Following a squally beginning the 53rd annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show wrapped up on a high note with sunshine and pleasant temperatures following inclement weather the first two days of the five-day event.  Despite the weather, exhibitors reported serious buyers, qualified leads and closed deals during the first two days, while the weekend attracted near record-breaking attendance.  "After being down 30 percent during the first two days because of Hurricane Sandy, attendance was very strong the last three days and finished down just 2 percent over last year for the show overall," said Efrem "Skip" Zimbalist III, CEO of Show Management, the company that manages and produces the show. "The number of boats in the water was up 10 percent … as were brokerage boats over 126 feet, which were 15 percent ahead of last year."
 
Several noteworthy show enhancements were introduced this year, including a crowd efficient new entrance layout, new directional signage and a cellphone tower for improved reception and show navigation.  "This year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show was the best in years," said Skip Braver, CEO/president of Cigarette Racing Team, LLC.  "We did business from the opening day through the close. The High Performance Dock, located just outside the entrance tents, was packed with people and Cigarette gave them a lot of variety. It was a very good show."
 
The show's smartphone app, MyBoatShow, debuted new features designed to help keep attendees in sync with the vast array of choices and experiences, and to guide them to the exhibitors they wished to find.  "We broke all sales records and launched several products including the Yacht Controller Joystick, the Yacht Phone and the Yacht GraphX products," said Gerald Berton, president of Yacht Controller LLC. "We enjoyed a great show in spite of the weather, making this the best FLIBS ever for us."
 
Continually striving to find new ways to engage and delight attendees with innovative additions to their overall show experience, this year's show included an aerial flyover and a fireworks display, both of which were received with great enthusiasm. As always, the outstanding selection of seminars from the International Game Fish Association (IGFA)  and Hook The Future kids fishing clinics added to the excitement at the Broward County Convention Center show location, a show site that reaped benefits from Hurricane Sandy with high attendance numbers on Thursday and Friday.  Additional fun for the kids was on deck this year with Bluefoot Pirate Adventures, which entertained kids with an onboard pirate treasure hunt experience. "This was our best show in three years," said George Cable, of Cable Marine.  "We saw real customers this year, some of which showed up at our boatyard just two days after the show closed."  "We appreciate all the support from all the hard working people at Show Management that helped make FLIBS a success," said Joe Foggia, CEO of Christensen Shipyards.  "From what we have experienced in recent months and the inquiries we are getting after the show, we are encouraged that the industry as a whole is rebounding."
 
The 53rd Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show took place this year at six locations: Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Municipal Marina, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Broward County Convention Center and Sails Marina and featured billions of dollars worth of boats, yachts, super yachts, electronics, engines and thousands of boating accessories from every major marine manufacturer and boat builder across the globe, as well as exotic cars, clothing and jewelry.