EMB Visits the Agenda Show

From time to time, our fabulous leader is on the conference circuit to keep us up to date in the event space and of course for prospecting new potential brands that we're dying to work with. Here is a look at one of her most recent conferences that you may want to add to your list for future events.

This was my first time attending an Agenda show. Launched in 2003, Agenda was ult to house a diverse and creative fashion community. With 6 shows, in three cities, and over 1,000 brands, it's the place to be for buyers, brands, distributors, and media in the fashion and lifestyle space.

The first Agenda show of the year is typically the first or second week of January, which means you're exhausted from the holidays, and not quite back in your work groove or skinny jeans for that matter. But after having attended I can say if you have to hit the ground running, a conference like Agenda will get you geared up and pumped for the new year.

 While attending this year, one of the things that was clear was that the attendees were incredibly diverse but somehow seamlessly connected as you went from one area of the conference to another. You had the lesser known and new emerging brands like Let It Block, Jax Kelly, Revival, Corkcicle, Way of Will, and Rebel Soul Collective. And then you have sections of the conference with more street brands who have been around for a really long time like Adidas, Champion, Reebok, Doc Marten, and Steve Madden.

It was really great to see how varied both the attendees and people showcasing them were both in their personal style, design of their brands, and overall vibe. Now I'm definitely jaded having attended dozens if not hundreds of these types of conferences before, and I was pleasantly surprised that the design of the conference space and layout itself had been given just as much thought as the booths that lined the Long Beach Convention Center.

For those of you who have done the conference circuit, there's always a little bit of dread at the time commitment, maximum schmooze requirement, and travel time for any conference, but as soon as you step on site for Agenda, it's clear you're really somewhere special. Even the check-in team was gracious and warm. (It's all about the small things).

It was clear to me that everyone was there for three things; to showcase their lines and meet buyers/write orders, to really connect with other people in a meaningful way, and to have a good time while doing the first two.

Agenda embodies the creative entrepreneurial spirit and is an instant favorite/must attend.