The 24th annual Spring Boating Expo wrapped up a four-day run in the Detroit area on Sunday with exhibitors reporting positive sales as spring nears.
“The Spring Boating Expo is the last boat show in Michigan for the winter season and typically has a very strong buying demographic. The sense of urgency comes as boaters realize spring launch is right around the corner,” show manager Nicki Polan said in a statement.
“This year’s mild weather has created real excitement, as we all are anticipating a longer than usual boating season in Michigan. Exciting new features and performance innovations have also created a lot of excitement and helped to fuel boat sales.”
More than 12,000 people attended the event at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Show management attributed a 5 percent attendance decrease from last year to beautiful spring weather, which will entice people to participate in outdoor activities.
“Nice weather slowed the first three days of the show. However, we were able to finish out a strong weekend of sales and activity. Crowds were good and we continue to see new boaters in the mix, which is encouraging. We expect strong follow-up with these new prospects,” said Tom Haag, vice president at Colony Marine.
At 235,000 square feet of exhibition space, the expo was sold out.
The Michigan Boating Industries Association produced the event. The 2017 expo will be held March 16-19 and return to the Suburban Collection Showplace.
