Miami International Boat Show moving to Marine Stadium in 2016, Updates

[Serious News]

NMMA vows to have Miami show ready on time
Written by Reagan Haynes


Organizers of the Miami International Boat Show are building the in-water portion of the show after receiving environmental permits from county, state and federal officials.

Construction of the Progressive Miami International Boat Show is underway and organizers are assuring exhibitors and visitors that it will be ready in time for its Feb. 11 opening.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association, which runs the show, said much already has been done and the show will be up and running in time.

Some exhibitors had expressed concern about the NMMA’s ability to get the show ready in time after some of the permits necessary to build the in-water portion of the show were delayed.

The problem was attributable to an uphill, year-long battle with neighboring Key Biscayne, which opposed the show’s move. The dispute seemed to generate headlines nearly every week, and the final permits needed to conduct the in-water portion of the show were only allocated in December and January.

The show is being built from the ground up at its new home on Virginia Key at the Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin. (Yachts Miami Beach, formerly known as the Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach, is separately owned and operated. It is unaffected by this move and will remain at its home along Collins Avenue.)

“It’s been a long haul to get here, but the Miami show is so critically important to our industry, and the new venue allows us all to rethink everything and take advantage of the new opportunities it offers,” Joan Maxwell, president of sportfishing-boat builder Regulator Marine and chairwoman of the NMMA’s board, told Trade Only Today.

http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/2016/0...ready-on-time/

[Serious News]

A lot of construction taking place. Major tenting and docks in the above pic, and some of the construction below.

[jdoss]

if post 141 is right. WOW (in good way)
not the lay out/picture we were told or shown.
This is way better.
now all of you just need to buy a new Saber.
look forward to seeing all of you there
jamie

[billy]

I herd or read somewhere, the land displays are limited to 30ft. Is this true? I might have read it here, just lazy to go back and read eight pages. If yes, well the show isn't worth going to for me.

[jdoss]

36'is the limit. with the size of those tents don't know Y. there were 40'+ in the tents last year

[Ratickle]

Correct, 36' is the limit on land. But, there will be 830 slips for boats larger than 36' on the water out front. And, you will not have to go across town to take a ride on a boat that is in the water like before.

It will be interesting.

Want to start a contest for the over/under on attendees who fall into the water?

[billy]

On the water shows someone always falls in! I don't like walking the docks with crowds. Believe attendance will be down this year.

[Serious News]

New Miami show site called ‘an island paradise’
Written by Jim Flannery

MIAMI — The ink was barely dry on the last permit needed for the Miami International Boat Show to move to Virginia Key when NMMA president Thom Dammrich made it official at a packed meeting Thursday of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida.

“The show is happening,” his slideshow said in big, bold letters.

“You can see them building it right over there,” he crowed, pointing to the tents and docks going up about a quarter-mile to the east along Miami’s Rickenbacker Causeway.

At earlier show updates, Dammrich’s lead slide had asked, “Is the show happening?”

He would answer his own question by saying, “Trust me. It will happen.” And so it will.

Forced out of its longtime venue at the Miami Beach Convention Center because of a multiyear renovation, the NMMA teamed up with the city of Miami to relocate the Feb. 11-15 show to the city’s Miami Marine Stadium property on Virginia Key.

“This going to be an epicenter for the marine industry for a long, long time,” Dammrich predicted.

The relocation has survived a salvo of legal challenges from Key Biscayne, which said it would hurt the environment and snarl traffic on the causeway. The courts didn’t buy it. Nor did the city of Miami, which is undertaking a $20 million upgrade of the property just north of the Rickenbacker Marina.

“This is an ideal location for a boat show,” Dammrich said. “It’s an island paradise.”

Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III, president of Show Management, the co-owner of Yachts Miami Beach, formerly the Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach, was at the meeting to update the packed banquet room at the Rusty Pelican restaurant on Virginia Key about Yachts Miami Beach, which also will run from Feb. 11-15, but — as Zimbalist stressed — is separate from the NMMA show and will remain at the location on Miami Beach’s Collins Avenue where it has been for 28 years.

Yachts Miami Beach has added a superyacht venue at the Island Gardens Deep Harbour Marina on Watson Island, where the water is 21 to 25 feet deep at low tide and the marina can dock yachts as large as 500 feet. Dane Graziano, Show Management’s chief operating officer, said about half the marina’s 74 slips will be filled for the show.

