By Press Release

July 10, 2001

ASR's BACK2SKOOL Trade Show, coming to the Waterfront Hilton in Huntington Beach, CA, March 20 and 21, 2002, breaks new ground for the traditional trade show concept - the exhibitors and retailers will attend by invitation only, specifically to see products that are slated for Fall/back-to-school delivery.

The first exhibitor invitations were issued in late May and industry reaction has been typically quick, as Hurley, Volcom, Reef, Element, Counter Culture, Osiris, Tavarua, Oakley, Black Label, Electric, Elenx, Rusty, Split, Sanuk, Paul Frank, Fresh Jive, Stussy, Echo and others have already reserved their spots.

"We anticipate only having 120 booths, representing 40-50 companies and at this point we've sold 70," said ASR Show Director, Court Overin. "The idea is to limit attendance to the core youth culture brands and their most important retail accounts. As for the location, the Waterfront in Huntington is about as close to the epicenter of our business as you can get.

"With so many industry leaders in Huntington and the surrounding area, this is the perfect place for a couture/boutique event of this kind. Not only can retail attendees get ahead of back-to-school trends, they can visit some of the best-known retail stores in the business. We are also encouraging out of town retail attendees to meet with their core vendors at their headquarters before or after the show to see their operations firsthand.

Exhibiting companies will each submit a list of their "must-attend" US and international retailers, to ensure that the BACK2SKOOL Show meets expectations. All attendees will be registered in advance of the show ensuring their time at the event is spent with the exhibitors. Once at the show all attendees will have breakfast and lunch provided both days helping them to maximize their time at the show.

"This event fills a real need for the industry," said Bob Hurley, of Hurley International. "Everything we've done with ASR over the years has been great, so we have high expectations for the BACK2SKOOL Show."

"We're excited to provide the market place with a truly different and innovative event," said Overin. "ASR has always delivered a great business environment, with the right mix of retailers and exhibitors. This will be anything but just another surf show.

ASR Trade Expo is a division of VNU/Bill Communications. VNU is one of the world's leading publishing and information companies and has leading market positions in consumer magazines, directories and information services, business information, as well as educational publishing. Worldwide, VNU employs approximately 16,000 people and has annual revenues of more than EUR 2.8 billion. For more information visit the ASR website at: http://www.asrbiz.com or VNU website at: http://www.vnu.com.