Industry Profile with Andy Tompkins

You watched foam magazine’s fashion show, you stopped by the GoldBox Mission, you partied with prehistoric Volcom kids, and you brought home a Fuel TV t-shirt, an Electric Treckie cozy, and a pair of slippers from the Osiris party. This September’s ASR, held at the San Diego Convention Center, was a success on many levels. Clothing lines were bought, ad dollars were allocated, collaborations were negotiated, and brands were represented, all in the wake of beautiful girls in bikinis, dozens of free kegs, and a weekend of parties that rounded-out the end of the summer perfectly.
For you and over 18,000 other action-sports gurus, this all sounds way too familiar. You we there, and had a great time at that, but have any of you stopped to think about the man behind it all. Back in May, while you were all salivating over the prospect of hot weather and a summer of fun, show director Andy Tompkins was already hard at work.
“We typically lay out the floor plans about six to eight months in advance. My job entails coordinating the marketing, sales and attendance registration efforts. A lot of it is just being a liaison for the retailers,” Tompkins said.
But Tompkins wasn’t always the front man of the world’s largest business-to-business action sports trade expo. He grew up in Westchester County, New York in a suburban town called Chappaqua where his love for the outdoors was cultivated. “I’ve always loved being outside. When I was younger I used to do a lot of running and mountain biking. I also loved to swim and when I had the chance I’d surf,” Tompkins said. “Growing up in New York, there aren’t as many opportunities to surf, but I got in the water any time I could.”
Though he knew he was restricted by his surroundings, it was hard for him to completely break away from his east coast roots. “I always loved the California lifestyle,” he said. “I traveled here a little, and actually thought I would come to college out here, but I only made it as far as the University of Colorado, Boulder.”
While he returned to New York after attending college, his love of the outdoors remained strong. And when he met his wife, a Del Mar native, he knew it was a perfect opportunity to go west. Tompkins said, “It seemed like a great fit and sure enough there was an opportunity with Outdoor Retailer at the time on the west coast. So we jumped in my car and drove across country. It was great!”
Tompkins has been working with owner and operator of Action Sports Retailer VNU Expositions Inc. for about 10 years now. While his previous job was with ASR’s sister show Outdoor Retailer, his familiarity with specialty sports landed him the job with ASR four months ago. “It’s going well so far,” he said. “There are always a couple of fires, but it’s typical for a trade show.”
This September’s three-day event hosted over 700 brands and 1,500 booths. “The show,” according to Tompkins, “is an excellent opportunity to see the scope of the industry, get an idea of where you stand against your competition, and get a sense of what the trends are going to be next year. And, for industry executives, it’s really a chance to get a sense of what’s happening, shake hands with your retailers, meet some everyday customers, and interact with everyone.”
Now in its 25th year, September’s ASR was successful in bringing together some of the top manufactures, retailers, industry advocates and media within the surf, skate, snow, swim, style, moto, and youth culture markets.
On the opening day of the show, Tompkins was less of the front man that I spoke with on the phone a few days prior and more like an observant chameleon. “Today I’m having conversations with customers, seeing how it’s going, trying to garner insight on show dates, retail attendance, what we are or aren’t doing for them at the show, and ways we can improve ASR.” He shared, “Ideally, if we’ve done our jobs well, during the actual show our exhibitors are dealing with their customers and buyers, so we kind of step back.”
As his hard work unfolded in front of him, Tompkins took some time to enjoy his creation. “I really love the passion that people bring to ASR. I mean, if you speak to most of these owner/operators and the people that work for them, they live and breathe the brands that they are promoting,” Tompkins said. “That’s it. You know, it’s just a great place to be.”