Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago are home to the big boat shows in the Great Lakes market, and all are reporting excellent crowds and good sales action from their runs last weekend.

This good news comes on the heels of the reported success of the first winter show out of the box in Nashville, Tenn., 10 days ago. It all leads to a solid prediction that the winter shows ahead will see solid results. Moreover, the Great Lakes region is an excellent indicator, as it accounts for more than a third of the industry’s annual sales.

CLEVELAND The Progressive Cleveland Boat Show (Jan. 12-15) was 66 years old and all-new at the same time. The I-X Center, where the show is held, designated a new area for all expositions, thus requiring the show to undertake a total redesign. “Whether it was the attraction of the new show or just being immersed in the draw of summer boating, the public poured in,” said Michelle Burke, president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association. “Saturday saw an all-time record for visitors.”

Tom Mack, founder of South Shore Marine, reported: “The show delivered an energized crowd and a lot of sales opportunities for us going forward. We also observed a different feel at this show than in the last two years. Buyers were clearly less frenzied, more thoughtful and bookish, but still serious about buying. We’re very happy.”

Jim Armington, of Buckeye Sports Center, the largest exhibitor in the show with 50 boats on display, said that although the crowds were great, but things clearly have changed. “During the pandemic-driven sales frenzy, it took just one or two touches to close a sale,” he said. “Now we seeing it’s back to four or five touches. We had to spend much more time with each buyer, and it will require more diligent follow-up with the prospects. So our show unit sales were down about 20%, but our dollars are up 20%. Some of that’s price increase, of course, but that’s because we sold less to new boaters and more boats to existing boaters moving up.

“The visitors were enthusiastic. Surprisingly, there was no negative talk about interest rates. We were prepared to say buy now because the rates will likely go higher, but no buyer made an issue of rates. And, a big positive was lots of boats on display so we stressed our availability.”

DETROIT The Progressive Detroit Boat Show is back and runs the longest and runs Jan. 14-16 and 19-22 in Huntington Place (the former Cobo Center). The show is closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

“2020 was our last show in Detroit,” said Nicki Polan, show manager and executive director of the Michigan Boating Industries Association. “Now back for our first weekend, many exhibitors are telling us early sales are surprisingly equal to or better than that record-setting year. It was a very busy weekend, with many boaters saying they were eager for the show’s return. We now expect to continue that pace when we reopen on Thursday for four more days.”

Sales of new boats, engines, trailers and accessories in the Michigan market has outpaced national numbers, all having seen more than 12 years of continued growth.

CHICAGO After a two-year hiatus, the Discover Boating Chicago Boat Show returned in a big way with more than 450 boats on display and strong crowds throughout the five-day run (Jan. 11-15). Energy was high, as many attendees and exhibitors declared their appreciation for the show’s return to the Windy City. The National Marine Manufacturers Association produces the show.

Early reports indicated boat sales were good, and dealers noted a larger-than-expected number of new leads that will fuel their post-show efforts.

NMMA also said a lot of traffic is being seen on the new Discover Boating Boat Finder, with thousands using the site since its December launch. NMMA noted higher activity during show time last week. And consumers are spending an average time of five minutes on the page, well above the average benchmark of 60 seconds.

This news makes projections that shows around the country will see strong attendance and deliver solid returns for dealers.