Twitter has killed blogging…I know it sounds silly but by the time I can actually sit down and blog what events I was involved with. I have already tweeted and sent pics out. Is 140 characters enough? Is micro-blogging taking over traditional blogging? So I haven’t blogged in a minute so I am going to bring it all up to date in a series of blogs. In case you were wondering what my Twitter account is here ya go @rickydanny
So put one more under the belt for trade show tours. After completing a brutal 10 days of shaka’s, high fives and brohugs…one thing is certain….NOW is the time of opportunity. Walking around ASR was inspiring as I saw young Brands going for it while older Dinosaurs tuck their tails and ran into obscurity scrambling to reorganize efforts. I have done 100′s of Action Sport tradeshows during my tenure, but this ASR was probably the best one ever for Skateboards.com and Surfboards.com . ASR has notably been the backbone of west coast shows in Action Sports, and when an entity “owns” the environment they write the rules. But much like the existing economic situation, rules get re-written, such is the case of San Diego ASR 2009. As we went from booth to booth doing business, the resounding response was a willingness to do business and the reception of new ideas. There we equal amounts of despair and optimism regarding the current economic situation enveloping our industry, however one one method of thought resonated throughout the show which was “WHEN IS IT GOING TO TURN AROUND?” Well, the answer to this is how we make it turn around. By getting back to the roots of our industry, taking care of the smaller more core store while still massaging the bigger buyers…the funny part is the bigger buyers are on their heels from the last two quarters and the brands that abandoned the smaller shops are no longer in demand…WHAT HAPPENED? People chased the almighty buck instead of staying true to the cause. ASR…you better figure it out or AGENDA and BLACKBOX are going to give you a run for your show. Overall San Diego and ASR was a huge success for us and we are stoked to have been there and get some business done.
SIA/Las Vegas…ahhhh Vegas. I love Las Vegas and let me tell you why. Everyone is there for one reason and that is to enjoy themselves. If you have a missing hand towel you can ring concierge and they whisk one right up….remote control for TV not working…BAM. Walk through the casino’s and eateries and everyone is doing a song and dance. Lets not forget the all hours buffet’s, oxygen induced atmosphere and a 24 hour schedule and you have all the makings of great debauchery. Onto the show, SIA was KICKING! and Snowboards.com was there to make it happen. You wouldn’t know there was a recession going on with the amount of people and brands at the Mandalay Bay convention center. Artec Snowboards, Capita, Oakley and more where there with their bells on and buyers were on point daily with their pens ready to write paper. No overbearing security guards, no random people trying to get free swag, just plain old fashion business going down. After 5 days of Vegas we wrapped it up and headed home only after contracting a combination of SARS/Bird Flu and some variation of the Oklahoma Hack. The highlight of the trip was The Expendables performance at the Rum Jungle with Slightly Stoopid where we were all VIP’d out and had the run of the place. I played some craps with my boy Shylo from SPY and Zak Bagans from Ghost Adventures on The Travel Channel and made some mad loot. Pics from SIA below…Video of Snoop Dogg at SIA and Slightly Stoopid singer getting roughed up and The Expendables doing their thing…
Just when you thought it was safe to own an iPhone or iPod Touch, Whagaa and Santa Cruz Skate Shop hook up and bring you GoLearn Skateboarding. By utilizing the GPS on the iPhone we are able to provide skate park destinations up to 100 mile radius of your physical location…not on WiFi or 3G, not a problem as you can search by Zipcode and still get the same return of skate parks as if you were connected. This app works for both the iPhone and the iPod Touch and should be part of any skaters arsenal of secret tricks…especially when you are out of town for the holidays and really want to skate. I get so excited about the Skatepark Locator I forget we also packed GoLearn Skateboarding with over 45 HD filmed instructional trick tip videos and skateboard mechanic tips. What more could you ask for? Well..buy the app and hang on because we are already filming new skaters in new locations that will be constantly sent out in updates along with world wide skatepark locations. Below are a few screen shots of GoLearn Skateboarding
Here is the Press Release:
Whagaa Software Inc. and Santa Cruz Skate Shop Deliver First Instructional and GPS Enabled Mobile Skateboarding App
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Whagaa Software Inc., developer of instructional applications for mobile devices and the developer of the iMIP (Interactive Mobile Instructional Platform), today announced the release of the GoLearn Skateboarding app for iPhone and iPod Touch.
