Group Y recently held their third industry panel discussion at Oakley HQ in Irvine . Having wisely made the decision to seize the opportunity and attend, I came away from the event very impressed.

They without a doubt know the keys to our hearts, as anytime you combine Wahoo’s, an open-bar, with 100 or so of the industry’s finest and put them together inside a batman-esque compound like that of Oakley, you have pretty much sealed the deal on making it an enjoyable evening . On top of the classy digs, it was just an all-around great opportunity meet the faces behind some of your e-lationships(just made that up, not even kidding), and learn from some of the best in the industry.

With representatives from Fox, Circa, Oakley, and Roxy all on stage it was fun to watch the card-holding that was going on as each wanted to be informative and helpful without showing too much. What was easily noticed is that the action-sports industry in general is still a ways behind when it comes to utilizing the web and tapping into a medium that Danielle Beck(Roxy) labeled as “untappable.”

Perhaps it’s not so much ‘untappable,’ as it’s just that many within the industry haven’t quite figured out how to fully take advantage of the massive influx of online opportunities to build and interact with their audience . With the correct web strategy there is no doubt that brands, riders, and online publications will see exponential growth previously unheard of. Fans and enthusiasts alike will be closer than ever to their favorite pros they emulate every day, as well as hear the stories behind their preferred clothing labels. The ‘untappable’ can become ‘tappable’, you just gotta do it right. The days of getting your message out once a month through print are moving behind us, and it is as exciting a time as ever for the action-sports industry.

A special thanks goes out to group Y, as well as Oakley for opening up their building. It was an incredible time and I strongly recommend participation in future events. April’s gathering is to be held in Carlsbad. With that being the location of the Factive headquaters (which isn’t quite as cool as Oakley’s) we are charged up to be in attendance and enjoy another informative evening with group Y. We are also going to be holding either a pre or post event party here at the office, so stay tuned. Cheers!

group y