Pre-show anticipation was guarded in the days before last week’s Surf Expo show in Orlando, Florida. Kicking off the trade-show season for the beach and boardsports industries, the January 14-17 event would serve as an important barometer for both the health of the overall beach-lifestyle market and the sentiment of retailers placing orders for 2009.

As the show got underway, initial on-the-floor indicators were strong and were supported by distinctly optimistic comments from many exhibitors and retailers.

With the tabulation of post-show attendance numbers now complete, Surf Expo announced today that buyer and store attendance numbers were within 1.5% of last January’s record-breaking tally. Given the current economic uncertainty, buyers and exhibitors agree that Surf Expo exceeded expectations and delivered beyond their best-case scenario.

“I walked the entire show floor,” said Surf Expo Show Director Roy Turner, “and time and time again exhibitors told me, ‘The buyers are here. The buyers are here.’ It was exciting—and really indicative of the optimism that our industries are known for.”

While buyer attendance remained strong, post-show attendance analysis shows that exhibitors brought only their essential personnel to the show. Additionally, industry guest attendance was down 38%.

According to show management, the strong buyer attendance numbers can be partially attributed to an enhanced investment in Surf Expo’s buyer relations department, which saw a 100% percent increase in its retailer buydown budget. This reallocation of funds enabled many retailers to attend the show and write orders for the summer, and also increased Surf Expo’s store count from critical territories such as Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Canada, and the West Coast.

“The show was much better than expected,” says Mike Carter of Electric Visual Eyewear. “I think we had the expectation coming back here, with all the doom and gloom, that this was going to be a pretty heavy shocker. But at the end of it, here on day three, I’m pleasantly surprised—I’m actually very stoked on how things went for us this whole trade show.”

Gary Ward, Ocean Minded


“The show has been great,” says Gary Ward of Ocean Minded. “I came here, like everyone else, saying, ‘Hey what are we going into here in ‘09?’ But, I tell you what, there has been moments when it’s seemed slow and then they guys come in and they’re actually placing orders, and I’m pretty pumped on it. I’m really positive about what I’m seeing and hearing. People are staying upbeat and positive. Surf Expo done a great job and we’re pretty psyched.”

"I thought that you all turned out the best show you ever have,” says John Hambleton of Island Surf in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. “I think that we were in the right place at the right time with the right partners. Thanks for doing all the extra little—and not so little things.”

“The show was excellent,” says Dee Nachnani, owner of the chain of Coastal Edge stores. “Every single booth I went into sales managers were telling me very clearly that everyone here was working and that it was incredibly productive.”

“While overall attendance seems down, the number of decision makers hasn’t changed,” says Sanuk Sales Manager John Vance. “It’s been a good show. Our booth has been steadily busy the whole show. From an investment standpoint this show still makes sense.”

Scott Sorenson, Anarchy & Angel


“The show has been really good,” says Scott Sorenson of Anarchy & Angel. “We’ve had a lot of people come buy, look at the line—a lot of new customers it seems. I think we’ve done quite a bit of new business here.”

“The show has been great,” says Wes Laine of WRV. “We brought less product and were expecting less traffic than we received. So we were pleasantly surprised.”

Mike Milliken, Firewire


“The show has been good,” says Firewire’s Mike Milliken. “Definitely the accounts we need to see are here—and that’s what we’re looking for obviously. It’s definitely been a successful show, even though the economy is tight and people are sketched. There are definitely the right people here and that’s what really counts.”

“The show has been really strong,” says Rusty Apparel Sales Director Paul Harvey. “There’s a lot of optimism—I’m surprised. I’m stoked. Everyone is recharged and ready to roll for ’09. They seem to be really analyzing their business and not focusing anymore on ‘The sky is falling.’ That’s been really surprising. I didn’t anticipate that there would be so much optimism out there with the retailer. So I’m stoked.”

Liberty O’Toole, DaKine Womens


“The show has been really good actually,” says Liberty O’Toole, Sales Manager for DaKine Women. “We’ve been pretty steady for most of the three days and I’m finding that most of the retailers I’ve been talking to are cautiously optimistic right now.”

“The show has been absolutely wonderful,” says Michael Johnston, Co-Owner of Greenwoody Skateboards. “First time out we’ve had a great response, made excellent contacts, and quite a few sales already. We’re really excited about that and it’s great to be here at Surf Expo.”

“The show has been awesome,” says Colleen Ferris Thompson, Owner of Bikini Flavors. “We’ve had a really good reception to the line and met a lot of new stores who are ready to write orders.”

Jimbo Gaskin, Aussie Dog


“The show has been absolutely beyond our expectations,” says Jimbo Gaskin of Aussie Dog. “We had a great show. I think the show has to be pleased with what happened.”

Jeff Booth, Billabong


“The show has been good,” says Billabong National Sales Manager Jeff Booth. “We’re kind of winding it up here on the last day but it was really busy the first two days, It was actually a pleasant surprise, but all the main buyers are here and they’re ready to write the line, look at the line, and are pretty excited.”

Bill Stewart, Stewart Surfboards


“I’m incredibly happy that I came here,” says Bill Stewart of Stewart Surfboards. “My business is doing really, really well even in the bad times. That’s when you’ve got to get tough. You can’t lay down, you’ve got to keep swinging the bat. So I came here to let everyone know that I’m warm, safe, and dry and that I’m not going anywhere. I’m really, really excited by how things went.”

The next Surf Expo will be August 20-22, 2009 in Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. For complete show information, go to surfexpo.com.

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