Transportation and parking were much on the minds of those at the meeting. Dammrich said the NMMA has spent $200,000 working out a parking and transportation plan that provides 10,000 parking spaces in Miami, transportation from parking lots to the show on shuttle buses and water taxis, and platoons of police to keep traffic flowing.

Water taxis will shuttle showgoers between the NMMA show on Virginia Key and Yachts Miami Beach. The taxis will pick up and drop off passengers at a dock on Purdy Avenue near the east end of the Venetian Causeway bridge on Miami Beach and at a dock at the NMMA show site on Virginia Key. At the Yachts Miami Beach end, a bus will shuttle passengers between the Purdy Avenue dock and Collins Avenue.

Yachts Miami Beach exhibitors can reserve vans to ferry customers who want to board the superyachts to the Island Gardens marina on Watson Island.

http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/2016/0...land-paradise/

[Serious News]

[Serious News]

[billy]

I go to several boat shows per year. I've been to a show with buses and water taxis before. Water taxis in particular suck. Its like a busy ride at Disney land, you wait and wait in line. Get crammed into a small vessel. It sucks. Buses are no better. Add in walking docks with hundreds of other people, also sucks.

[TURBO JET]

if post 141 is right. WOW (in good way)
not the lay out/picture we were told or shown.
This is way better.
now all of you just need to buy a new Saber.
look forward to seeing all of you there
jamie

Looking forward to seeing the new Saber. I'll be there Wednesday.

[Ratickle]

Show doesn't start until Thursday.....

[jdoss]

Saber's booth is L 1740
Skater is L1734

We look forward to seeing all of you there

[Serious News]

Miami Boat Show

A LEGENDARY SITE. AN ICONIC EVENT. AN EPIC MOVE.

MIAMI’S FAVORITE BOAT SHOW IS MOVING TO A NEW ISLAND HOME IN 2016—MIAMI MARINE STADIUM PARK & BASIN

NEW SHOW SITE: The 2016 Progressive® Insurance Miami International Boat Show® is moving from the Miami Beach Convention Center to Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin

WHEN: President’s Day Weekend, February 11–15, 2016

WHERE: 3501 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149—just minutes from downtown Miami on Virginia Key

Looking for a Great Deal on Buying, Selling or Chartering a Boat, Contact WWW.MIAMICRUISER.COM

ADMISSION: Premier Day $35; Adult (age 16+) $20; Two-day pass (Friday–Monday, Februray 12–15) $35
Five-day pass $85; Children 15 and younger FREE

GETTING TO THE SHOW HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER.

Located across the Bay from downtown Miami, Virginia Key is easy to get to by land or sea: plentiful parking, shuttles and water taxis service. In addition, all major hotel chains will offer water taxi service to and from the Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin location.

A NEW, DYNAMIC SITE FOR IN-WATER AND LAND EXHIBITS.

More than 1,200 boats on land and in the water with 400+ slips.
A deep water basin to accommodate large boats
Closed and open-air tented exhibit space for marine accessories, electronics, engines, nautical gifts and apparel and services.

Get an Insiders Opinion on Boat Values WWW.MIAMICRUISER.COM

ENTERTAINMENT, DINING & MORE!

Enjoy your day at the show and experience the boating lifestyle in a whole new way.

On-the-water boating workshops, daily seminars, and fun ways to test the waters including paddle sports demos
A new menu of dining and food options that cater to every taste, with several restaurants right on site

http://www.livetradingnews.com/miami...how-129888.htm

[Serious News]

MMA and BWI plan joint event at Miami show

Due to the changes to the Miami International Boat Show this year, the Marine Marketers of America and Boating Writers International are partnering on a joint program from 8-10 a.m. at Feb. 12 at the show’s Waterside Café and VIP Lounge.

Highlights of the joint meeting will include presentations to the winners of BWI’s annual writers contest, recognition of the MMA’s annual Neptune Award winners and a panel presentation featuring seasoned marine editors and publicists/marketers.

The joint event is free and sponsored by the National Marine Electronics Association, Freedom Boat Club and the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

The panel discussion, titled “How the Digital Revolution Has Changed What Editors Want From Freelancers and Marketers,” will address changes in recent years in the dynamic between editors and outside content providers.

