FAQ

Surf Expo’s January 2025 event will be held at the Orange County Convention Center – West Concourse.

Address for West Concourse:
Orange County Convention Center
9800 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819

After registering for your badge, select the “Add Visa Letter” option and you will be prompted to complete the Visa letter form and will receive the letter via email.

Surf Expo’s official housing partner is Eventsphere.  We’ve negotiated travel discounts and secured a limited number of reduced-rate hotel rooms to make your trip to Orlando affordable. Through the travel experts at Eventsphere, rooms at the group rate are limited and available on a first come, first-served basis.

To view available rooms and make a reservation click here.

BEWARE OF UNAUTHORIZED SOLICITATIONS– Please note that Eventsphere is the only official housing company associated with Surf Expo. While other hotel resellers may contact you offering housing for your trip, they are not endorsed by or affiliated with the show. Beware that entering into financial agreements with non-endorsed companies can have costly consequences.

Surf Expo will take place January 8-10, 2025 in Orlando, FL. Please be aware that the show’s date pattern is the Wednesday – Friday format when making your plans to attend as well as travel arrangements for the upcoming show.

Surf Expo Hours:
Wednesday, January 8:            9 AM – 6 PM ET
Thursday, January 9:                  9 AM – 6 PM ET
Friday, January 10:             9 AM – 4 PM ET

Surf Expo is open for qualified trade only. Exhibiting manufacturers, industry-specific qualified retailers and media are allowed to attend. Surf Expo is not open to the public.

Yes, there are a variety of dining options inside the exhibit halls.

Booth catering is available for ordering lunch to be delivered directly to exhibitor booths. Ordering is through Centerplate, the convention centers caterer. To order, contact Lindsey Plunkett (407) 685-5562 or just visit the Centerplate desk located in the Service Center at the show. Orders can be placed with Lindsey in advance, prior to the show. Once on-site, please order at a minimum one hour in advance of time delivery is desired.

Beginning August 1, 2021 the fee for parking at the Orange County Convention Center is $20.00 per car per entry and $30.00 per oversized vehicles, i.e. buses, per entry. Overnight parking is prohibited.

The North/South Building parking lot can be accessed by two entrances – Universal Boulevard (north side) or International Drive (south side). Using the entrance off Universal Boulevard is encouraged when attending events in the North/South Concourse.

All parking at the Orange County Convention Center is available on a first-come, first-served basis, including disability permit parking. The exact numbers of available spaces vary by show or event.

For more information please visit the Orange County Convention Center’s official parking information page.

Surf Expo is a professional, trade-only, event where providing the best and safest environment for our attendees to display and shop product lines is our priority. Minors (children under the age of 16) are only allowed to attend Surf Expo under the following specific circumstances:

Exception #1
Minor Buyers who are attending with approved shop owners, and are assisting in the buying process, may be registered by checking “Minor Buyer” under “Job” during the registration process for the retail company. This can only be done after the accompanying adult has been registered.

Exception #2
Minor Exhibitors who are attending with a contracted Exhibiting Manufacturer may be registered by the Company Contact using “Minor Exhibitor” as the “Job” type when registering their booth staff. Please note the Minor Exhibitor will be counted against the overall total badge allotment (7 badges issued for each 10×10 space contracted) and should be reserved for a manufacturer displaying product/ items where over 50% are promoted to the children’s or youth market.

Exception #3
Infants under the age of one year may attend with a nursing mother.  A nursing infant will be approved onsite with the accompanying, approved parent/ guardian at the Registration/ Badge Pick-up Counter, and provided a Guest badge.

Minors will only be issued a badge if there is an approved accompanying parent/guardian with them.  Minors are not permitted to walk the show floor alone.  Any unaccompanied minors will be escorted from the show by Security or Show Management and the parent/guardian will be contacted. Please do not request a badge for a minor child that does not match one of the three parameters above. Any questions or concerns can be directed to the Buyer Relations Team.

No. Quality childcare nearby the convention center is available from providers recommended by the Orange County Visitors’ Bureau.

For any Health + safety questions, or updates, please click here>

Under the Americans with Disabilities (ADA), Show Management must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where exhibitors and attendees are normally allowed to go. Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting persons having seizures, or performing other special tasks.