Coming off two record-breaking shows, Surf Expo again drew strong attendance from 47 U.S. states and 49 countries at the January 9-11 show in Orlando, Florida.
“With more exhibitor booths, and more first-time buyers and stores in attendance, the result was a vibrant marketplace. We always strive to bring together a quality mix of exhibitors and buyers – and the feedback confirms that we achieved this goal. We are pleased that we continue to be a show known for generating business,” said Surf Expo Show Director, Roy Turner.
“We wrote paper for SUPs, surfboards, fins, bodyboards, skimboards, plus all kinds of accessories,” said Kim Ball, Owner of Hi-Tech Surf Sports in Maui. “Our girls were booked with clothing, footwear, sunglass and swimwear appointments all 3 days, picking up some new lines. We even picked 4-5 new lines on the resort side.”
Among the more than 2,500 booths, there were more than 230 first-time exhibitors at Surf Expo, an increase of 6% from the January 2013 show. Clayton Pequignot, owner of Waveflo and first-time exhibitor at Surf Expo commented, “We accomplished all objectives and then some, so the show was a smashing success from our perspective.”
“The show was great and I found quite a few new gift and juniors clothing lines and left paper with them all. I’m excited to get some lines that are not the usual things one would see in Santa Barbara,” said Kim Lipp, Buyer for Surf N Wear’s Beach House in Santa Barbara, Calif.
“We indeed had a productive show. We got to choose and see new lines of products as well as known and new suppliers,” said Flavia da Silva, General Manager of Shipwreck Shops, St. Martin.
Eli Marmar, Founding Partner of Freewaters Footwear said, “As a startup, Surf Expo is a great place to be to do business with people you already do business with and to get exposure to a whole new segment.”
About Surf Expo
Surf Expo is the longest running and largest boardsports and beach/resort lifestyle tradeshow in the world. Produced in January and September, the show features more than 2,300 booths of apparel and hard goods and draw buyers from specialty stores, major resorts, cruise lines and beach rental companies from across the U.S., and more than 69 countries. Voted the Fastest Growing Show in the U.S. by TSNN, Surf Expo hosts a full lineup of special events, demos, fashion shows, and annual award ceremonies. For more information visit www.surfexpo.com.
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