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We all know what’s important when it comes to our core surfing
experience: a good stick underfoot, solid fins, a leash, maybe a deck pad if
you shred. The rest is superfluous, making the Boards & Waves Expo,
held April 17th-18th at Cocoa Expo in Cocoa, FL, essential for hardgoods
purveyors looking for something different from most apparel-centric surf
industry tradeshows.
Boards & Waves Expo organizer Dave Seehafer estimated that over 1,000
surfers and spectators came out to see the latest innovations in surfboards and
fins, all while watching shaping demos, attending educational seminars, ogling
over surf art, jamming to live music, and even checking out Bruce Walker's recent video The Payoff. “The
reaction from the attendees, exhibitors, and the community has been positive
from the very beginning,” Seehafer said. “I already have ideas for a bigger and
better Expo next year, as well as many requests to bring it to the beach.”
Plenty of shapers, artists, and industry insiders turned up at Boards
& Waves, with Brevard County craftsmen Ricky Carroll, Chris Birch, Tom
Neilson, Larry Mayo, Pat Madden, and Roy Scafidi joining regional, national,
and international labels like Rainbow Fin Company, Tom Harding Alaias, Pelican
Surfboards, Split Lip Surfboards, Aviso, Surftech, Firewire, Pierce Surfboards,
Sick Surfboards, Uprising Surfboards, and various other paddleboard,
skateboard, and accessories manufacturers. In addition, acclaimed artists Drew
Brophy and Mark Longnecker gave several live painting demos, recycled surfboard
art programs breathed new life into old sticks, and area organizations like the
Cocoa Beach Surf Museum and East Coast Surfing Hall Of Fame gave Boards &
Waves a historical perspective.
Even better, a portion of the Expo’s proceeds went to the Cocoa Beach
High School Surf Team and Surfrider Foundation. Other sponsors included International Palms Resort, Melbourne International
Airport, Surfers Village, R&D Inc./Ricky Carroll Surfboards, Primo Beer,
DNA Energy Drink, and Verizon Wireless.
For more
information about the 2010 Boards & Waves Expo, visit www.BoardsAndWaves.com
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