Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Palm Beach International Boat Show will take place virtually, even with viewer engagement.
Viewers will be able to engage with exhibitors
After scheduling, rescheduling and postponing the live 35th annual Palm Beach International Boat Show, show organizers Thursday will try launching this year’s four-day event online at virtualpbboatshow.com.
“While the show will no longer take place in its original form, we wanted to provide our loyal audience the opportunity to still experience the boat show, albeit virtually,” said George Gentile, President of the Marina Industries Association of Palm Beach County, Inc. “Viewers will be able to ‘shop’ for the best in marine gear … as well as tour hundreds of new and used boats.”
Virtual tours of watercraft up to superyacht size — often with soaring aerial views, background music and click-through walks into interior cabins and deck spaces — are common marketing tools. As socialdistancing restrictions began to take hold in March, however, some in the marine industry began looking for ways to expand virtual access to customers without a trip to the docks.
Denison Yachting, for example, hosted a “virtual boat show” last month, helmed by President Bob Denison, of the Fort Lauderdale company’s listings.
“We started the development of this when social distancing was encouraged,” Denison said. “We wanted to make sure our clients could still have a way to interact with our listings, and just as important, our people, in a meaningful way from the safe confines of their homes.”
But a fully virtual boat show — attempting to capture some of the live experience of a Fort Lauderdale, Miami or Palm Beach show — would be a new frontier for boat owners, marine exhibitors and manufacturers. Last year’s live Palm Beach show featured $1.2 billion worth of yachts, marine accessories, fishing clinics, live music, organizers said, and a large spillover crowd to bars, restaurant and stores along the waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach.
This year, “all 436 exhibitors as well as vessels on display from the Palm Beach International Boat Show will have presence in our virtual show,” said Andrew Doole, President of Informa Markets U.S. Boat Shows. “Viewers will be able to directly engage with the exhibitors and ask questions through the virtual platform, while bro
kers and exhibitors will gain direct sales leads and engagement with consumers.”
The live exhibition of superyachts, boats and marine equipment was originally scheduled for March 26-29. As coronavirus restrictions began to take hold in March, organizers rescheduled the show for May 14-17 before postponing it on April 6 “until further notice.”
The Virtual Palm Beach International Boat Show will have its own web platform and visitor registration is free, organizers said. Visit virtualpbboatshow.com to register or Pbboatshow.com for additional details.
Pre-sold tickets for the canceled live show can be used at any future Informa U.S. Boat Show, organizers said, or you may request a refund.
The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, flibs.com; the Miami International Boat Show, Feb. 11-15, 2021, miamiboatshow.com; and the Miami Yacht Show, also Feb. 11-15, miamiyachtshow.com are all currently scheduled as live events.