DEL MAR — The world’s biggest surf expo will return to the Del Mar Fairgrounds from Oct. 11-12 for its 19th year, featuring shaper Eric Arakawa as this year’s Icons of Foam honoree.
Drawing manufacturers, shapers, builders, and general surf enthusiasts, the two-day Boardroom Show highlights top-tier surfboard craftsmanship from around the world. Board building and shaping competitions will be taking place alongside a massive surf gear sale, surf talk panels, live music, and more.
The event is led by longtime surfer and surf journalist Scott Bass of Encinitas, who originally founded it under the name The Sacred Craft.
Arakawa, the 2025 honoree, is a Hawaiian shaping legend from the North Shore with over 40 years of shaping under his belt and a CV of boards crafted for more than 10 world champions, from Michael Ho in 1982 to Andy Irons and Jack Robinson. He began shaping for Hawaiian Island Creations in 1977 before creating his own company, Island Classics, in the 1980s.
In 1995, Hawaiian Island Creations purchased Island Classics and its licensees, with Arakawa shifting his attention from managing the globally expanding company back to his passion for shaping and design. In 2019, however, he reacquired the rights to the Island Classic brand.
Bass said Arakawa was an easy selection as this year’s Icon of Foam.
“What we have is almost 50 years of building high-performance boards for high-performance waves and high-performance athletes. His surfboards speak for themselves,” Bass said. “But there’s a real sense of humility. He’s not a big guy to pound his chest … he’s a real honest, good human being.”
During the expo, Arakawa will oversee the Icons of Foam Tribute to the Masters Shape-Off, where eight shapers from around the world will compete in a round robin to replicate some of Arakawa’s signature designs for a $2,000 grand prize.
Competitors include San Diego-area shapers Chris Christensen of Encinitas, Adam Warden of San Diego, and Dan Mann of Coronado; Richie Collins of Haleiwa, Hawaii, Barry Van der Meulen of Huntington Beach, Todd Proctor of Ventura, Allen White of Cocoa Beach, Florida, and Rodolfo Klima of Peru.
Seven of the competitors were hand-picked by Arakawa, Bass said.
“First and foremost, he chose the guys that are capable of the intricacies of a high-performance surfboard. They have subtleties in them that aren’t easy to nail,” Bass said. “When I look at this field, I can’t tell you who the favorite is.”
Simultaneously, board builders will display their work in the Best in Show Board Build-Off, presented by Weekend Vans of Carlsbad. This year, builders are asked to build a fish with wood accents and meaningful symbology, and will be judged on functionality, creativity, and construction.
The competition is open to professional and hobbyist board builders worldwide, with cash and prizes totaling $3,500.
Bass compared the building competition to what is demanded of competitors in the Great British Bake Off — in addition to the technical elements, competitors are asked to interpret the creative prompts in whatever way speaks to them.
“I was trying to be very inclusive and very open,” Bass said.
The 2025 Boardroom Show attendees will also feature early-bird surfboard giveaways on both days, boardroom talks, exhibits of campers, vans, and conversions, autograph sessions, and shaping demos of eco-friendly boards using agave fibers in place of foam.
For the first time, Patagonia will also be offering free wetsuit repairs for wetsuits of all brands at the Boardroom Show. Their repair shop will be open Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Boardroom Show is open in the Exhibit Hall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12.
Tickets are available online at boardroomshow.com, with single-day tickets priced at $21 and two-day tickets at $31. Children under 12 enter for free.
The Fairgrounds is located at 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar.
