From the Agenda Long Beach trade show floor.

Courtesy Photo

As Aaron Levant and team put the finishing touches on their ambitious effort to turn the trade show model on its head, the Agenda Show founder cant help but note hes come full circle.

The Agenda trade show for the action sports and streetwear industries will see its first consumer-facing component, Agenda Festival, next month. It's been a long time in the making, but the it hardly strays from the roots Levant laid when he began putting together parties serving up music, food, beer and some limited edition shirts in Los Angeles. It wasnt until 2003 that Levant, in a story well-known within the trade, launched the Agenda trade show in the back of a Long Beach Thai food restaurant. Ten years later, he struck a deal with Reed Exhibitions bringing Agenda into the event organizers fold.

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Agenda's Aaron Levant on the Evolution of the Trade Show - WWD