The 69th annual Miami Beach International Boat Show and Strictly Sail wrapped up on Monday following five days at the Miami Beach Convention Center and Sea Isle Marina & Yachting Center. In an effort to combat the economy’s effect on the show, organizers at the National Marine Manufacturers Association expanded advertising efforts by 10 percent, reaching out to more than 200 domestic and international media outlets.
Despite those efforts, the exhibition's overall footprint—which includes land and in-water displays—shrank by 20 percent.
“There’s been a lot of consolidation and downsizing in the world, and people don’t have the money to do what they would otherwise,” said show manager Cathy Rick-Joule, referring to both the number of companies exhibiting and the consumers who have less discretionary income now than in years past.
About 2,000 sailboat, yacht, and powerboat companies exhibited, roughly 200 less than in 2009, and nearly 91,500 people stopped by the two venues during the show.
Part of the footprint consolidation included combining the Strictly Sail in-water sailboat displays, previously docked at Miamarina at Bayside in downtown, with the power boats and yachts at the Sea Isle Marina. Though the marina had previously been a free exhibit area during the boat show, the addition of Strictly Sail—which has always been ticketed—required a $16 entry fee this year.