Editors, long considered “gatekeepers” presiding over what gets published, face a daunting task as they juggle changes wrought by the digital revolution, downsized staff and a new generation of tech-savvy readers and content providers. Marketers and publicists who want their messages and stories published or picked up will have the opportunity to hear firsthand what editors expect.

To sort it out, longtime BWI and MMA director Michael Sciulla will moderate a panel of editors, freelancers and marketers/publicists, including Gary Beckett, owner/vice president of Turnkey Communications and Public Relations; Kevin Falvey, editor-in-chief of Boating; Marilyn Mower, editorial director-USA at Boat International Media; David Pilvelait, COO of Home Port Marketing; Jim Rhodes, president/CEO of Rhodes Communications; and Bill Sisson, editor-in-chief of Anglers Journal and Soundings Trade Only.

Before the event, Sciulla engaged targeted audiences online via marine forums and platforms, resulting in a lively debate. Some of the candid commentary included the following excerpts from journalists and marketers alike, according to a statement.

Phil Friedman, a former editor at Power & Motoryacht, says, “We’ve seen a growing emphasis on visuals, more compact copy structure and a trend toward what I call ‘social media style’.”

Videographer Ed Kukla hopes editors will provide guidelines for video content.

Rhodes says, “The 24-hour online news cycle has changed the game. … Now we’re seeing instant gratification.”

That said, not everyone is happy with the current state of affairs.

Mower says, “I can’t believe the amateur or otherwise bad PR I receive on a daily basis.”

Custom publisher Brad Kovach echoed her thoughts: “Many of the story ideas/queries I receive are unimaginative, hackneyed, overdone … just bad. Some are not, but for the person seeking paying work, the difference is crucial. Ideas need to be fresh and fully developed. Don’t throw me topics; throw me fully formed pitches with new and creative thoughts, angles and perspectives.”

Boating magazine Editor-in-Chief Kevin Falvey put it this way: “In this era, an editor-in-chief’s job is akin to playing multidimensional chess: Success demands more than simply operating on multiple levels. To win, an EIC must exploit the intersections between all the layers and levels — journalistic, business, technology, personnel and more — and in so doing deepen and widen audience engagement with the brand and its extensions.”

Although editors have pet peeves, freelancers are equally frustrated.

Current editor and freelancer Stephen Blakely says, “Editors increasingly depend on freelance, especially as their overlords continue to throw paid staff over the side to escape salary/benefit costs. Seems to me editors tend to have their own stable of freelancers and keep the barn door shut. I would suggest editors keep their eyes open to new talent and at least have the courtesy to reply to qualified pitches, even when the answer is no.”

http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/2016/0...at-miami-show/

[Serious News]

Bellingham Marine, world renowned dock designer and marina builder, was awarded a contract by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), to provide over 116,000 square feet of timber docks for the 2016 Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show at its new venue, Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin, in Miami, Florida, scheduled from February 11-15, 2016.

NMMA awarded the multimillion dollar contract to Bellingham Marine after interviewing a handful of leading dock suppliers. According to Larry Berryman, Assistant Show Manager and Director of Sales for NMMA’s Miami International Boat Show, “Bellingham Marine provided the most flexibility, best innovation in the design of the dock system, and supported our desire to ensure environmentally safe structures at the boat show’s new location. Our new Bellingham docks add to the extraordinary experience the 2016 Miami International Boat Show will deliver to attendees and exhibitors at Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin.”

The Miami Boat Show docks have been custom designed to facilitate easy install, removal and storage, and to support the needs of the boat show. Lifting eye’s, universal connection pins, flip covers on utility trenches, four way float connections, and moveable pile guides for maximum flexibility in anchorage placement are just a few of the one-of-a-kind features incorporated in the new docks.

The docks are also constructed from environmentally friendly materials and designed for use in sensitive marine environments. The docks’ Army Corp-approved, fully encapsulated flotation and EPA-approved treatment of timber ensure that no unsafe materials or chemicals enter the water.

The entire dock system is comprised of four major components that can be connected in a variety of configurations to create unique layouts year to year, including gathering areas for crowds and food vendors and moorage space for over 600 boats.

