Reed Exhibitions invests in Agenda

Shop-eat-surf file photo

Agenda will announce this morning that a large, global trade show company has invested in Agenda.

 

The news comes just before Agenda runs this week on Friday and Saturday in Long Beach.




 

Reed Exhibitions has 460 events in its portfolio in a variety of sectors and operates 34 offices around the world.

 

Agenda will join the ReedPOP group, which targets the pop culture and lifestyle arena, including the New York Comic Con show.

 

Agenda partner Seth Haber sold his shares to Reed, and has left the company. President Aaron Levant will remain with Agenda, working out of Agenda’s Los Angeles offices.

 

Below, Aaron answers some questions about the deal with Reed.

 

What exactly does this mean?

Aaron LevantAgenda President Aaron Levant. Shop-eat-surf file photo.

Aaron Levant: This means that Agenda has joined Reed Exhibitions the world’s leading trade show organizer. Agenda is now a part of something much bigger then I could have ever imagined when I set out to start the company 10 years ago. Agenda is now set on a path to become the global leader in the action sports and fashion trade show landscape.

 

Will Seth be involved in the show this week in Long Beach?

No, Seth’s last day with the company was just before the holiday break.

 

How will the alliance with Reed help Agenda? 

This will help Agenda in every way I can think of. Everything we do will be enhanced 10 fold with Reed’s involvement. The level of experience and resources we now have access to is priceless for Agenda. There have been so many things we wanted to do in the past that were just out of our reach, and now working with Reed we can achieve all of those goals seamlessly.

 

What was attractive about Reed? 

The number one thing that attracted me to Reed is that they are just as focused on customer satisfaction as they are on making a profit. That was a huge thing for me.

 

Beyond that they are the only trade show company that can truly help take Agenda shows into other global markets. For example, Reed is the biggest trade show company in Brazil, and I have been looking to launch a show there for years, now we can really go after those international opportunities.

 

I attended Reed Pop’s New York Comic Con event beck in 2011, and really saw how versatile Reed can be with their show formats.

 

Seth HaberAgenda partner Seth Haber has sold his shares to Reed and has left the company

For a company that was mostly known for B2B shows just a few years ago, it is now one of the leaders in consumer events. I saw a real potential in us working together and their ability to take on new/different ideas. Agenda is a show that likes to color outside the lines and break all of the rules, and I know Reed will continue to help us innovate as we grow our events.

 

Why pursue this partnership now?

I think it was time to take the Agenda brand to the next level, and working with a company like Reed enables us to do just that. We had taken the company very far being independent, but I believe with Reeds help we have only just scratched the surface of what Agenda can achieve.

 

We have some exciting plans for the future of Agenda, (that you reported on a few months back) and now we can really achieve them and go way beyond those outlines goals with Reed’s help.

 

Will Agenda become part of the Reed portfolio or remain independent?

Both. Agenda will have access to all of Reed’s centralized resources and be apart of the Reed family of events, but we will keep our own office in LA and most things will be business as usual at Agenda. I think you will find that the strong company culture we have created will remain intact and if anything it will be enhanced.

 

Will Agenda staff merge with Reed?

All of the current Agenda staff will remain intact. We will also have help from the centralized Reed team that works on all of its shows out of Norwalk, CT. Agenda will also be making some key hires over the next few months to add to our team here in LA.

 

See Page 2 for the official press release

 

 


 

 

Press Release:

 

Agenda joins Reed Exhibitions’ portfolio of events

 

(January 2, 2013) AGENDA, the leading event for the streetwear and action sports industries, has joined with Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading trade show organizer. AGENDA, with four shows a year in Long Beach and New York City, specializes in uniting the full spectrum of the action sports, streetwear, lifestyle and sneaker culture, while creating a unique environment with an emphasis on style, art, music and culture.

 

AGENDA and Reed will collaborate on the development of unique content and drive the continued enhancement of customer value and unique experience for this growing retail segment.

 

“In the ten years since we launched AGENDA, we have really seen it grow dramatically from a business standpoint, but more importantly we’ve seen the Agenda Show evolve in terms of the positive experience and unique environment that our customers expect when they enter one of our shows, ” said Aaron Levant founder of the Agenda Show. “We are really excited to work with a world class exhibition company like Reed. Reed is the global leader in exhibitions with over four hundred fifty events and offices in thirty-six countries. We know Reed is the best because of their truly global view of the tradeshow landscape.”

 

Levant said Reed also was attractive because of the ability to explore new opportunities and new markets. Greg Topalian, Senior Vice President at Reed Exhibitions and originator of the ReedPop portfolio agreed with Levant. “Agenda is a B to B business but it’s a great cultural fit with what we have developed at our pop culture events. The feel, authenticity and respecting the markets we serve have been, and will continue to be, the keys to Agenda’s success.”

 

Topalian first launched New York Comic Con and since then the ReedPop group has added the PAX events and C2E2. In fact Levant’s interest in Reed was first piqued after he visited New York Comic Con.

 

Mr. Levant also said that Seth Haber, his former partner, having sold his share of AGENDA to Reed Exhibitions, will be leaving to pursue other interests. “I have loved working with the Agenda Shows’ exhibitors, buyers and visitors and I am excited to watch Aaron and Reed Exhibitions take Agenda into the future” said Haber.

 

Levant said, “Seth was a great partner and played an instrumental role in the growth and success of AGENDA. For some time, he and I had been talking about his desire to focus on some other initiatives and this gives him that opportunity. I’m happy he has the chance now and thankful for all he has contributed to AGENDA in his time here. We all wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors”

 

Agenda was first launched in 2003 in Long Beach with 33 brands represented. Today that event occurs twice a year in Long Beach and will be supported by 550 brands this January. The NYC show was first launched in 2010. The transaction was completed in late December. Terms were not disclosed.

 

The Agenda Events take place: AGENDA – Long Beach – January 4-5, 2013 – Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA. AGENDA – NYC – January 23-24, 2013 – 82 Mercer St., New York, NY 10012

 

About ReedPOP: ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture and lifestyle arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing events that transcend the ordinary by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers.

 

The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Prime & East, and Star Wars Celebration.

 

About Reed Exhibitions: Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organizer, with over 460 events in 36 countries. In 2011 Reed brought together over six million active event participants from around the world, generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and are organized by 34 fully staffed offices. Reed organizes a wide range of events, including trade and consumer exhibitions, conferences and meetings. Its portfolio of over 460 events serves 44 industry sectors.

 

 

 

 

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