My First Trade Show by Kristin Krebs

Hi everyone! My name is Kristin Krebs and I am new to the Glik’s buying team. Beyond receiving my new title of Senior Assistant Buyer in Men’s, I was invited to visit a few of our vendors at Surf Expo in Orlando, Florida. What an experience!

Surf Expo was my first trade show and I had no idea what to expect. I was blown away by all of the vendors’ stations, activities, and even fashion shows that were all brought together in one giant conference room! Some vendors had booths set up with product while other vendors, such as Hurley and Billabong, had makeshift rooms set up with their whole fall line.

 Hurley is one of the big vendors we met with at Surf Expo. I love Hurley’s side logo tees, long sleeve wovens, and of course their baseball caps so this was an exciting showing for me. Looking through the preview book while viewing the line was significant because it showed how the items translate into a cad image and it gave me a reference to what colors were offered.

Another major vendor for Glik’s is Billabong. We didn’t see their new line, but we did preview their snow line for men. Snow gear is relatively new for Glik’s and a great addition for our winter months! It was hard to focus on the thick jackets in sunny Florida, but I managed! We also looked at snow gear from Neff.

Other vendors I visited at Surf Expo were Fox, Quicksilver, O’Neill, Vans, and a few others. It was such an amazing experience to see all of the big name brands and everyone else come together to create a fun and successful show. I had such a great time meeting our reps and different people who work with our vendors and everyone was in great spirits. Now I can’t wait for trade show number two!

http://www.shop-eat-surf.com/news-item/2339/photos-from-day-1-of-surf/1496