The docks will be delivered to the NMMA in December and will be installed at the show’s new site, Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin, just prior to the opening of the boat show.

“Working with clients to provide a customized solution that provides them with the greatest value is what we do best; we’re thrilled to work with the NMMA and the Miami Boat Show team on this significant move of the boat show to Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin,” said Everett Babbitt, Bellingham Marine’s President.

The Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show is known as one of the world’s premier destinations to see the best in boating with an impressive cross section of vendors and suppliers from all aspects of the boating industry and an annual economic impact of $597 million.

As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine specializes in floating dock, floating platform and floating wave attenuation systems for marinas worldwide. The company also produces dry storage systems for the upland storage of boats.

http://www.pilebuckinternational.com...ingham-marine/

[Serious News]

Miami Boat Show gives sneak peek of new home on Biscayne Bay
By David Smiley

Following a year of turbulence, the Miami International Boat Show opened the gates to its new $24 million home on the water Tuesday and shared a sneak peek of its nearly mile-long campus surrounding the historic but abandoned Marine Stadium.

Where a weed-strewn parking lot once stood, enormous air-conditioned exhibition tents are bolted into new asphalt. In the placid, man-made basin, eight floating piers jut hundreds of feet into the water, forming the spine of a 420-slip temporary marina.

The graffiti-tagged, concrete hull of the stadium stands off-limits in the center of it all, lending an almost post-apocalyptic contrast to what on Feb. 11 will be a sea of customers teeming around shiny white tents, outdoor eateries and pricey vessels.

The whole production has taken more than two years from permitting to construction, and cost the National Marine Manufacturing Association more than $5 million. It also sparked an ongoing feud with environmentalists and the village of Key Biscayne, and more than one ongoing lawsuit that at times made the future of the show seem tenuous.

Work is still under way. But executives and exhibitors behind the Super Bowl of marine trade shows say that, no longer landlocked at the Miami Beach Convention Center, they’re expecting the rebooted Miami International Boat Show to be the best ever.

“This is a historical moment for all of us,” boat show director Cathy Rick-Joule said Tuesday morning on the docks behind Bayside Marketplace, one of seven water taxi stops for the show. “Moving this event has not been an easy task.... It’s a beautiful, beautiful location. It almost feels custom-made for a boat show.”

At the show’s new digs, roughly 800 boats will be exhibited on land on a brand new, $24 million outdoor exhibition space created by the city of Miami and souped up to meet the utility needs of the boat show. The vessels and hardware will be displayed beneath six air-conditioned “super structure” tents built by the Medley-based Eventstar in an area that spans roughly 800,000 square feet.

In the water, hundreds more vessels will be on display at a temporary marina that offers unmatched views of downtown Miami.

“This is the best venue I’ve ever seen,” said Dan Bowersox, the owner of Tees by Bo, a Miami-based company that will have two exhibits at the show. “This is going to be unbelievable.”

The Boat Show is among the most important tourist events each year for Miami-Dade County. The trade show draws an estimated 25,000 people each of its four days, and generates nearly $600 million in spending each year, according to an economic study commissioned by the NMMA and released last year.

The boat show’s headquarters event moved from its longtime home at the Miami Beach Convention Center this year due to renovations (Strictly Sail will be held again at Miamarina) and the National Marine Manufacturers Association leased the Marine Stadium grounds from the city for $1.1 million each year, plus a percentage of concessions.

The non-profit trade association also invested another $3.2 million into electrical upgrades on the site, and spent another $1 million to create more than 13,000 parking spaces on and off the island, deploy water taxis and shuttle buses, and hire scores of county and city police officers to handle a crush of traffic on the mainland and the Rickenbacker Causeway.

“It’s going to take us quite a few years to financially recover,” Rick-Joule said in an interview on the shore of the basin, where attendees will have unfettered views of the downtown Miami skyline. “But we’re in paradise.”

Environmentalists agree, noting that immediately on the other side of the stadium basin lies a protected critical wildlife area. County regulators have issued a series of conditions on permits for the event, and the county must review its permit next year. Glen Larson, owner of Marine Dock and Construction, which is erecting the temporary marina, said local, state and federal inspectors have all paid “surprise” visits to the site.