With GoLearn Skateboarding, enthusiasts can learn different tricks, discover new skate parks, and rock out to their favorite tunes – all from the same device. This revolutionary app leverages GPS and identifies high-rated locations in close proximity to the skateboarder.
GoLearn Skateboarding is perfect for all skateboard levels, from beginning to expert. Skateboarders can learn tricks from experts, how to select the right board, proper safety, and repair and maintenance. Even the most advanced skateboarder will find the techniques useful and the “Skate Park Locator” invaluable when traveling to find new locations.
GoLearn Skateboarding includes the following features:
“Our perception of what the skateboarder needs as functionality comes from a lifetime of involvement. Skaters want to see different tricks performed by different people in different places. By providing an intimate discussion of how to re-thread a truck axle or watching Josh Mattson walk you through doing a Miller Flip, it’s as if we are speaking directly to the skater. Couple that with a GPS-driven Skate Park Locator for the traveling skater and the GoLearn Skateboarding application is unparalled in today’s market. Our partnership with Whagaa is an exciting one allowing us to transform our vision of Action Sport applications into reality,” comments Danny Keith, CEO of Santa Cruz Skate Shop.
This release of GoLearn Skateboarding is just the first of many new and exciting applications that will be brought to market via the partnership of Whagaa and Santa Cruz Skate Shop.
GoLearn Skateboarding leverages Whagaa’s iMIP, which accelerates the delivery of content rich applications to the iPhone platform.
“There is no other platform on the market today that can take rich instructional content from VHS, DVD, or the Internet and accelerate the development of mobile apps, such as Apple iPhone apps. Whagaa believes that GoLearn Skateboarding is unique because it leverages the combination of instructional content, SQL database capabilities, Internet access, and GPS to enhance the user experience beyond simply replaying video content. These technologies come together to provide a slick solution that resides on the same device that skateboarders use to listen to their favorite tunes. We are extremely excited by both the launch of GoLearn Skateboarding as well as the future potential of similar applications from our partnership with Santa Cruz Skate Shop,” comments Erik Florio, CEO/Founder of Whagaa.
Whagaa Software, Inc.
Founded in 2002, Whagaa empowers traditional content providers by providing an accelerated approach to leverage their instructional content on smart mobile computing platforms. Whagaa delivers a rapid, innovative application development platform that accelerates the combination of traditional content such as database, GPS, video and web-enabled content, and social networking, with a unique, stylized platform to enhance and enrich the user experience in a mobile environment. Traditional content providers are invited to partner with Whagaa to easily and effectively leverage their content for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch and to enrich their content into an interactive application. Consumers can benefit from having at their fingertips rich instructional content for all aspects of life such as fitness, sports, cooking and “do it yourself” instructional content, historical data and tracking and all the other applicable iPhone functionality that is contextually relevant. Whagaa’s iMIP’s platform and methodologies provide a faster, cheaper method to market and an improved user experience for the consumer.
Santa Cruz Skate Shop
A subsidiary of Santa Cruz Surf Shop Inc., founded in 1993, the company embodies Action Sports from the core. The headquarters in Santa Cruz California (birth place of Skateboarding and Surfing) enables a direct relationship with athletes, consumers, retail, wholesale and technology. Our proximity to Silicon Valley initiated the first break into technology in 1998 through web and ecommerce. By successfully launching Skateboards.com and Surfboards.com and with the eventual merging of social communities, we established ourselves as experts online. We created brands Live Oak Skateboards, Four Play Wheels, FRINGE and SC Brand all with multiple revenue channels. While maintaining a direct link to its customer base, we continue our presence in Action Sports with two retail stores Santa Cruz Surf Shop, Santa Cruz Skate Shop, athlete management, brand development, guerilla marketing and bleeding edge technology. Fifteen years later we have a firm grasp of branding, technology and are at the forefront of Action Sports.
Whagaa Software, Inc.
Kamala Florio, 831-438-3222
kamalaflorio@whagaa.com
or
Santa Cruz Skate Shop
Danny Keith, 831-621-3016
dk@scbrand.com
www.scbrand.com
