About 50,000 people are expected to attend the Palm Beach International Boat Show in March in what is anticipated to be the largest event in the show’s history.
The 30th annual show will be held March 26-29.
Organizers tell the Sun-Sentinel that the show should draw 50,000 and that more than $1.2 billion worth of boats and marine equipment will be on display.
For the first time this year, the show will include an Aquazone pool with demonstrations of paddleboards, kayaks and other water toys — a feature that debuted at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show last fall.
Champion spearfisher Sheri Daye will lead “Blue Wild,” an expo with watersports seminars and marine art exhibits.
Set along Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, the four-day show will showcase recreational craft that include small inflatables, fishing boats, center consoles and super-yachts of more than 200 feet. Activities also will include swimwear fashion shows and fishing clinics for children.
The economic impact in Palm Beach County from the recreational boating industry exceeded $1.8 billion, including $682 million in wages and earnings, according to a 2014 study by marine consultants Thomas Murray & Associates. The industry supported 18,220 jobs in the county, up from 8,931 in 2010, the study found.
The Palm Beach International Boat Show is owned and sponsored by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County and organized by Fort Lauderdale-based Show Management. Active Interest Media is the parent company of Show Management and Soundings Trade Only.
