Surf Park Summit Europe 2017 at Surf Snowdonia Adventure Park in North Wales, U.K. Image: Stew MacKellar // Surf Snowdonia
Investors, developers, and suppliers from around the globe converged on North Wales last week for the first ever Surf Park Summit Europe event.
The event was held on October 24th & 25th and co-presented by Surf Park Central and SDSU’s Center for Surf Research. 75 delegates from 19 countries attended the two-day conference, which took place at Surf Snowdonia – a world-first inland surf lagoon which lies seven miles from the sea in the Conwy Valley.
Shane Beschen enjoying the waves at Surf Snowdonia during Surf Park Summit Europe. Image: Stewart MacKellar // Surf Snowdonia
The summit’s agenda (download event program here) showcased Surf Snowdonia’s world-first Wavegarden technology and gave industry stakeholders the opportunity to meet Surf Snowdonia’s senior management team. The Surf Snowdonia team shared insights from their build and development experience and first two years of operation.
Surf Snowdonia opened to global media interest in August 2015 and is the first inland surf facility of its kind. Attracting more than 150,000 visitors in its first full year of operation (2016), the £18 million facility’s runaway success has helped to cement North Wales’s reputation as the UK’s premier destination for outdoor adventure tourism.
From left to right: Former Pro Surfer Shane Beschen, Surf Snowdonia Founder & Managing Director, Andy Ainscough, Surf Park Central Founder & President, John Luff & Director of San Diego Center for Surf Research, Dr. Jess Ponting
Andy Ainscough, managing director of Surf Snowdonia said: “Our vision was always to develop a world-class facility in a world-class destination, and it’s testament to the whole team at Surf Snowdonia that we have achieved so much in such a short amount of time.
“It’s great to have so many international industry professionals coming into North Wales for this conference. We’ve gained a wealth of insight and knowledge since we put the first spade in the ground in 2015, and we’re looking forward to showcasing our offer and sharing our experience.”
The Surf Park Summit is organised by Surf Park Central and the San Diego State University Center for Surf Research.
John Luff from Surf Park Central, co-organiser of the Surf Park Summit said:
“It’s incredible to be here at Surf Snowdonia to host our first ever European edition of Surf Park Summit. We have an immense level of respect and admiration for what Andy and his team have accomplished here at Surf Snowdonia over the past few years.
“As pioneers in the development of man-made surf destinations and operators of the first commercial Wavegarden, they have a wealth of knowledge to share and have served as one of the biggest catalysts for the surf park industry to date.
“We’re looking forward to our time here at Surf Snowdonia and are excited to be hosting a global gathering of companies and individuals that are at the forefront of shaping the future of surfing beyond the ocean.”
Global travel journal Lonely Planet cited Surf Snowdonia as one of the reasons it named North Wales in its 2017 guide to the planet’s best destinations. Surf Snowdonia hosted the only inland stop on the UK Pro Surf Tour on Sunday 22nd October, which saw Reubyn Ash take the men’s title and Emily Currie scoop the women’s.
Surf Park Summit Europe Location / Host Partner: https://www.surfsnowdonia.com/
Surf Park Summit Europe C0-Oranizer: https://surfparkcentral.com/
Surf Park Summit Europe C0-Oranizer: http://csr.sdsu.edu/
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