Surf Expo is the largest and longest-running water sports trade show on the planet and gathers the world's leading surf, skate, swim, resort industry, and beach lifestyle exhibitors.
The first edition of the Surf Expo was held in 1976, and since then, it has become an influential business gathering.
The trade show runs in Orlando, Florida, twice a year in January and September.
The three-day laid-back event attracts around 30,000 professionals, who negotiate deals in the over 2,500 colorful booths of gear and apparel.
The Surf Expo always features a full schedule of side events, including surf and skate demos, fashion shows, autograph signing sessions, award ceremonies, surfboard shaping, and live product demonstrations and music.
Surf Expo is not open to the general public. Only qualified professionals, industry manufacturers, and media are allowed inside the exhibition hall.
Retail store owners from across the United States, Europe, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Australasia, and Africa are invited to be the first to see and test the latest boardsport products and the hottest innovations.
Action Sports United
Surf Expo is the ideal trade show for action sports brands seeking to reach a large number of retailers in a concentrated environment.
From a sports perspective, Surf Expo features all the outdoor activities included in the so-called surf-and-skate industry.
Therefore, it's the ultimate meeting point for surfing, bodyboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, skimboarding, wakeboarding, skateboarding, and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) businesses.
However, the trade show has already expanded its coverage to include kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and the deeply connected resort industry.
As a one-stop place for surf-related companies, the Surf Expo visitor will be among the first to witness the latest surfboards, fins, boardshorts, wetsuits, skateboard decks and wheels, sunglasses, jet skis, wake boats, kites, windsurfing sails, inflatable SUPs, footwear, beach jewelry, sandals, coastal gifts, futuristic fabrics, and standing wave machines.
Surf Expo is a business hub obsessively focused on the beach lifestyle and ocean sports. It's a unique trading center where buyers can actually look, hold, test, and eventually add a product to their portfolio.
For many brands and companies, Surf Expo is the most efficient way of getting their exclusive products into the hands of consumers via quality retailers.
As an internationally acclaimed surf industry trade show, Surf Expo will continue to evolve and attract new manufacturers as the board sports spectrum broadens.
If you're a surf shop owner, this is the place to find top-notch gear and apparel; if you're an industry manufacturer, Surf Expo will help you increase your orders and build long-term relationships with many loyal clients.
As a professional put it, "As soon as you start a surf company, you hear about Surf Expo. It's the beach inside a convention center."
Surf Expo | The Trade Show In Numbers
- 2 yearly editions of Surf Expo;
- 3 days of exhibition;
- 11 market categories showcased at Surf Expo;
- 70+ countries visit and buy at Surf Expo;
- 80 percent of buyers write orders at Surf Expo;
- 1976 is the year Surf Expo was founded;
- 2,500 booths featured at Surf Expo;
- 9,500+ retailers purchasing at Surf Expo;
- 30,000 professionals visit each edition of Surf Expo;
- $355,000 is the average amount spent by a Surf Expo buyer;
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com