The Top Surf Park Industry Insights From Surf Park Summit panels

2021 isn’t a year we’ll soon forget. As we approach the New Year, we want to thank you for joining alongside Surf Park Central. 2021 allowed us to not only bring 1, but 2 great Surf Park Summit events to life. In June we hosted a virtual Summit, the Summer Session, which featured an incredible day of panels that covered everything from surf park business models and masterplanning, to sustainability and more. Just 4 months later we followed it up with the return of the in-person Surf Park Summit, which brought together more than 250 attendees, numerous surfing legends, surf pool leaders, wave technology innovators, investors and more. 

Now, we’re excited to announce that we’ve locked in Surf Park Summit 2022, taking place next October 16th – 18th in San Diego, on the beautiful shores of La Jolla. And with that, we are offering industry pros an exclusive discount, $500 off, when they register before January 31st. To help whet your appetite for what’s to come at Surf Park Summit 2022, keep reading for some of the biggest takeaways from Summit 2021. 

Register for Surf Park Summit 2022 by January 31st for early bird pricing!

Surf Park Summit 2021 Key Insights

Surf Park Summit 2021 was one for the books. Former world champion, Shaun Tomson, headlined this year’s event, giving the keynote talk where he spoke about surfing as a catalyst for unity, community pride, and a boost in global wellness.

We were fortunate to also have Shaun moderate an intimate panel discussion between Matt Biolos, lead shaper and founder of Lost Surfboards and Timmy Patterson, founder of T. Patterson Surfboards. Matt and Timmy were the shapers for the two Olympic gold medalists at this year’s Tokyo Olympic games. This was the first time in history that surfing was included in the Olympic Games, signaling a huge upside in the growth of the sport. Click here to read more about the Olympics and Surf Pools.

Below, get a little taste of some of the panels from Surf Park Summit 2021. Become a Surf Park Insider for exclusive access to Summit 2021 keynotes, presentations, and panels, plus past Summits on demand.

Surf Park Summit 2021 Panel Highlights

Wave Technology and the Future of Surf Parks. Surf Park Summit kicked off with a lively panel, which included Endless Surf, Surfloch, Surf Lakes, Westlake Wave Co., and Aventuur (representing Wavegarden). This panel brought together some of the leading wave generation technologies to discuss market demand, surf pool challenges and the future of wave technology. The debate raged on as to which technology has the perfect formula for operational success, the pros and cons of the different technology platforms including electromechanical and pneumatic technologies, as well as the value of various features of wave technologies. The group agreed that safety and training remain critical issues for all wave technology companies to invest in .

Moderator:

• Jess Ponting. Co-Founder Surf Park Summit, Director Center for Surf Research at SDSU

Panelists:

• Baptiste Caulonque. Chief Commercial Officer, Endless Surf
• Tom Lochtefeld. Founder & CEO, Surfloch
• Bryan Gile. Director of Sales, North America, Surf Lakes
• Oriol Vicente. Co-Founder, Westlake Wave Co.
• Nicholas Edelman. Co-Founder & CEO, Aventuur

The Design and Development of the LineUp at Wai Kai. At the end of the day, what many of us want more than anything else are real-world examples of bringing a surf park to life. Look no further than this Surf Park Summit panel, which discussed the nuances of creating a new surf park from design to development. We heard from the Master Developer, Larry Caster, about the Citywave-centered deep water wave at the Lineup at Wai Kai, and Shane Beschen, who has partnered with Wai Kai on scaling up coaching and training as a core part of the focus. Below, we caught up with Shane at Summit to hear more about Wai Kai’s progress.

Moderator:

• Skip Taylor. Partner, Surf Park Management
• Cate Thero, Partner, Surf Park Management

Panelists:

• Lawrence Caster. Director Retail and Resort Development, Wai Kai Commercial Development
• Matt Ruzicka. Relationship Manager at CEM Aquatics
• Shane Beschen. Professional Surfer

Masterplanning for Excitement in and Outside the Pool. Surf parks must think about more than just surfing. This panel examined the various ways in which surf park operators, masterplanners, and strategic partners can maximize the guest experience at surf parks. One of the biggest takeaways was the importance of customer loyalty, and how one of the best ways to keep loyal customers is to cater to families with non-surfing members. Jason Baldessari, of PUSHParks, helped drive the conversation about how skate parks are becoming a core feature of surf parks. You can read more about this panel from WavePoolMag and Raised Water Research, both of which recently wrote about the masterplanning panel in more detail.

Moderator

• Craig Stoner, Managing Partner, EDSA

Panelists

• Mike Oswald. Partner, ProSwell & Managing Partner, MR-ProFun
• Peter Jozsi. VP Wave Venues / Progression at Surfline
• Jason Baldessari. Principal/Founder at PUSHparks.
• Blake Hess. COO, Beach Street. Formerly NLAND and WSL Surf Ranch
• Paul Chutter. President & CCO, WhiteWater / President, Endless Surf

Remember to register by January 31st to take advantage of exclusive pricing for Surf Park Summit 2022! Looking to get more involved with Surf Park Central and the Surf Park Summit event? Contact us at [email protected].