Organizers of the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference today announced that the Tampa Bay Convention Center did not sustain significant damage from Hurricane Helene and that the show will go on as scheduled Oct. 1-3.
According to a statement:
“The Tampa Convention Center did not sustain significant damage from Hurricane Helene, and the center is open for business. The city is continuing to do storm cleanup, but the situation is stable. The downtown hotels are also open. There have been no schedule changes for IBEX next week.”
The statement continues:
“While the IBEX team looks forward to welcoming the marine industry back to Tampa, our thoughts are with all those in the region who were severely impacted by the storm. Safe travels and see you soon.”
Category 4 Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida last night at 11:10 p.m. ET, east of the mouth of the Aucilla River and about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Fla., with winds of 140 mph. Helene is now a tropical storm centered over western North Carolina with sustained winds of 45 mph.
