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May 14-15, 2026

San Diego Convention Center HALL H

San Diego, California

CARV Expo plants roots in San Diego, energizing the West Coast action sports industry

  • Writer: Bonnie Bemister
    Bonnie Bemister
  • 23 hours ago
  • 3 min read

Updated: 3 minutes ago

San Diego, California — CARV Expo, the country’s only west coast action sports tradeshow and industry gathering, debuted this past June at the San Diego Convention Center, and has officially put down roots in the home of the boardsports industry. In its inaugural year, the CARV team introduced a fresh collaborative format to the typical tradeshow model, hosting more than a hundred brands and hundreds of retailers. 


“CARV provided the platform for reps from our brands to connect face-to-face with key specialty retailers at a very important time for our industry,” said Dylan Slater, CEO of Outerknown apparel, Firewire Surfboards, and Slater Designs. “There was great energy—it was a real tailwind towards the success of our Spring/Summer 26 seasonal launch.”


“There was a renewed energy in the building that has been missing for years,” said Sean Fleuriau, Sales Director for Brixton.


CARV (California Action Retailer + Venture) was launched explicitly to celebrate community and foster innovation within an industry on the cusp of another golden era. Over three days, attendees wrote orders, caught up with old friends, debated strategy, and were introduced to some brands shaping the industry today. Meanwhile, skate demos and seminars rounded out the floor action.

speaker at CARV Expo
CARV Sessions stage

CARV also provided a glimpse into the future. In collaboration with SURFER magazine, CARV introduced its inaugural SURFER Grant program, awarding four upstart brands an invite and full ride to the show. This year’s recipients—Blak Bear Surf Club, Faro Board Bags, Mamala Surf, and Severson Originals embody the sort of hunger and excitement that has always fueled growth in board sports. It was such a huge success that the CARV and SURFER teams can’t wait for next year’s applications.

The inaugural CARV Expo also emphatically proved the importance of face-to-face gatherings, and of seeing and feeling the goods we are proud to be making or selling. Retailers were invigorated, many reporting they were surprised by the number of brands in attendance at a debut show. 


“We made it clear very early on in the process of building this show that CARV Expo was a blank canvas, meant to be built around the needs, the challenges, the hopes and fears of surfers, surf shop owners, upstarts, and aging brands,” explains CARV founder Josh Rifkin. “We listened. A lot!  It was amazing to walk this show that was essentially conceptualized by the brand and retail leaders within the industry itself. Such a fun weekend.”

 

Rifkin points to things like fair and simple pricing as being the difference maker for many attendees, especially growing brands. 

CARV Expo 2025
CARV Expo 2025

“Add-on expenses—like a hundred dollars for a booth trashcan at some shows—feel like walking out to your car after a hard day of work and finding a parking ticket,” he says. "On a 10x20 booth at CARV, for example, exhibitors got four free roundtrip cart services, or 800lbs of free drayage—that’s unheard of in the tradeshow industry. We see ourselves as advocates for the brands because CARV is part of the community.”


CARV has also announced a date change (from late June to mid May, to pre-empt the summer rush), another great example of how the show will evolve right alongside the needs of the surf and skate industries and remain focused on bolstering the health of the industry. CARV Expo 2026 is on the calendar for Thursday May 14th-Friday May 15th, same venue—and will once again be a hub where great things happen. See you next year.


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