SwimShow

What SwimShow does

SwimShow is a premier annual trade exhibition for the global swimwear and resort wear industry, founded in 1982 and operated by the Swimwear Association of Florida, a private industry association headquartered at 8900 SW 117th Ave # C205 in Miami, Florida. The flagship event is held at the Miami Beach Convention Center and runs as a three-day gathering connecting swimwear and resort wear brands (ranging from emerging designers to established heritage labels) with retail buyers, boutiques, and department stores. Following a major 2022 rebranding for its 40th anniversary, the show repositioned with a new interlocking 'SS' logo, a restructured boutique-style merchandising approach mixing categories by direction rather than traditional sections, and a digital mobile app with QR code registration and networking tracking.

The platform monetizes through three documented streams: exhibitor booth fees (one-time license), event sponsorships (advertising), and partnership economics tied to the CURVE Capsule cross-category intimate apparel installation (marketplace commission). Supporting the core show are branded modules including SwimLab, an emerging-designer incubator in collaboration with WGSN now in its fifth consecutive year; SwimTalks, a two-day on-floor conference covering AI in fashion, social media, sustainability, and retail strategy; TheGallery, an editorial photoshoot activation; and a portfolio of curated brand categories (SwimCore, SwimMode, NewNew, Made in Rio). Partnerships with WGSN, CURVE, Mana Fashion Services, Summer Fashion Summit, and America & Beyond extend content, programming, and adjacencies into intimates, trend forecasting, and AI literacy.

SwimShow faces operational headwinds that shape its current scale profile: the show was downsized from two halls to one during the pandemic, largest booths shrank from roughly 6,000 square feet to 800 square feet, and the format tightened from four days to three days aligned with adjacent satellite shows Cabana and Hammock. A second venue — EDIT SwimShow at Mr. C Coconut Grove — is being run in addition to the flagship, and the organization shows no VC funding, no parent company, and no public listing. Technology is intentionally minimal: a mobile app with digital badges and QR code networking, with no proprietary AI platform disclosed. Leadership is centered on Executive Director Judy Stein, who has driven the rebranding and content expansion.

Name

SwimShow

Legal name

Swimwear Association of Florida

Website

https://swimshow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SwimShow is a 40+ year-old annual trade exhibition operated by the Swimwear Association of Florida that connects swimwear and resort wear brands with retail buyers at the Miami Beach Convention Center, supported by an emerging-designer incubator with WGSN, on-floor programming, and a mobile app for buyer-exhibitor networking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Show & Exhibition Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Swim & Surf Performance Wear (CRAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Swimwear trade show
• Resort wear exhibition
• Apparel buyer events
• Fashion industry networking
• Brand showcase platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Flushing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor booth fees: Brands and designers pay for booth space to exhibit at the SwimShow trade exhibition, gaining access to buyers and industry professionals attending the event.
2. Event sponsorships: Corporate sponsors partner with SwimShow for brand visibility and recognition during the exhibition, including activation spaces and branded experiences on the show floor.
3. CURVE Capsule partnership: Extended partnership with CURVE brings intimates brands to the SwimShow floor, creating additional exhibitor opportunities and cross-category traffic.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SwimShow organizes an annual B2B trade exhibition at the Miami Beach Convention Center that brings together swimwear and resort wear brands with retail buyers, designers, and industry professionals for three days of booth exhibitions, networking, and on-floor programming. The platform monetizes through exhibitor booth rentals, corporate sponsorships, and curated partnerships, and supplements the main show with side events such as EDIT SwimShow, the SwimLab incubator program, and SwimTalks educational conference.

