2026 ASI Leaders Summit
2026 ASI Leaders Summit: URBNSURF Sets the Scene for Industry Change
The 2026 ASI Leaders Summit brought industry leaders together at URBNSURF to tackle some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the Australian surf industry today, with a strong focus on range planning, consumer insights and data-driven retail performance.
Summit Highlights:
Attendees heard keynote insights from Rodrigo Catril, CFA, Senior FX Strategist – Markets at National Australia Bank, followed by a session with James Miles, Head of Strategic Partnerships at URBNSURF. The afternoon featured an in-depth industry roundtable on “Is the Range Calendar Broken?” before closing with an ASI Board update following the recent strategy day.
Is the range calendar broken?
The roundtable traced the evolution of surf retail range planning from the bootstrapping era of the 1970s, through two simple summer/winter seasons in the 1980s, the addition of “Hi Summer” in the 1990s, injection ranges in the 2000s, and the current four-season/quarter model in the 2010s, raising the question of what the 2020’s should look like. A current showing and delivery calendar across major brands illustrated just how fragmented timelines have become, with different showing months and overlapping delivery windows across all four quarters.
Using sales, stock and weather data, the session highlighted the need to better align deliveries to actual seasonal conditions and buying behaviors. Participants also reviewed a matrix of delivery months, product focus and sales percentage by month, reinforcing that “right product, right time” remains critical, and that showing and delivery windows, plus Black Friday/Cyber Monday discipline, are key levers for improvement.
ASI consumer survey update:
The summit revisited findings from the previous 2021/22 ASI Consumer Survey, which collected 5,411 completed responses via retailer and brand networks. The seven-minute survey, which was led by Dr Jason Thompson had a $3,000 dollar prize pool (as an incentive for participants) which provided a robust foundation for understanding consumer behaviors and sentiment in the surf market. Oversight for the 2026 installment is being provided by a steering committee comprising, Nathan Omodei - Leisure Collective, Adam Sharp - Rip Curl, Ian MacPherson- Star Surf & Skate and Lyndall Browning, ASI.
ASI x ISRA: Retail Insights
A major focus of the update was the ASI x ISRA Retail Insights & Reporting initiative, designed to give ASI members clearer visibility over performance. Using a modern data stack (including AWS, Snowflake and a Streamlit-based application), retailers securely upload data into a central portal where it is staged, stored and transformed into a data mart that subscribers can access via a web based reporting tool.
Planned **Retail** Insights outputs include views on sales performance, margin and profitability, stock health, inventory efficiency, category and brand dynamics, and time-based trends. Deliverables will be offered in tiers: free monthly commentary, an executive summary exclusive to ASI members, and a web-based dashboard available via monthly subscription. Next steps include defining the reporting framework, securing brand commitment, finalising subscription levels and moving toward a soft launch.
SURFLab: Surf Industry Demo Day
The summit also unveiled SURFLab, a new surf industry demo day concept. The planned event will showcase surfboards, accessories and wetsuits over two days, combining trade and consumer participation. The proposed format includes a Friday afternoon industry only session, and a full public day on Saturday, giving core participants and end consumers the opportunity to see and test the latest innovations in products, meet their favourite surfers and immerse in all things surf culture.
If you would like any further information on the above initiatives, please contact our Executive Officer lyndall@australiansurfindistry.com.au