Larson said there are underwater cameras monitoring work, and called the show’s construction plans the “most environmentally sensitive” ever on the books. Still, activists and Key Biscayne officials warn that the sheer intensity of the show heightens the risk of complications and say they will watch closely for problems before, during and after the event.

Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado, who helped steer the Boat Show back to Miami — where it was founded in 1941 — said he’s not worried.

“Everything in Miami is a fight. But I think we’re getting there,” he said back at Bayside. “I don’t want to claim victory.... but the only thing we need is good weather.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...#storylink=cpy

[Serious News]

[Serious News]

Miami Boat Show to Bring 1,200 Boats and 100,000 Guests Over Presidents' Day Weekend

Break out your sunscreen and top-siders. The Miami Boat Show is back and hoping to be bigger than ever during Presidents' Day weekend.

Organizers estimate 100,000 visitors will descend upon the convention for its 75th year, bringing with them a healthy $83 million injection to the local economy — and one of the grandest displays of boats you've ever seen.

Sponsored by Progressive Insurance, the Boat Show is not just for boating enthusiasts and the super rich, although it helps to be filthy with greenbacks when you're shopping for a yacht or speed boat accessories. The boat show encourages dreamers to witness the glory that is a collection of 1,200 boats, including special displays of the original Miami Vice boat and other beautiful machines. Guests can try their hand at kayaking or paddle-boating on-site. Plus, there will be opportunities for hands-on boat skill training and boat demonstrations for serious buyers.

Though the Boat Show is only now few weeks away, it was quite a journey for organizers. Back in May of last year, environmental groups petitioned for the show to not be allowed to relocate to the Miami Marine Stadium. One major complaint, according to the South Florida Business Journal, was the use of temporary docks, which can negatively impact endangered wildlife.

The permit for the show was later approved in December, and a few weeks ago Key Biscayne Mayor Mayra Peña Lindsay issued a statement: "The Miami-Dade County Commission rejected the NMMA's request for a 10-year permit and put in place over 60 conditions and restrictions that will keep the Boat Show on a very short leash, which is validation that this unnecessary and risky commercial venture requires intense scrutiny. The Army Corp of Engineers has now issued similar onerous restrictions of their own and the village of Key Biscayne will remain vigilant as the region’s environmental watchdog, even as our legal challenges remain in play."

During the media preview yesterday morning, Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado spoke about what a "historic move" this would be for the show having a new home by the Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin on Virginia Key. He also said how the Miami Boat Show hopes to spur public interest in the revitalization of the landmark facility, left damaged and unused since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The stadium has come a long way, and the Boat Show works closely with the Friends of the Miami Marine Stadium restoration group, but it isn't quite yet ready. It will act as a beautiful — but inaccessible — backdrop for the show's 65,000-square-foot air-conditioned tent and 200,000 square-foot open-air displays.

Half of the air-conditioned tents will house the majority of the boat displays. It could take you a couple of hours just to walk that collection, so expect plenty of Instagram photo opps. The other half will feature exhibits on engines, accessories, sport fishing, and more. You can enjoy all of this without guilt, because the Boat Show's team went to great lengths to ensure there will be no adverse environmental impact, from constructing chemical-free, floating wooden docks to hiring special manatee watch guards, because this is about celebrating Miami's ecology, not destroying it.

As if the scenery weren't delicious enough, another new addition this year will be a partnership with the Rusty Pelican and its parent group, the Specialty Restaurant Corporation. The waterfront restaurant will create seven pop-up eateries, including a kids' corner, a barbecue pit, and a fully stocked beer garden, offering everything from brews to portobello sliders to stone crabs and a whole roast pig. There will be tons of concession stands offering grab-and-go options, but really, don't you want to take advantage of first-class food and cold beer?

Complimentary water taxi and bus shuttle services will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for those looking to take advantage of parking by Marlins Park, the American Airlines Arena, Bayside Marketplace, or the Coconut Grove Arts Festival (happening the same weekend). The art and boat shows have partnered on discounted bundle package tickets. They're banking on a lot of people wanting to look at boats and enjoy art.

The Miami Boat Show
10 a.m. Thursday through Monday, February 11 through 15, at Miami Marine Stadium (3501 Rickenbacker Cswy., Key Biscayne). Tickets cost $20 to $85, and kids 15 and younger get in free. Visit: MiamiBoatShow.com.