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“I believe they learned from this show and can build on this for September.” The show was important for the fact they needed to start somewhere, and I feel they did a good job of executing it,” Sanders said. “Surf Expo has always been a great show for us, so we wanted to support the show. Back on the show floor, Sanders mentioned that the return to an on-site trade show was important to lay the groundwork to rebuild the event space and move forward for a stronger future. Representing the Vissla brand, Vice President of Sales Richard Sanders echoed Licata’s sentiments. “It was important to get up there and get some newness in the stores.” “We need to return and start to return to some sort of normal operations for everybody. With five doors spread throughout exclusive neighborhoods in New York’s Sag Harbor and Southampton areas and South Florida’s Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, and Pinecrest neighborhoods, Licata was shopping to replenish his inventory with resortwear. Owner of the Palm Produce Resortwear shops, Stephen Licata, was happy to be at the show after relying on virtual resources to conduct meetings and see lines. 16–18, Surf Expo Connect, many in the industry felt it was time to return to the trade-show floor. While the Emerald Expositions–owned Surf Expo relied on its digital edition Sept. Returning to its home at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Surf Expo, the major trade show for the water-sports and beach-lifestyle categories, was held Jan. Surf Expo made attendees and exhibitors alike feel comfortable by adhering to safety protocols including temperature checks, socially distanced spacing, hand sanitizers and frequent disinfecting of booths.
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