SAN DIEGO -- At the Action Sports Retailer convention in downtown San Diego, the last thing anyone wanted to do was blend in.

Aimee Dupuis, 21, from Carlsbad was one of at least five women dressed to promote Irvine sunglass-maker Von Zipper's "mad scientist" theme. Although she said she didn't know any real scientists who wore fishnet stockings, she said the gimmick did get people interested in the shades.

"I think it's all about bringing attention," she said, while handing out buttons. "I think we brought plenty."

The 26th annual Action Sports Retailer convention for the fall season began Thursday at the San Diego Convention Center. Convention officials said more than 500 brands and 7,000 retailers set up product-promoting booths for the three-day event. They expected from 15,000 to 19,000 people to check out surf, skate and snowboard equipment and apparel -- and accessories from boots to watches and jewelry. Convention officials said that companies could do more than $1 billion in business based on the event.

The show is one of two such conventions held for surf, skate and snowboard companies in San Diego. ASR holds a more popular convention for the spring season in September that draws about 750 brands, convention officials said. Among the events highlighted Thursday was the starting of surf apparel company Reef's Board Build-Off. Customers submit bids on 13 surfboards made by mostly local board shapers throughout the event. A surfboard shaper takes raw material and makes a finished surfboard. The money from winning bids goes to the shaper's favorite charity. Another highlight was the fashion show sponsored by Foam magazine.

Craig Hollingsworth, a surfboard shaper from Encinitas, said the show was a major vehicle to promote his surfboards.

"There isn't a lot of profit in this part of the industry, so you can't really advertise," he said.

One company allowed people to play Guitar Hero, a game where you pretend to play a plastic guitar, on a PlayStation 2 console. Another company let guests shoot pool in a booth that resembled a local pub. Models showed off bikinis on makeshift runways at several booths for apparel companies.

But companies that sold surfing and other "extreme" sports equipment weren't the only ones promoting healthy lifestyles. Mackenzie Paulson, 20, from Calabasas spent the day passing out condoms to promote companies to attendees.

"They don't know what they are until they read them," she said. "So far, it's been a pretty big hit."

Contact staff writer Patrick Wright at (760) 739-6675 or pwright@nctimes.com.