Fall Surf Expo is back!
The fall Surf Expo trade only show is back in Orlando and opened its doors to buyers from specialty stores across the U.S., the Caribbean, Central and South America and all around the world earlier today. The show features approximately 2,600 booths of apparel and hard goods and a full line-up of special events, including fashion shows, annual awards ceremonies, and demos. the average buyer and exhibitor turnout exceeds 26,000 attendees including retailers, exhibitors and media per show.
New to the show this September are best friends and Mompreneurs, Amanda Kludt (above left) and Caitlin Zapf (above right) who founded Bumbums & Baubles in 2013 as they saw a need for a unique product, namely customizable school shoes. After having daughters of their own, Amanda & Caitlin were inspired to relive their childhood by creating a footwear brand they would have gone crazy for as girls. Bumbums & Baubles combines a mom’s love for quality and style with a daughter’s love of accessorizing. Every pair of shoes comes with a pair of coordinating baubles designed to put an extra big smile on her face. The mom’s have made the trip to Surf Expo full of excitement as their business has slowly grown to approaching $1 million in sales since 2013 and they are now looking to take the next step. You can find their products at Zappos.com and Amazon.com and their own website is at http://www.mybumbums.com/
Another new exhibitor is actually a newly formed West Palm Beach company called The Local Brand which was started in March of 2015 by friends Matt Lilly and Frankie Cecere. The company has a wide range of products including shirts, hats, bangles and other accessories. The company is a Lifestyle & Apparel brand and as you may have guessed from the company name, it aims to serve local people in local areas. Olivia Gray, pictured above, is shown with some of the company’s products.You can see more at https://localbrandonly.com
Returning to the show this September is Miami company, Heat Swimwear. The company offers a superb range of swimwear so whether you are looking for a junior swimsuit set, a sexy bikini, a swimsuit for kids or a great beach cover-up Heat Swimwear accents your best assets for all the fun in the sun. Flattering and flirty cuts as well as fabulous colors come together to create eye-catching designs that strike just the right balance between relaxed and bold. More info at http://www.heatswimwear.com
Surf Expo has been serving the surf, wake, wind, skate, swim, footwear, boutique, resort and gift industries for some 39 years and the business of “beach” continues to evolve considerably. The definition of “coastal” has changed and now includes shorelines, lakefronts, riverfronts and the ever growing water park business. One of the highlights of the Expo is the Fashion Show as it offers a great chance to see some of the new trends that will be coming in the next few months. The “Resort/Swim” show is highly anticipated and some 85 different looks were on offer earlier today at the 11.30am event at The Stage. Further shows occur tomorrow at 11.30am and 4.30pm and at 10.30pm and 12.30pm on Saturday.
The January 2016 Surf Expo will be held January 14-16, 2016 and you can see more photos from the current September event at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com
