JANUARY 8-10, 2025
ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER
WEST CONCOURSE
ORLANDO, FL

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LEARNING LABS AT SURF EXPO

All Learning Lab sessions are held on the stage at the end of the Boardwalk.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

10:30 AM

Navigating Surf Expo

Steven Fisher

Steven ‘Fish’ Fisher, Buyer Relations Director | Action Sports
Surf Expo is a big show and can be a little intimidating, especially to a first-time attendee. Whether this is your first time, or if you just need a few pointers on handling your time and schedule. Please join us for a quick briefing on the ins and outs of the show!

12:30 PM

Cash Is King Here’s Your Crown

Steven Fisher

Dan Jablons – Retail Smart Guys  

Everyone knows, “Cash is King.”  But how do we generate the most cash from your retail store?  Dan Jablons of Retail Smart Guys will share the best ways to generate maximum cash.  Your coronation awaits!

2:00 PM

BRA Retail Roundtable, Staffing & Private Label

Steven Fisher

George Leichtweis – BRA Chairman and owner of Modern Skate & Surf

This helpful and relevant BRA Retailer Roundtable Panel Discussion will be moderated by BRA Chairman and owner of Modern Skate & Surf, George Leichtweis and will feature specialty retailers from around the country as well as smart and resourceful consultants.  This incredible group of movers and shakers will address the following topics and more:

  1. “That was a blur” – A Look back to the positives as well as the challenges of the Spring and Summer.
  2. Steps to take now to prepare your store for the Holidays.
  3. Opportunities to continue to clear out old product and get your inventory under control.  
  4. How to find/hire the right employees and reward their good work that benefits both the retailer and the employee.
  5. Stay positive – A look to the future as the Fed continues to raise interest rates.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

10:30 AM

A Retailer’s Guide to Surviving The Election   

Steven Fisher

Dan Jablons – Retail Smart Guys  

Election years are always crazy for retail, and this one promises to be the craziest one yet.  In this 100% non-political seminar, Dan Jablons with The Retail Smart Guys will give you the secrets to keeping your store generating cash flow and profitability during the wild ride ahead of us.

 

12:30 PM

Story Time with Stevie: 50 Years of Retail – “You can’t sit still and wait for things to come to you”

Steven Fisher

Flip Flip Shops, Steve Shultz 

Steve Shultz, customer experience professional with Flip Flop Shops, will answer all of your questions on how to improve your customer’s experience. How to keep them in your store and more importantly, keep them coming back.

 

2:00 PM

Is your Point of Sale System just a glorified and unsecured cash register?

Steven Fisher

George Leichtweis – BRA Chairman and owner of Modern Skate & Surf

  • Do you know how to get useful data out of it?
  • What about updating your POS to connect to other programs, like your website, loyalty program, or a vendor’s database? 
  • How can you easily leverage cutting-edge POS and AI technologies to optimize your business while ensuring your data does not fall into the wrong hands? 
  • How do you make your POS work for you, instead of you working for your POS?

BRA Chairman and owner of Modern Skate & Surf, George Leichtweis will moderate this resource-driven panel discussion.  It will feature Dan Jablons of Retail Smart Guys, Stephen Baird of Trackfly, and a special data security expert from Lightspeed who will collectively address these and other important questions in an age where retail data interpretation and security are critical.

All Learning Lab sessions are held on the stage at the end of the Boardwalk.