Surf Expo Show Director Roy Turner, second from left, with the Coastal Edge crew from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Photo by Surf Expo.
As Surf Expo celebrates its 50th anniversary, the show continues to serve as a vital hub for the surf, resort, swim, and coastal outdoor lifestyle industries. In this Q&A, Surf Expo Show Director and Emerald SVP Roy Turner shares insights into what attendees can expect at the September 2026 show, from exciting new features and trends to the evolving role of the event in fostering industry connections and innovation.
What are some of the most exciting features, events, or new additions attendees can look forward to at the September 2026 show?
Surf Expo Show Director and Emerald SVP Roy Turner: Similar to our January event, we’ll continue the celebration with giveaways, skate ramps, celebrity appearances, live music, and our popular Shopify Industry Party—this time at a new surprise location.
We’re expecting more than 200 exhibitors who are new to Surf Expo, bringing fresh energy and innovation to the show floor. We’re also streamlining our floor layouts to better reflect our evolving product mix.
Additionally, the show dates will shift to a Wednesday to Friday schedule, moving slightly later in the month and well clear of Labor Day weekend.
What trends are you seeing in the surf, resort, swim, and coastal outdoor lifestyle industries that will be reflected at this year’s show?
Roy Turner: If I had to coin a phrase, it would be “active lifestyle.” Consumers increasingly want versatile products that transition effortlessly between different activities. We are seeing a strong push toward multi-functional gear and apparel that works just as well on the beach as it does in town.
Sustainability and eco-friendly products also continue to be a massive draw, as buyers actively seek brands that align with environmental consciousness. You will see these trends reflected across our Surf, Boutique, Resort, Swim, and Shoreline Outdoor categories, where fashion-forward design meets coastal utility.
The Shoreline Outdoor category on the show floor has been growing. Can you tell us more about this space and its significance for the show?
Roy Turner: Shoreline Outdoor bridges the gap between water-driven activities and land-based adventure. This category highlights performance-driven apparel and essentials built for boating, fishing, wake surfing, paddling, hiking, and camping. It has grown significantly because customers no longer view these activities in silos. They want functional crossover products.
For our outdoor specialty retailers, coastal outfitters, and surf shops, Shoreline Outdoor provides a dedicated space to find essentials that perform beautifully both on the water and on the trail.
Surf Expo is known for fostering connections. How does the show facilitate meaningful partnerships between brands and retailers?
Roy Turner: We built Surf Expo around people, relationships, and community. Our dedicated Buyer Relations team works year-round to match the right buyers with the right exhibitors. Onsite, we utilize powerful matchmaking tools that allow registered buyers to research brands, request appointments, and schedule meetings before they even hit the floor.
We also design our layout and daily schedules to spark real conversations. More than 80% of our buyers write orders at the show, which proves that the environment we create successfully turns face-to-face interactions into long-term business partnerships.
Surf Expo’s success over the past 50 years is rooted in the success stories of our exhibiting partners and retail attendees. The show keeps the coastal community engaged on a much deeper level than a like, a heart emoji, or a thumbs-up ever could.
Beyond the trade show floor, what learning labs, workshops, or networking events will be available for attendees?
Roy Turner: They’ll find daily fashion shows, interactive demos, afternoon happy hours, and industry parties. We’ll be hosting Learning Labs led by top industry professionals, covering everything from inventory management to retail marketing.
Beyond that, we offer networking events across the show floor designed to bring the community together. These events are where friendships are strengthened, and new collaborative ideas are born.
Surf Expo is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. How has the show evolved over the decades, and what milestones are you most proud of?
Roy Turner: From Ross Houston’s original idea of a show “for surfers, by surfers,” to Surf Expo today, I think the team is most proud that we’ve been able to retain so much of our original DNA. While Surf Expo has evolved to reflect the markets we serve, surf has always remained at its core.
Over the past 50 years, Surf Expo has grown alongside the coastal lifestyle, serving as a marketplace for commerce in an industry we genuinely love. We’ve seen trends come and go and watched technology reshape the industry, but Surf Expo has remained a constant. We were there during the surf boom of the late ’80s and ’90s. We were the first trade show to reopen after 9/11, the first to return after the 2008 market crash, one of the last shows to stage before COVID, and one of the first to reopen afterward.
Through it all, we’ve built a community connected by a shared love for the ocean. For five decades, Surf Expo has helped support countless careers and has fostered long-lasting relationships that extend far beyond the show floor.
As Surf Expo looks ahead to its next 50 years, what is your vision for the show and its role in the industries it serves?
Roy Turner: Surf Expo has always reflected the markets we serve, and that won’t change. What is changing is how people buy, along with the broader landscape and the role of technology.
Wave parks popping up around the world are a good example of that shift. Over the next 50 years, surfing, and the lifestyle, culture, and fashion around it, will reach far beyond the coastline.
Technology will help Surf Expo become more global, more curated, and more digitally connected as a wholesale marketplace, while still staying rooted in in-person buying and real relationships.
Surf Expo will probably keep its Orlando home, but it will grow into more of a hybrid buying platform than just a show that happens twice a year. The digital product discovery, appointment tools, and year-round buyer-seller connections we’ve added give us a strong foundation for growth.
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