美国奥兰多国际水上运动用品展览会（SurfExpo）是美国最专业的冲浪及水上运动用品贸易展，该展从1976年开始，一年两届，在佛罗利达州奥兰多展览中心举行。奥兰多位于美国佛罗利达州的中部，是最受美国人欢迎的水上运动圣地，也是著名的观光旅游城市，而且这里的气候温度也是旅行、露营、水上活动、蜜月及家庭旅行的最佳去处，每年到奥兰多旅游的游客约两千多万。每年吸引众多的休闲旅游度假客人以及大量来自全球各地的专业买家，为展览会提供了充足的客源，是专业厂商参加会展的首选地。奥兰多冲浪运动用品展是由美国翡翠展览有限公司（Emerald Expositions）举办的专业户外运动、水上运动与冲浪运动用品展览会。
奥兰多的地理优势：奥兰多地处美国的东南海岸，对于中南美洲具有很强的辐射力。随着收入及生活水平的不断提高，美国人在娱乐休闲、运动、健身方面所投入的时间及财力逐年增长。游泳、划船、冲浪、滑雪等运动也吸引了众多爱好者。奥兰多这次的展会给国内外泳装以及沙滩休闲娱乐展商提供了一个良好展示平台，同时也带来了解国外相关产品市场需求的契机。据统计美国每年体育用品市场交易额已超过12亿美元。美国奥兰多冲浪运动用品展产品针对性高、观众专业性高，是您展示产品差别化和质量优势、获得采购青睐和拓展美国市场的最佳平台。
SurfExpo展是全球水上运动和沙滩生活方式的展览会，每年在一月和九月举行，吸引来自美国各地及70多个国家的户外用品专卖店、各大度假村、邮轮公司和沙滩租赁公司等买家。SurfExpo展拥有大约2,500个展位，同时举行各种特别活动、演示、时装表演和年度颁奖典礼等。
SurfExpo展是最有价值和优势的交易场所，对于过去的五年里该展一直是美国增长最快的行业之一。该业务为重点的市场从世界各地吸引买家，让参展企业获得：SurfExpo的总买家出席代表超过$20亿的购买力；包括采购商，参展商和媒体的平均上座率超过了27600人；买家前来SurfExpo是看到新产品，寻找新的供应商，了解最新的趋势和看到现有的供应商；买家代表来自全国各地，如美国、加拿大、欧洲和加勒比地区的9,500多家店面；展出的服装和杂货和一个完整的特别活动阵容，包括时装表演、年度颁奖典礼和水上演示，并超过2500个展位。
展品范围(Show Products):
泳装系列：各类男式冲浪服、男女泳衣、儿童泳装以及设计师品牌泳衣；
沙滩系列：度假旅游用品：沙滩椅、沙滩裤、沙滩围裙、帽子、沙滩排球、休闲服饰、蜡染花布、饰品、毛巾、纪念品、玩具；
运动系列：滑板：各类滑板、滑雪板、溜冰鞋、运动护具、运动服装；
冲浪系列：各具特色的冲浪板、板舵、风筝冲浪设备、太阳镜、防晒产品、鞋类、救生衣、潜水设备、皮划艇、以及各类运动配件和培训录像教材等；
流行系列：周末流行休闲服饰、牛仔裤、鞋类、睡衣裤、家居服、度假装、水疗产品和护肤产品。
展会报告(Show Reports):
Orlando, Fla., January 17, 2023 – Surf Expo, the premier watersports and coastal lifestyle tradeshow, saw a robust 21% year-over-year gain in attendance for its January 2023 edition, hosting more than 8,500 industry professionals at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, from January 4-6 for an incredible buying experience.
“The surf, coastal, and resort markets are thriving and vibrant,” said Roy Turner, Surf Expo SVP and show director. “We were thrilled to see that qualified buyer attendance was up 20% at this show over the previous year, with more than 4,100 qualified buyers attending. These retailers from the U.S. and more than 60 different countries got to check out more than 750 brands.”
The surf section was larger than at the September show, with 27 new exhibitors in the surf section alone and many brands attending their first trade show ever, such as Former and Rivvia Projects, and surfboard maker Misfit Shapes M/SF/T. Other notable brands that participated included BN3TH, Birkenstock, Vissal, Keen Footwear, Hey Dude, Salty Crew, Katin, Brixton, Dickies, Firewire Surfboards, Sharp Eye Surfboards, Xcel Wetsuits, Pura Vida, Jetty, Havaianas, Sperry, Sun Bum, AFTCO and many more.
The wide variety of companies exhibiting were excited to meet with the many key accounts that showed up looking for both fresh brands and ideas for their retail floors.
“Surf Expo is a great show for chasing the WOW!” said Jeff Glik, CEO of Glik Stores in Granite City, Illinois. “Retail is about constant change and new vendors give us an opportunity to inject the WOW! The highlight for me at the show was I-SEA sunglasses. We met with the owner and sales manager and boy did they dial me in!”
Many buyers were looking for those newer brands to stay in tune with the latest trends. “As independents, we like to think of ourselves as pioneers and as the heartbeat of the retail landscape,” said Jim Archibald, owner of Archie’s Surf Shop in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada. “Having these niche brands really arms us in battle in this evolving market. Hopefully these newer, small- to medium-sized companies will be the big brands of tomorrow. This show is great at giving them a better chance to showcase their wares.”
Other retailers valued the opportunity for face-to-face meetings with brand executives. “We definitely had a productive show,” said Timothy McKevlin, owner of McKevlin’s Surf Shop in Folly Beach, South Carolina. “It’s almost worth the trip just to be able to meet with a Pukka designer and create hats! It’s always valuable to meet with brands in person – especially since that has been a challenge in the last two and a half years.”
“We had a really great experience at this year’s show,” said Luke Mesanko of Wanderlust & Sea in New Jersey. “A lot of the next-gen brands got our attention, and we had time to build up those relationships. We had some really great dinners and lunches with business executives and their teams. All around, it was super productive, and the vibes were high.”
Brands were thrilled with the retail turnout and interest.
“January Surf Expo was one for the records!” said Patricia Thornton, president of Psycho Tuna. “Retailers were present and buying. Surf Expo has been and will always be my favorite show as we always come out with new business.”
Business was fast and furious for other brands at the show as well. “As a new brand into our third year, this was our busiest show we have had since we launched I-SEA,” said Don Dyer, vice president of sales for I-SEA. “Tons of retailers showed up to write business. We saw over 130 retailers in two and a half days. This was the best Expo I have seen in the last eight years.”
In addition to the busy sales floor, Surf Expo hosted free professional learning labs and multiple fashion shows. The Florida Shape-Off, the annual surfboard shaping contest and exhibition that promotes the craft of hand-shaping surfboards, was won by Josh Peterson of Peterson Surfcraft.
Surf Expo will return September 7-9, 2023,January 10-12, 2024, to the Orange County Convention Center’s South Concourse.
