their booth equipped with eight-to-ten high def televisions and all the GoPro branding anyone’s little heart desires. According to the kind folks at GoPro their booth travels with them to all three events: Long Beach, Miami and Las Vegas.

IMG 9646

Are you hip enough?

The atmosphere’s a strange one; people are talking shop, making deals, riding skateboards and there’s a lot of drinking going on. From the nine-12 dollar cocktails and beers to the snuck in bottles of hard alcohol everybody stays pleasantly lubricated. But in order to withstand the constant business discussions, the high fives and homie hugs, it’s necessary to loosen up. There’s two prerogatives at the show, you’re either a seller, or a buyer… then people like me slide in-between the mold and spend the majority of the day swiveling their heads at the more elaborate booths, the awkward bikini models, nipple long beards, multi-coloured hair, men wearing overalls without undershirts and enough ink to paint a mural.

DSC04453

The Brothers Marshall’s transaction tower.

The Brothers Marshall set up a fabulous lifeguard tower front and center just beyond the entrance. For a smaller brand their real-estate is prodigious. As I sat and admired the statement they were making by shelling out at the very least 15-20K for Agenda’s mantel piece, a crowd gathered towards the entrance. Beer and cocktails in hand, their voices audible, turning from chatter to yells, to cheers. Outside two security guards and two dreadlocked gents sporting skateboards were in an altercation. Someone yelled “kick his ass Seabass!”, the laughter was minimal and more security joined the scene. They grabbed the two aggressors from behind by the biceps and their fellow black suited co-workers ripped off their wristbands. It was all very anti-climatic, and words like “do you know who I am?” were being exchanged across the way. In the end, to the crowd’s dismay, it didn’t get violent. But that was no worries, four pm had hit and companies like Volcom know how to up the vibes. They rolled out their kegs and served free beer at their booths till they went dry… and everyone who had just spent 36 dollars on three 20 oz brews sighed, smiled and drank until 6:30 rolled around and were kicked out of the Long Beach Convention Center into the adjacent bars.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: What Happens When A Brand Takes Its Youth Team To A CT Event?

A: Good things, typically.

Mar 29, 2024

Full Frame: Scandinavia Is Surfing’s Next Frontier

A 30-hour drive, bathymetric maps, and 10 years of searching yield surfing's newest discovery.

Mar 29, 2024

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024
Advertisement