Weather Did Not Spoil the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

The media is calling it "Frankenstorm" and it's not over yet, but the 2012 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show largely escaped the effects of Hurricane Sandy as it headed north. The exhibitors breathed a collective sigh of relief.

It started out badly. After heavy rains virtually washed out the last 3 days of the 2011 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the 2012 show opened with 35 mph winds, overcast skies and frequent cloud bursts.

As the show opened on Thursday, October 25th, a weather pattern over Jamaica was upgraded to a category 1 hurricane named “Sandy” which began moving north towards the Bahamas and Florida’s East Coast with sustained winds above 75 mph.

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is owned by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida.

At the opening day News Conference and Press breakfast, CEO Show Management Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III addressed the audience and explained how important the show really is to South Florida.

For more than half a century, the boat show has been an important part of the overall economy in this area. He explained that the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show had more than a $500 million economic impact in the area, making it bigger and more important even than hosting a Super Bowl.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor John P. “Jack” Seiler also took the podium to say that the estimates were that there would be more than 130,000 visitors coming to the show to view more than $3 billion in products and merchandise.

Skip Zimbalist noted that the largest boat this year would be 296 feet whereas the largest boat in 1968 was only 53 feet. Things have certainly changed! This has become the largest show by square footage and certainly the largest in-water show in North America.

There is over 3 million square feet of display space and to help people get around, they’ve introduced a new “MyBoatShow” mobile app. From the simplest vessels like kayaks and stand up paddle boards to the largest collection of super yachts in North America, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is certainly a remarkable event.

While the weather may reduce the gate for people coming into the show. Skip Zimbalist noted that the buyers were still coming and that VIPs from around the world would not be be deterred by weather. A higher number of executive jets than ever arrived at the airport in time for the show and truly, the assembly of both merchandise of all types, yachts and even super yachts really is second to none.

By the end of Sunday, October 28, our interviews with various exhibitors were mixed, some saying they had enjoyed an outstanding show while others found their results were soft. Not surprisingly, it seemed to be the newest products and innovations that got the attention and also, the higher end products. The last person we talked to summed it up. Bentley Collins of Sabre Yachts who sells American made boats, luxuriously trimmed out with Cherry interiors and traditional Maine styling said, "Considering the storm, we have had excellent results. We sold boats and the leads are high-quality but we didn't see enough Canadians!"

TOP PHOTO: The Saturday crowds were thick in front of the super yacht "Diamonds Are Forever".

LOWER PHOTO: CEO Show Management, Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III answers a TV interviewers questions about the show.