The International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) Skateboarding Summit is a three-day experience that brings industry leaders together in a non-competitive environment in order to educate, connect, inspire, and broaden perspectives. Enthusiasts are encouraged to spread knowledge and relay a positive sense of community within the active sports world.

This year IASC is proud to host our keynote speaker, Gary Vaynerchuk. On Friday, May 16 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm, Gary will join Summit attendees for his keynote speech, Q&A, and signing of his latest book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. Gary's appearance is made possible thanks to generous support from Vans.

Already considered a quintessential maven of modern-day marketing, Gary is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, as well as a self-trained wine and social media expert. In high school, while working at his family owned liquor store, Gary started reading The Wine Spectator among other wine books and realized collecting wine offered an allure similar to his previous hobby of collecting baseball cards. With a newfound wealth of knowledge, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a clear recognition of the emergence of e-commerce, in 1997 Gary launched Winelibrary.com, which helped grow his family business from $3 million to $45 million by 2005. Although Gary does not consider himself to be a ‘techie,’ in 2005, he began video blogging and established himself as a true social media trailblazer. Gaining nearly 1 million Twitter followers, Gary was included in BusinessWeek’s list of Top 20 People Every Entrepreneur Should Follow.

In the spring of 2009, Gary and his brother A.J. launched VaynerMedia, a cutting-edge branding agency that helps Fortune 500 companies, like General Electric and PepsiCo, to distinguish a voice and online presence in order to stand out among the noise of the digital age.

“Gary’s passion for his business and entrepreneurial spirit directly translates to everyone that works in our industry. The fact he has built up a following of smart marketers from within skateboarding is a testament to the universal strength of the information he shares and the strategies he lives and breathes. Having a chance to learn from someone with his grasp on modern digital marketing is an opportunity that no one who is trying to figure out better ways to engage their consumers or grow their brands in our connected world should miss!" –Josh Friedberg, Executive Director, International Association of Skateboard Companies.