Miami International Boat Show will spark $60M in sales, organizers say
After 400,000 hours of planning, the 78th annual Miami International Boat Show will shift into gear Thursday, Feb. 14 at the Miami Marine Stadium.
The five-day event is expected to inject $850 million into the Florida economy and attract more than 100,000 attendees.
It's where 1,000 marine businesses — hundreds of which have operations in South Florida — are expected to ink $60 million in deals, according to organizers.
"There were a lot of doubters when we were going to move," said National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) VP of Southern Shows Larry K. Berryman, who has been working with the Miami show for 20 years. "It's exceeded everyone's expectations."
The Miami boat show, with about 1,400 boats on display, relocated from Miami Beach to the Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key in 2016. The show has since grown from its number of boats in the marina (from 440 to 700), to its number of seats in its dining area (from about 800 to 2,200).
This year, the show will have added dining options, a new entrance and more ways to get to the show. NMMA expects to transport 25,000 people to the event in water taxis through Feb. 18.
Members of the media received a preview of the show site on Friday with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez in attendance.
"The impact is immeasurable," Suraez said. "From the thousands of jobs it provides to the city, to people coming from all over the world — and some deciding not to leave. Any show that builds our brand is a show that's good for us. Every year they do it better."
The 2019 Miami International Boat Show will run on the same days as the 31st Miami Yacht Show at 1 Herald Plaza in downtown Miami, organized by Informa Exhibitions. The tickets to both shows are sold for a combined price on their websites.
The Miami boat show is among the largest in-water boat shows in the world, along with other major boat shows in our our region: The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and the Palm Beach International Boat Show. South Florida's marine industry has an overall economic impact of $12 billion, according to a recent study byThomas J. Murray and Associates.