Miami SwimShow Director on July Cancellation, What’s Next

The annual SwimShow, which is the largest trade show during the popular Miami Swim Week and takes place each July in Miami, was canceled this year because of the coronavirus.

We checked in with Judy Stein, Executive Director of the Swimwear Association of Florida, which operates the show, to see why the association had to rule out the July gathering and if the show will be rescheduled.

It is unclear whether Cabana, another popular show during Miami Swim Week, will go forward. As of today, Cabana’s website does not say that the show is canceled.

Was there a deciding factor that led to the cancellation? 

Swimwear Association of Florida Executive Director Judy Stein: Unfortunately, there were just too many unknown factors to contend with which made it difficult to predict what the next few months will bring.

The board has the utmost respect for everyone’s health, safety and well-being and with those thoughts in mind, the board has chosen to cancel the July show.

Did you get a sense that people felt comfortable traveling to the show? Were brands going to let employees travel? 

Judy Stein: We received a lot of feedback from both our retailers and manufacturers, many of whom were excited and expecting the July SwimShow to go on as planned.

However, there were others who felt that based on the current global crisis, that the timing just wasn’t right.

Do you have any plans to reschedule the show? 

Judy Stein: We are putting plans in place to potentially hold an October tradeshow. Many details still need to be worked out.

What has this situation been like for you and your team as you had to navigate the uncertainty? 

Judy Stein: Certainly we are all very upset that there will not be a July SwimShow this year. We live and breathe this tradeshow 24/7/365. So much had already gone into the planning stages, when it all had to be abruptly stopped, it was quite a shock to say the least.

With that said, everyone is facing these same issues so we are all just trying to navigate the new norm. The swim industry are survivors and we will all get through this together as a community. My office is open and functioning and we are here to provide our help and service in any way that we can.