Surf Expo BTS West Bows
Surf Expo BTS West, one of two new Back-to-School shows scheduled to run on the West Coast this month, got off to a slow but promising start at its March 11–12 run at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.
The show was part of a three-show series held in Maryland, North Carolina and California that represents Surf Expo’s entry into the Back-to-School market, and it preceded a similar trade event produced by Roswell, Ga.-based VNU Expositions. ASR (Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo) Back2Skoolis set to run March 19–20 in Huntington Beach, Calif.
About 160 buyers attended Surf Expo BTS West, said Dan Darby, director of marketing for British media company dmg world media, organizer of Orlando, Fla.-based Surf Expo. Darby added that roughly 95 percent of the show’s exhibitors were Surf Expo alumni.
Some 67 exhibitors attended the event, including Irvine, Calif.-based Billabong, which at various times of the show had standing room only in its booth. Billabong marketing manager Jessica Trent Nichols predicted the show would only get better with time. “This is a show that [Billabong] has needed, and it’s the first time we’ve been happy with a [Back-to-School] turnout,” she said.
Organizers were also pleased with the turnout, which included such specialty retailers as K5 Boardrider, Tilly’s, Becker Surf and Sport, Diane’s, Jack’s Surf Board, Ron Jon, Honolua Surf Co. and Beyond the Beach. Buyers from Nordstrom also turned out to shop the show, Darby said.
“We weren’t really expecting department stores to come to the show, since our premier buyers are from multi-location youth-oriented surf retail stores,” he said.
For many manufacturers, the show was a promising beginning for other Back-to-School shows to come.
“I think the exhibitors here are pretty cool as far as support [for the show],” said Ocean Pacific chief executive officer Dick Baker. “All the right brands are here, and for a first effort it’s been very good. It’s driven by the need for a true Back-to-School/Fall apparel show, and all of those brands that saw the void are supporting it.”
Many buyers who attended the show welcomed its no-frills approach to business.
“I’m hoping to do more business here than [at] ASR—this is more of a get-down-to-it than the bells-and-whistles type of show,” said Rodger Caldwell, the owner of San Diego-based Ocean Beach Surf Shop.
Some buyers even opted to limit their Fall buying to only the new Surf Expo show.
“I didn’t go to ASR [in February] because of this show,” said Alison Shackell, a buyer for San Clemente, Calif.-based Fluid Surf & Sport. “I’d definitely come back. This isn’t crazy like ASR.”
Caution was the byword for some buyers who were still reeling from the effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, especially those buyers in hard-hit tourist destinations.
For instance, after the attacks, sales dropped 50 percent at the seven-store Hawaii chain Town & Country Surf Shop, according to buyer Linda Sugihara.
“So, we’re not making large commitments,” said Sugihara, who made appointments with Counter Culture, Billabong and Quiksilver. “We want to go lighter, faster to keep the inventory fresh. Instead of ordering 100 units, we may order 48. We’re hoping vendors will react with us,” she said.
The show, which was mostly geared toward Back-to-School buyers, also drew a handful of non-surf and home accessories exhibitors, including retro-inspired Johnny Suede, Dean Miller Surf Bedding and yogawear label Natural High, all of which were eager to test the surfwear market.
For some, the event was a good introduction to a surf-lifestyle-apparel trade show. Chris Zoch, owner of San Clemente-based Wahine Dreams, which plans to debut its collection of resortwear for missy and juniors this fall, said he joined the show hoping to get noticed.
“This show is kind of a test run for our company,” said Zoch, who brought a mix of traditional Hawaiian-print missy items along with some athletic-inspired tops and bottoms for juniors. “We want our collection to stand out on its own, but we were also hoping that buyers who had appointments with some of the larger manufacturers would notice our line.”
Some of the key Back-to-School looks for men included O’Neill’s logo T-shirts with flame motifs on raglan-sleeve shirts and Rip Curl’s long-sleeved Johnny-collar shirts, while novelty denim, fleece hoodies, corduroy tops and bottoms, sexy sweatsuits and sherpa-lined jackets were strong looks for Fall in the junior category. Accessory-wise, Roxy’s bohemian-inspired slouchy suede bags and the Chanel-inspired beanies by Ezekiel Girls may prove to be must-haves for fall.
Most manufacturers said they were planning Back-to-School deliveries for June 30 and July 30.
Executives at Hotgirls, the junior division of La Jolla, Calif.-based Hurricane Sportswear, said that even though traffic was light and orders were sparse, the company used the time to discuss delivery dates for Back-to-School orders with existing buyers. Owner Aslam Chinwala, who has attended Surf Expo’s BTS shows on the East Coast, speculated that the lull in traffic was typical for a trade show newcomer.
“This show is the same size as the other Back-to-School shows when they first started,” Chinwala said. “The companies who specialize in junior apparel who haven’t showed their lines at these shows will eventually realize that they can’t just survive on one season.”
Several manufacturers agreed, saying timing is everything to a Back-to-School show.
“The issue is not that a show in January isn’t a good show; it’s that all of these brands don’t have their collections ready for Fall [at that time],” said Op’s Baker.
Many exhibitors, including Op, Ezekiel and O’Neill, said they were planning to attend the next ASR Back2Skool event, scheduled for the following week. However, some buyers questioned the need for two shows, which makes their jobs more complicated.
“They’ve needed a show for this season, but this setup makes it fragmented,” said Debbie Harvey, the director of merchandise buying for the Cocoa Beach, Fla.-based Ron Jon Surf Shop chain.
Dmg’s Darby said Surf Expo plans to continue hosting its BTS West show in Anaheim until 2004. Organizers are looking forward to improving the show’s format by adding more skate lines and a fashion show to the event’s lineup.