Product overview

SwimShow is a premier swimwear industry trade show platform operating as a single unified product with integrated modules. The core offering is the annual trade show connecting buyers, brands, and designers at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Supporting modules include SwimLab (WGSN-powered incubator program for emerging designers), SwimTalks (educational conference with panel discussions), TheGallery (editorial photoshoot activation), and CURVE Capsule (intimate apparel brand selection). Brand categories include SwimCore for established brands, SwimMode for innovators, NewNew for emerging labels, and Made in Rio for Brazilian designers. Digital tools include floorplan navigation, mobile app with QR badge tracking, and networking features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SwimLab: An innovative incubator program in partnership with WGSN that provides emerging designers with a dedicated space to showcase their unique visions to influential buyers and industry professionals.
• SwimTalks
• CURVE Capsule
• TheGallery

Products and services

• SwimShow Trade Exhibition
• EDIT SwimShow

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ years operating as the swimwear industry's premier trade exhibition
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WGSNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwimLab incubator program, now in its fifth consecutive year, is a collaboration between SwimShow and WGSN (World Global Style Network). The program provides emerging designers with a dedicated space to showcase their unique visions to influential buyers and industry professionals. WGSN trend editors participate in brand selection and presentation, offering trend forecasting expertise and industry validation to participating brands.
• CURVE (CURVE Capsule)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtended partnership bringing intimate and lingerie brands to the SwimShow floor. Following the success of collaboration at EDIT Coconut Grove, CURVE Capsule brands are featured at the Miami Beach Convention Center show. This partnership creates a seamless fusion of intimates and swim under one roof on the SwimShow floor, expanding the product categories available to buyers.
• Mana Fashion ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMana Fashion Services is bringing its all-new Biscayne Showroom to SwimShow, featuring a curated global selection of brands including Noblesse Oblige, ELE Collection, Lina Lemus, Laino Swimwear, and others. The partnership includes panel discussions on AI in retail, trend forecasting, and retail strategy during the show.
• Summer Fashion SummitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration with Summer Fashion Summit presenting two full days of unique and inspiring programming. Topics include AI in fashion, social media, sustainability solutions, trend forecasting, and retail strategy. Attendance is free of charge for all SwimShow guests.
• America & BeyondminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial gift bag partner for SwimShow 2026. America & Beyond designed and created the official gift bags for the event, featuring their iconic handcrafted beaded bags with fresh signature style. The partnership provides brand visibility to all attendees.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cabana: A Miami-based swimwear and resort trade show that runs alongside SwimShow as a satellite event, targeting a similar buyer base and brand exhibitors.
• Hammock Trade Show: Miami-based swimwear and resort trade show referenced as a satellite to SwimShow, serving overlapping brands and buyers in the same calendar window.
• EDIT (fashion platform): EDIT is a curated fashion and accessories show that SwimShow itself cites as a collaboration venue at Mr. C Coconut Grove, reflecting overlapping buyer and brand audiences.
• CURVE (CURVE expo): Operates intimate apparel and activewear trade shows and is an explicit SwimShow partner through the CURVE Capsule integration, making it a directly comparable trade show operator in adjacent categories.

Regional players

• Miami Fashion Week: Consumer-facing fashion event in the same Miami market as SwimShow, sharing brand exposure opportunities and overlapping with the swim and resort designer community.
• Who's Next Paris: Paris-based fashion trade show with a dedicated swimwear and beachwear section, attracting many of the same resort and swim brands that exhibit at SwimShow.
• Salon International de la Lingerie / Interfilière: European intimates and beachwear trade show platform serving as the international analog to the SwimShow-CURVE combination in the EMEA market.
• Pure London: UK-based womenswear and swimwear trade show serving European buyers and brands, providing a geographic alternative to SwimShow for international swim labels.

Emerging players

• JOOR: Digital wholesale marketplace and B2B platform connecting fashion brands and buyers, representing the technology-led alternative to physical trade shows like SwimShow.

Broad incumbents

• MAGIC / PROJECT (Informa Markets): One of the largest apparel and fashion trade show operators globally, including swim and resort categories, with vastly greater scale and capital resources than SwimShow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/swimshow
• Xx.com/safswimshow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SwimShow