Big-Name Brands Rally Around New Surf Trade Show Coming to San Diego

When it comes to building back the surf industry and restoring some of the luster it may have lost in recent years, trade shows play a vital role. Not just an opportunity to connect brands and retailers and write some orders for the upcoming season, one of the main goals of the new CARV Expo coming to the San Diego Convention Center this June is simply to bring everyone together. In a world of remote work, video calls and DMs it's harder than ever to score face time with friends in the industry. That's about to change.

Among those leading the charge at the inaugural CARV Expo are a number of pillars of the surf business, including Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Brixton, Jetty, Finisterre and too many more to keep rattling off here.

“We’re stoked to be part of the first-ever CARV Expo,” explains Quiksilver Senior Vice President Ryan Mangan. “With the long absence of a major trade show on the West Coast, CARV is filling a much-needed gap, bringing the industry together to connect, inspire, and push the culture forward. Quiksilver is proud to be part of this new chapter.”

“The curation is the real challenge with a show like CARV,” explains the trade show's co-founder Josh Rifkin. “It’s been incredible to see how the industry has rallied around this event. Everyone knows we need to press the reset button on the surf and skate industries and this just shows people are serious about it—and are positive about the future of action sports.”

Still a couple months from kicking off, for those brands looking to join the party, it's most certainly not too late. The more the merrier. And to help those startups just getting off the ground, we're proud to partner with CARV on the SURFER Emerging Brand Grant. We're looking for four up-and-coming brands that want to show the world what they're doing. There's still a few more days to apply. Learn more here.

And finally, because like a strong trade show scene, the surf world is better when there's a strong media ecosystem backing it up. CARV’s new media registration portal is now open and calling all endemic and non-endemic journalists, podcasters, publications, and online outlets. Only credentialed media will be given all access to the show, after parties, panel discussions, and related CARV events over the weekend. Register here.

CARV Expo runs from June 20-22 at the San Diego Convention Center. Stay tuned for more updates as they come in and we'll see you there this summer.