Dec 17, 2021

Organizers of the Toronto International Boat Show (TIBS) have announced that the annual event, scheduled to be held in-person, has cancelled for 2022.
 
Preparations had already been completed for the Show, with move-in set to begin in less than 30 days.  Following months of strategic preparation, North America’s Largest Indoor Boat Show was ready to unveil an all-new re-imagined floorplan.  The event was set to showcase more than 300 exhibitors, plus 250 seminars & workshops inside the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place.  A new initiative for the show was the launch of a 5000 square foot Boater’s Resource Centre, featuring 15 industry and government organizations.  
 
The rapidly developing Omicron variant and newly mandated capacity limitations at large events in Ontario meant that the in-person show could not move forward as planned, January 22 – 30. 
 
“The COVID Omicron variant is driving dramatic regulation changes across the Province of Ontario,” said Linda Waddell, President & Show Director of Canadian Boat Shows. “Yesterday’s announcement (December 16) by the provincial government means that all meeting and event spaces that hold more than 1000 people will have their capacity numbers reduced to 50%, effective Saturday, December 18.  We understand that this capacity reduction will be in place indefinitely, as the province did not set an end date.”
 
“In addition, following several days of receiving feedback from Exhibitors and review with the Show’s Advisory Committee today, it became clear this is the right decision at this time for our event.  The forecasted modelling and recommendations specific to indoor gatherings and travel highlighted by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, lead to an increased concern about the well-being and safety of our exhibitors, sponsors, attendees and staff.”
 
“We are very disappointed to be making this announcement today.  We genuinely prioritized the health and well-being of our industry as the focus in our decision making process, despite knowing we had an exceptional show planned following months of condensed work to be ready on time.”
 
“Words in an email will not express the amount of gratitude our team has for the level of Exhibitor participation, support and encouragement we have experienced in recent months.  We want to sincerely thank every exhibitor for their commitment to participate in the 2022 Show, following unique challenges for every business during the pandemic.”
 
Last year was an unprecedented year that saw our event hold a Virtual Show for the first time in its 60+ year history.  The 2021 Virtual Show attracted more than 35,000 registrations.  Consumers flooded to the 2021 Virtual Show to shop, experience and interact on a digital platform with thousands of product listings, video content, opportunities to connect directly with exhibitors, as well as live seminars and TIBS Live TV. 
 
This year’s Virtual Show will be held over 5 days, running January 26 – 30.  Reminder, all 2022 in-person Exhibitor spaces include a digital (virtual) platform.   
 
We will be in touch with you (the Exhibitors) in the coming days regarding next steps, and the process to transition your spaces from in-person to virtual, add-on feature costs and opportunities for virtual, timelines, dates, and deferred credits/refunds.   
 
We can’t thank you enough for the level of participation from exhibitors.  No matter how hard we have all worked to get to this point, we recognize the evolving environment of Covid and the Omicron variant is beyond our control.  
 
Thank you for your understanding and we will be in touch again soon.
 
If you have any questions that require immediate help, please contact either Linda Waddell or Cynthia Hare.
 
lwaddell@canadianboatshows.com or (905) 951-4051
chare@canadianboatshows.com or (905) 951-4054