MIAMI BEACH — Yachts Miami Beach is a critical show because it’s the one that draws the most international audiences.

That’s according to Viking president and CEO Pat Healey and George Jousma, president and CEO of Sanlorenzo America, two of three people who spoke at a panel discussion Friday at the show. The third panelist was Kobi Karp, founder and principal of Kobi Karp Architecture.

“This is where George meets most of his clients from Central and South America,” Show Management president Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III told Trade Only Today on Saturday.

Zimbalist also addressed the show’s new look and entrance fees, introduced this year, as well as the new branding and logo launched at last year’s show.

“The rebranding was a great first step in the exciting process of reimagining the show,” Zimbalist said. “After last year’s show, Show Management and the International Yacht Brokers Association collaborated on a new vision for updating the show, and we engaged EDSA, one of the world’s foremost design companies, to help us translate that vision into reality.”

EDSA is known for creating environments at destinations such as Atlantis in the Bahamas and the John F. Kennedy Center and Disney resorts.

The goal was to enhance engagement between exhibitors and buyers with the new design, Zimbalist said.

He also addressed the transportation additions, including water taxis and added shuttles to parking lots, as well as to the Miami International Boat Show, which runs concurrently but is separately owned and operated. Show Management and the IYBA are co-owners of Yachts Miami Beach; Show Management and Trade Only are owned by Active Interest Media.

For the second year, Yachts Miami Beach had a superyacht display at Island Gardens Deep Harbour on Watson Island, an invitation-only “show within a show.”

The two largest boats in the show at each venue were Martha Ann, a 230-foot Lurssen at Island Gardens, and She’s a 10, a 164-foot Oceanfast, on Collins Avenue.

Read more about Yachts Miami Beach in the April issue of Soundings Trade Only.