Active buying at Surf Expo signals positive year ahead

Demand for product on the show floor made January Surf Expo a hot spot for brands across all categories.

Replenish, revitalize, reconnect. The energetic show floor at Surf Expo 2022 in Orlando, Florida, Jan. 5 to 7, was buzzing with a ready-to-buy vibe that was ignited by new products, fresh vendors and lots of orders.

As the year’s first major show, attendees who laid low in fall were eager to discover new products to fill shelves, says Kathy Wilkie, senior buyer relations manager, for Surf Expo’s Coastal Life division.

One gift shop attendee Wilkie met on the floor said the store was selling inventory that had been holed up in the back storage room for two years because there was nothing else to display. “That was what was on their eye-level shelves, and they were like, ‘We need everything.’”

This universal demand to enliven shops with goods to sell resulted in an everything-on-trend scenario, with Wilkie noting strong interest across all coastal living, apparel, gift, jewelry and décor categories. She says, “There’s a push to freshen up shelves and make stores look new and interesting again.”

An in-demand show

The Omicron flare-up during the holidays and into the week of Surf Expo did not appear to inhibit show activity. Safe show protocols and two prior years’ experience navigating events amid COVID-19 helped the show management company, Emerald, create an atmosphere where attendees and exhibitors could feel confident.

“This is our third show with COVID, so we are not new to the game,” says Roy Turner, show director and Emerald senior vice president, adding that the past year has set records in the coastal lifestyle and gift category.

“The market has high demand,” he says. “People want to go to the beaches, lakes and rivers, and they want to get outdoors, so there is a huge demand for product across all categories, whether clothing, accessories or water toys and all the souvenir pieces that go along with taking a family vacation.”

While supply chain issues exist and Turner expects them to persist possibly into 2023, buyers are more strategic now. “They’d rather be over-inventoried than under because then there’s product to turn profitably,” he says.

“We are seeing some lagged product being delivered that might have been scheduled for six to nine months ago that retailers are accepting,” Turner adds.

To help retailers access ready-to-stock product at Surf Expo, the show’s app included a feature notifying attendees of items ready-to-ship. “A retailer could look at the app and say, ‘I can get something from them right now,’” Wilkie says. “Some of the brands were in a position where they got product ready to go, so they were ready for the show, and they totally reaped the benefits of the current (supply chain) situation.”

As for attendance, Turner says the show has grown back exponentially since before the pandemic. “Each show is a step in the right direction,” he says, noting the average turnout is more than 26,800 people.

The comeback is due in part to Surf Expo’s smart, safe approach.

“Before the show, we promoted to come vaccinated, pre-test, wear a mask and take a test when you get home—like anything else,” Turner says. “We can handle safe events.”

Also, a surge in the coastal, beach and nautical sectors during the last couple of years is a boon to Surf Expo, on both the attendee side and exhibitor side.

“The attendance is definitely a reflection of our industry and the past two years we’ve enjoyed,” Turner says.

Overall, Turner says, “The people who came to Surf Expo this year were coming with an eye to buy and a plan in place. At the end of the day, they were placing orders.”

New Products, Fresh Faces

While all categories of Surf Expo thrived, Turner points to a handful of emerging brands, including Bajio sunglasses with plant-based frames, along with another upper-market sunglasses line called I SEA. Two new products that were introduced on the television show “Shark Tank” exhibited. One was Rumpl, an upscale camping and lounge blanket ideal for beaches and other vacation situations. Another was Sand Cloud, offering sand-resistant Turkish-style beach towels with 10 percent of profits going toward marine life preservation. A young company called Bumruk that makes backpacks that convert into beach chairs, also exhibited.

“Of course, the bracelet market both in better jewelry and the string-bracelet craze is still going strong,” Turner says. “We are still seeing a ton of the small square-foot retail piece with high turnover and good profits, and that could be the Pura Vidas of the world or Dune Jewelry.”

Another notable company Wilkie calls out is Rhode Island-based Maritime Tribes and its range of coastal goods, which displayed in the New Product Showcase. Wine-oh had success with its stemless, shatterproof glassware. And with the minor number of booth cancellations came opportunities for new brands to showcase their offerings.

First time Surf Expo exhibitor QRSkinUSA had steady traffic and consistent orders during the January show.

“The floor looked strong and it really opened up the market to new products that were maybe in the arena that people haven’t seen yet,” Wilkie says.

First-time exhibitor QRSkinUSA brought its line of innovative instant itch-relief patches called Moskinto After Bite Patch. The patches have no chemicals and work naturally through a patent-pending lifting effect that works effectively to provide relief. They also recently launched Moskito Care, a 14-hour moisturizing insect repellent. The repellent is water-based and safe enough to use on the face.

“Surf Expo is the right audience for us with hundreds of owners of coastal stores—people with independent shops across the country that are all ready to buy for the season, and we were surprised and happy to see attendees from diverse backgrounds [including] lakes and campgrounds,” says QRSkinUSA Spokesperson Rodrigo Ricaud.

He points to one marina owner with 37 locations who showed interest in the mosquito repellant products. “People were there to discover new products,” he says, commenting on the steady traffic and consistent orders. “We met a lot of new people, which was great, and while trade shows overall have taken a hit, everyone at Surf Expo was happy to see a return to normal here.”

The next Surf Expo is Sept. 8-10 at the Orange County Convention Center, West Concourse, Orlando, Florida.