An Invitation

A post lifted from my old SE blog:


It’s a big day here at Surf Expo’s San Diego Lighthouse (otherwise known as my upstairs office). The new Web site – yep, the very one you are on now – is finally "live."

Now, saying “finally” is a bit misleading. After all, just two months ago we were pulling out of port with only my poorly drawn scribbles, full of lousy penmanship and misaligned boxes. Three feature stories, seven press releases, a new product section – it’s all there if you know how to look.

It's been an interesting voyage so far, even as some ideas where modified and others improved or scrapped. But it’s also been a time of being lashed to the electronic mast. Over the past decade or so I’ve been a social creature, talking to industry leaders, banging the phones, looking for news and information. And if I wasn’t doing that, then at least I was nose down in manuscripts, editing away and working with other editors or writers.

But building a Web Site from scratch was more of a solitary experience, punctuated by trial and error and the rush of figuring something out. Thank God for that brain of Roy Turner’s – and his patience. The last few months were fun, like a never-ending brain teaser, but I’m glad that initial development phase is over.

Now I get to go out and start talking to you, the retailers and manufacturers associated with Surf Expo. It’s a big list and I’m eager to hear what you’ve been up to.

Which brings me – finally – to the invitation I’d like to offer today: get involved.

Surfexpo.com is here to serve, so feel free to send us press releases, new product announcements, staff and teamrider hires, or just random observations about the market. The door is wide open and thousands of buyers are watching. Plus, it’s free.

Contact me at sobrien@surfexpo.com and let the world hear your story. Even better, drop me an e-mail and invite me to the office. I hardly smell and my manners are finally improving.