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Bad weather on first two days dampened attendance
By Arlene Satchell, Sun Sentinel
3:56 a.m. EST, November 20, 2012
Attendance at this year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show dropped slightly due to inclement weather from Hurricane Sandy on its first two days, organizers announced recently.
Sandy's torrential rain and gusty winds over the first two days resulted in a 30 percent drop in attendance, which rebounded to near-record numbers on the weekend of the Oct. 25-29 event, said Efrem "Skip" Zimbalist III, CEO of Show Management, the show's producer and manager. The management company doesn't release specific attendance figures, but it has been estimated that close to 100,000 people attend the event.
In spite of the show's early weather challenges, serious buyers still turned out, and exhibitors were able to close deals, according to Show Management.
The event attracted more than 1,200 exhibitors of boats, yachts and marine products and accessories valued at more than $3 billion.
"The number of boats in the water was up 10 percent, with new boats up 14 percent and brokerage up 4 percent," Zimbalist said in a statement. Boats less than 80 feet in length were up 13 percent since 2011, as were brokerage boats of more than 126 feet, which were 15 percent ahead of last year, he noted.
The signature boating event was held at six sites in Fort Lauderdale: The Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Municipal Marina, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Broward County Convention Center and Sails Marina.
"This was our best show in three years," said George Cable, of Cable Marine in Fort Lauderdale. "We saw real customers this year, some of which showed up at our boatyard just two days after the show closed."
This year's boat show also featured several new enhancements including a revamped Bahia Mar entrance layout, new directional signage, pop-up entertainment, an aerial flyover and a fireworks display.
asatchell@tribune.com, 954-356-4209 or Twitter@TheSatchreport.
Boat show ends on positive note - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
By Arlene Satchell, Sun Sentinel
3:56 a.m. EST, November 20, 2012
Attendance at this year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show dropped slightly due to inclement weather from Hurricane Sandy on its first two days, organizers announced recently.
Sandy's torrential rain and gusty winds over the first two days resulted in a 30 percent drop in attendance, which rebounded to near-record numbers on the weekend of the Oct. 25-29 event, said Efrem "Skip" Zimbalist III, CEO of Show Management, the show's producer and manager. The management company doesn't release specific attendance figures, but it has been estimated that close to 100,000 people attend the event.
In spite of the show's early weather challenges, serious buyers still turned out, and exhibitors were able to close deals, according to Show Management.
The event attracted more than 1,200 exhibitors of boats, yachts and marine products and accessories valued at more than $3 billion.
"The number of boats in the water was up 10 percent, with new boats up 14 percent and brokerage up 4 percent," Zimbalist said in a statement. Boats less than 80 feet in length were up 13 percent since 2011, as were brokerage boats of more than 126 feet, which were 15 percent ahead of last year, he noted.
The signature boating event was held at six sites in Fort Lauderdale: The Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Municipal Marina, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Broward County Convention Center and Sails Marina.
"This was our best show in three years," said George Cable, of Cable Marine in Fort Lauderdale. "We saw real customers this year, some of which showed up at our boatyard just two days after the show closed."
This year's boat show also featured several new enhancements including a revamped Bahia Mar entrance layout, new directional signage, pop-up entertainment, an aerial flyover and a fireworks display.
asatchell@tribune.com, 954-356-4209 or Twitter@TheSatchreport.
Boat show ends on positive note - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
