Surf Expo continued the celebrations for its 50th year in business with a September trade show focused on three things: new product, education and community. The Sept. 16-18 event featured over 550 exhibitors and buyer attendance up 7% year over year.
“We had a strong showing of Caribbean buyers, and exhibitors consistently told us the buyers were high quality and actively writing orders,” says Roy Turner, Surf Expo senior vice president and show director.
Education was a big theme for the show, as Surf Expo partnered with Breakwall Publishing to feature six Coastal Connections educational sessions throughout the event in addition to speakers featured on the show’s main stage.
“The speakers and content were more focused and actionable than ever,” he says.
AI was a regular topic of conversation among buyers, with some educational sessions offered that were focused on that topic. Other topics featured included inventory management, retail branding strategies and smart merchandising techniques.
The Surf Expo show floor featured a wide range of new products for coastal retailers. Turner says the show welcomed several major dive brands positioning “underwater” as a growing category for the show, driven by the growth in the outdoor and active buyer segment. Gift & Souvenir also remained a large part of the show’s mix, with relevant coastal gifts and mementos for retail buyers.
“I always enjoy coming to Surf Expo,” Sarah Wieck, owner of Down the Ocean LLC in North Richland Hills, Texas, says. “In the few years I have been attending, the selection of boutique offerings has expanded, which makes it great to source new products.”
Turner notes that some apparel styles stood out throughout the show. In the Surf category, longer board shorts with a strong ’90s influence are trending, while in the Boutique, category, new performance designers are bringing more golf-inspired styles into the mix.
“We’re also seeing an uptick in premium children’s apparel, a category every retailer should keep an eye on,” he says.
Networking was also a big component to the show. Turner says an industry party at the retro-style upscale entertainment venue KING’s sponsored by Lightspeed brought together buyers and brands from Resort, Swim, Boutique, Outdoor and Surf.
“We worked hard to give retailers and brands plenty of ways to connect beyond the booth, and our show app made it easy to share information and keep conversations going after the show,” says Turner. “Between fashion shows, happy hours, ample lounge space, industry parties and movie premiers, there was always something happening.”
The show also launched Tidal Reach as a new content creator program, encouraging over 50 content creators to highlight new brands and products available at the show across social media.
“Tidal Reach exceeded our expectations, and we plan to double the number of creators, and the reach, for our January show,” Turner says.
Surf Expo returns to the Orange County Convention Center Jan. 6-8, 2027, and the 2027 September event will return to a slightly earlier time frame, Sept. 9-11, 2027. Turner says he hopes the upcoming shows will provide retailers with opportunities to find new product and new ideas.
“Business is changing faster than ever. AI isn’t going away, and data will separate the businesses that thrive from the ones that don’t,” he explains. “Retailers need to stay educated, upgrade their systems and recognize that marketing channels are changing. As we head into our next 50 years, we want Surf Expo to be the place retailers find not only new product, but the knowledge they need to compete.”
