Reed Exhibitions (RX) has postponed its Agenda Winter Long Beach trade show and will transform the event into a consumer experience.

Originally scheduled for Jan. 3-4 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Ca., Agenda Long Beach has been considered one of the preeminent B2B events in the action sports and streetwear industries for more than 15 years, according to RX officials.

Announced last month, the decision to postpone and reimagine the show was made after careful consideration and feedback from the show’s exhibiting brands, retailers and media, according to Ron Walden, RX Group vice president of Fashion and Lifestyle Events.

“The business of fashion for our customers has changed dramatically over the past five years” Walden explained. “While large brands are focused on fewer, more meaningful retail relationships, smaller start up brands are utilizing technology and digital platforms to market and sell directly to the consumer.”

He added, “This makes meaningful experiences with consumers more important than ever for our customer brands, both large and small.”

Rescheduled for June, the Southern California edition of Agenda will evolve into a B2C festival that will merge streetwear, action sports, lifestyle and fashion with music, art, food and education.

For the past two years, the summer edition of Agenda Long Beach has included a consumer festival day that attracted more than 10,000 attendees each year.

So far, the plan to move and evolve Agenda from a B2B to a B2C event has garnered a strong showing of support from many of its bellwether brand exhibitors, according to RX officials.

“Our customers seek a personal experience with our brand and that’s why Agenda Festival makes sense,” said Bobby Hundreds, co-founder of The Hundreds. “This move is what we need from Agenda: a relevant and authentic fan expo that integrates customer interaction and speaks directly to the youth/fashion lifestyle market.”

With the transition underway, Agenda will continue to embrace the retail community in Southern California and throughout the country, said Neil Wright, event director of Agenda.

“We’ll continue to work with retailers across the board” Wright said. “From curating partnerships between retailers and brands for activations, to promoting events through their doors and digital networks, retailers will play a significant part in the success of the Agenda Festival.”

Meanwhile, Agenda will retain its B2B event presence in Las Vegas during Las Vegas Fashion Week. After recently announcing its move to The Pavilions at World Market Center Las Vegas, Agenda Las Vegas is set to take place Feb. 5-7.

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