Get ready for Surf Expo

Surf Expo gets underway Thursday. We check in with Show Director Roy Turner to find out what we should expect as we head to Florida.

 

How many brands are exhibiting this year? What’s the best way to navigate around the show?

Our show is officially sold out for January with 240,000 square feet of booth and event space featuring 900 exhibitors representing 2,472 lines/brands. It’s exciting and gratifying to see the support of all facets of the industry come together at Surf Expo for what will be our largest and strongest show in recent memory.

 

We’ve had to maximize our floor plan to accommodate demand. Even with those changes there’s no room left on the trade show floor. The name of the game in the trade show business is setting challenging but realistic goals. More than a month ago we realized that not only were we going to meet those goals, we were going to smash them. It’s truly a testament to the popularity and strength of the industries we serve.

 

Surf Expo offers a spectrum of product covering everything from souvenirs, resort apparel, swimwear, skateboard, and stand up paddle. Of course, the surf market continues to rely of Surf Expo to really deliver the buyers in a business friendly environment. Those exhibitors continue to be the foundation of the show and reports indicate it will be a very strong show for them.

 

The scale of it all can be overwhelming, but we’re here to help. You can easily navigate our show by downloading our mobile app at https://m.surfexpo.com or visit any of our “You Are Here” kiosks on the show floor, which feature live interactive floor maps. Our mobile app also includes an easy to use scheduling tool so you will be sure not to miss any exhibitors that you would like to checkout.

 

If you want to catch up on the latest before the show be sure and checkout the feature articles on retailers and exhibitors in our digital show guide by visiting https://www.surfexpo.com/magazine.aspx – it is iPad friendly!

 

How many retailers are expected? Is that number bigger than last show last January? 

Pre-registration numbers are up more than 15% over last year with almost 10,000 qualified buyers pre-registered for our event, our press and exhibitor pre-registration are showing similar increases as well.

 

There’s been a noticeable surge in interest and participation from retailers from Southern California who understand Surf Expo is the largest and only true trade show for the surf market.

 

Ben Murphy from Bird Rock Surf Shop in La Jolla, Milo Myers from Hanger 94, TK Brimer from The Froghouse, Nick Cocores from Thalia Surf Shop in Laguna Beach and Marco Perez from Emerald City are among the Southern California shops making their first visit to Surf Expo.

This is in addition to the large contingent of shops like Jack’s Surfboard that have attended Surf Expo for years.

 

We truly are the international destination for the surf market, a fact echoed by the number of associations that gather at Surf Expo for their annual board of director meetings, including the Eastern Surfing Association, Board Retailers Association, WSIA — heck even the U.S. Coast guard has meetings here because they understand that it’s where the industry gathers, all in one place, all at one time.

See Page 2 for more, including new events and features

 

 

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Any features/events we should look out for?

You can find a full schedule of events on our website at https://www.surfexpo.com – we offer a varied seminar series with topics that include Long Boarding, Free Dive, SUP, POS systems, In-store Merchandising and Email Strategies.

 

We have a full schedule of fashion shows and an active skateboard schedule, provided by Team Pain, that includes a new longboard course and special programs by A—Skate. Be sure and checkout the East Coast Hall of Fame event scheduled for Friday night as well as Parasail Symposium on Thursday morning.

 

The 5th annual Florida Shape off will feature four top shapers competing in a tribute to Greg Noll,  rounding out a great three days of events.

 

What should we expect for the SUP demos?

SUP is the fastest growing sport in the world and Surf Expo has been a supporter since day one. We will again feature an indoor demo pool where buyers can try out the latest equipment from more than 125 booths of the latest board and accessories. We also have scheduled seminars by Chris Stec of the ACA for those wanting to learn more about the sport.

 

If you have a question look for Robert “Wingnut” Weaver on the floor, Wingy is our official SUP Ambassador and will be more than happy to help with any questions.

 

I hear there is also a strong diving/Scuba presence?

The emergence of ‘free diving” among the surf community has not gone unnoticed at Surf Expo and we are happy to again have the top names in the industry represented at Surf Expo. Retailers wanting to expand their categories to include all aspects of a true waterman’s lifestyle should take a look.

 

Special signage will be placed in front of all dive companies on the show floor, which are included in our main surf section, so be sure to be on the lookout.

 

Where can I find a place to eat on site? Trade shows make me hungry and the food is usually bad.

Do not worry, we will have the traditional trade show fair in case you need a fix, but my favorite is a daily visit to our Sushi Bar which can be found in our skate section, something of a surprise in a world filled with gyros and hot dogs!

 

Any night events we should keep our eyes and ears open for? 

We are excited to partner with Vans to bring our industry party back to the House of Blues Thursday Night at 8:00 featuring People Under the Stairs and The Aggrolites. And, as mentioned before, be sure and checkout the East Coast Hall of Fame event on Friday Night.