I get a lot of press releases from marine equipment manufacturers, but all I seem to hear is Miami Miami Miami!
Ok, so the Miami International Boat Show is bigger, and that’s where a lot of manufacturers debut their new products, and frankly, the weather is probably a lot better there.
But what about us? The Seattle Boat Show is a big boat show. It’s a major event. And I don’t mean “a major event for a podunk little town like this.” It’s a huge show!
The fact is, a lot of the manufacturers will have their new products on display at Seattle, which wraps up February 1st; plenty of time to get show displays packed up, transported, and redeployed in Miami before that event opens on February 12th.
There’s another reason I’m keen to spend a lot of time at the boat show this year: I wonder what effect the sluggish economy will have? Will attendance fall off from previous years? Will there be a notable shift in the vendors and displays? Less emphasis on new boat sales and more emphasis on improvements to already-owned boats? Fewer megaboats and more medium-sized boats? Fewer boat loan vendors and more boat charter vendors?
I don’t know…I’m just wondering. Stay tuned, and I’ll let you know what I learn.
