EuroSIMA Surf Summit & Waterman’s Ball Details

Professionals from across action sports sector will gather at Belambra Club Les Estagnots de Seignosse from October 1-2 for the 17th edition of the Surf Summit, under the theme of “inventing the industry of tomorrow.” Launched in 2002, this annual surf business congress aims to inspire and to look at all things action sports, with eight speakers over the two days sharing their knowledge and experiences. See end of article for individual speaker announcements.

EuroSIMA Surf Summit 2018

EuroSIMA President Wilco Prins opens proceedings followed by Kai Lenny, Hawaii’s big wave surfer and waterman prodigy, who will share his vision of aquatic sports and his will to push the limits of wave sports by developing new practices. The morning will be rounded off by Gibus de Soultrait, Publishing Director of Surfer’s Journal France and CEO of the publishing company Vent de Terre. Gibus will examine the origins of surf and show how the idea of ​​resistance is also constitutive of surf culture. After lunch Frédéric Tain, journalist and Editor-In-Chief of sport-guide.com, will analyse the increasing weight of sales to consumers via the web and show that this does not necessarily mean the end of multi-brand stores. Thomas Rouault, the Co-Founder and CEO of the online sales site Snowleader, which thanks to an innovative brand strategy, has enjoyed a growth of 20-40% per year for 10 years. The end of the first day will see the winners of the EuroSIMA 2018 corporate sponsorship and the Action Outdoor Sports Innovation Call for Projects, pitch their projects to the audience. From 7pm onwards it’s the traditional Surf Summit Sunset event at the Cabane Terramar, Plage Santocha in Capbreton.

The second day opens with Mathieu Crépel, the French snowboard world champion, examining the parallels between the mountains and ocean. We are then in the hands of Claude de Piante, entertainer and hypnotherapist, who will demonstrate the positive effects of self-hypnosis on the development of our potential (concentration, memory, stress management) and give us the keys to understanding and experiencing this style of living. After lunch it’s the turn of Ariane Vincent, Communications Director at Konbini France to explain how the web and social media revolution has enabled them to emerge as a global player in trends and pop culture. Finally to round of the conference, Julien Vivier, Director of Studies at Nielsen Sports, will give us a some highlights form their study on the European consumer profiles of action sports.

During the Surf Summit at the conference hall, EuroSIMA will present the 5th edition of the Surfing Lounge exhibition, a selection of the most innovative products and services in the action sports sector, highlighting the know-how, creativity and dynamism of its members. The Surf Summit will be held at the same time as the opening of the Quiksilver & Roxy Pro France, so a great opportunity for the industry to watch the best surfers on the planet as well as hook up with friends and enjoy the Watermans Ball on the evening of October 5. www.eurosima.com

Waterman’s Ball

EUROSIMA invites you to join us on Friday, October 5, 2018 at 7pm at the Hossegor Casino for THE event of the year for the European Surfing Industry: the 19th Waterman’s Ball.

Nearly 300 people are expected to attend, including CEOs, institutional representatives, pro surfers, celebrities and the press for a festive evening to share a love of surfing.

Tribute to Pierre Agnès
During the event, the professional surfing world will take the opportunity to pay special tribute to the late Pierre Agnès, former CEO of Quiksilver, who disappeared at sea off the coast of Capbreton last January. His friends and family, as well as all those who knew him are invited to join us for a ceremony to remember him with positivity and joy.

Back to the 80s
This year the 80s will be in the spotlight with an exhibition by Tom Carroll “1980-1985”. The exhibition will showcase images from the Australian Surfing World Champion’s personal collection to retrace the early days of professional surfing and give us a glimpse inside the world tour at the time.

Lee-Ann Curren concert
For entertainment this year, we are thrilled to welcome surfer and musician Lee-Ann Curren for a solo concert. With the great Californian surfer and musician Tom Curren for a father, it’s no surprise that Lee-Ann has bounced back and forth between music and surfing her entire life.
But today, she has found her own voice, drawing inspiration from her various travels across the oceans. Her music, a mix of electronic folk inspired by 80s indie rock takes the audience on a trip somewhere between dreams and waves.

EUROSIMA Surf Industry Awards
Last but not least, the Waterman’s Ball is also the opportunity to hand out the Surf Industry Awards that reward key individuals: European male and female surfers of the year, rookie of the year and the Action Sports product of the year.

EuroSIMA Surf Summit Speakers 2018

Kai Lenny

Kai Waterman Lenny is purely a product of his ocean environment. The son of avid surfing and windsurfing parents, he grew up on the beaches of Maui, watching the icons of the day surf huge waves, windsurf, tow foil, kitesurf and SUP. It did not take long, as a grom, for Kai follow in their footsteps. And now, he is pushing the limits of what can be done on the ocean…

Gibus de Soultrait

Born in Biarritz, both a surfer and a child born in the traveling spirit of the 60s and 70s, Gibus de Soultrait co-founded Surf Session magazine with Pierre-Bernard Gascogne. Together, they shared editing of the magazine for three decades. Since 1994, Gibus has managed the French edition of Surfer’s Journal.

Frédéric Tain

Frédéric Tain specialises in the evolutions of consumption and its impacts on non-food business. He manages sport-guide.com and its independent magazine, which have become key sources of information for buyers and retailers, providing in-depth analysis of the best and not so good practices to be found in the industry.

Thomas Rouault

With a Master’s Degree in Project Management and Marketing, Thomas Rouault joined Nike in 2004. He started as a marketing project coordinator for Nike ACG and later moved to Nike 6.0. Driven by a passion for mountain sports and digital technology, in 2008 he launched Snowleader, an online store that sells products from street, outdoor and snow sports.

Mathieu Crepel

Mathieu Crépel is the most accomplished French freestyle snowboarder and is recognised as one of the most versatile riders in the world. Having surfed since his childhood, what started as a simple passion became an essential part of his lifestyle. That is why Mathieu has been travelling the world in search of the most amazing mountains and waves.

Claude de Piante

Claude De Piante is the creator of specific auto-hypnosis methods. He uses hypnosis as a method for coaching, therapy and shows. He will share a global perspective of hypnosis, which he considers an art or an outlook on life rather than simply a purely scientific practice.

Julien Vivier

Julien Vivier has dedicated his entire career to the field of sports marketing. He has worked at the research institute TNS Sofres, but also with Havas Sports&Entertainment and more recently at Nielsen Sports, the worldwide leading research agency. He has always aimed to implement marketing insight tools to increase understanding of the dynamics related to markets, customers…

Camilla Guimard and Arnaud Dutilh

Camilla Guimard is a marketing and communication specialist with almost 20 years of experience, a background in communication science and 9 years in advertising as strategic planner for global brands. 3 years ago, Camilla has started her own agency, Neon-C, where she has further developed her expertise, exploring interrelations between brands & culture.

Arnaud Dutilh is a marketing and insights specialist. For the past 12 years, Arnaud worked at Added Value, managing global clients on brand portfolio strategy and innovation. He started in the US, lived and worked in the UK and South Africa along delivering projects on the 5 continents.