The 2013 Annapolis Powerboat Show closed with the highest attendance figures since 2008, the onset of the economic downturn.
The numbers for the powerboat show continue to trend upward since the low point in 2009, Annapolis Boat Show general manager Paul Jacobs said in a statement.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the level of interest at the show,” Tradewinds Marina vice president Brian Schneider said in a statement. “Add that to the fact that we sold several boats, and I think this is the first positive sign in quite a while that the buying public is letting loose of their money.”
“We have never sold a boat on the first day until this year,” Walter George, of Annapolis Boat Sales, said in a statement.
The show ran from Oct. 3-6, preceding the 44th Annapolis Sailboat Show, the oldest in-water boat show in the country, which starts Thursday and continues through Monday.
“The addition of the [Annapolis] Brokerage Show was a fabulous idea,” said Knot 10 Yacht Sales general manager Marc Benvenuto, who displayed both brokerage and new boats in the show. “There was an energy and excitement, not just among the customers, but among our staff, as well. That energy has been absent recently, and this show was a breath of fresh air.”
“This year was fueled by a late Indian summer, a more robust powerboat industry and increased attendance numbers,” Jacobs said. “We had more new boats on display than the 2012 show and added another 60 boats in our new brokerage show.”
