Miami International Boat Show could look for new home

With remodeling planned for the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Miami International Boat Show will most likely need to find another location in 2016 and 2017, the Miami Herald reports.

During the renovation, scheduled to start at the end of 2015, only half of the convention center will be open at a time. The parking lot, where many companies display as well, will also not be available.

“We do know, they have made it clear to us that they cannot move down to two halls,” Bob Balsam, general manager of the convention center, told the paper.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association, which produces the show, provided the following statement to Boating Industry:

The National Marine Manufacturers Association, producers of the Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show, have been working closely with the City of Miami, the City of Miami Beach, and the Miami Beach Convention Center on plans to renovate the Convention Center and build a new and improved home for the boat show. The construction is estimated to take two years, spanning the 2016 and 2017 Miami International Boat Shows, and will temporarily reduce useable space for the show at the Convention Center location.

With reduced space during the two-year construction phase, NMMA is discussing possibilities with the Convention Center for accommodating portions of the boat show, while working alongside City of Miami and City of Miami Beach officials to explore a host of viable options for relocating other portions of the boat show.

“Creating a new and improved Miami Beach Convention Center means we have an opportunity to plan for a new and improved Miami International Boat Show. We have a lot of exciting options as to how we’ll layout the boat show in 2016 and 2017 and that’s a good place to be,” said Cathy Rick-Joule, vice president of NMMA shows and show manager. “The City of Miami, the City of Miami Beach, and the Miami Beach Convention Center have been tremendous partners of ours and have helped us become what we are today—an international event with an economic impact of nearly $600 million each year—We look forward to continuing to work together to produce the greatest boat show in the world!”

Greater Miami and The Beaches Hotel Association President and CEO, Wendy Kallergis echoes Rick-Joule noting, “After more than 73 years in the City of Miami/Miami Beach, the Miami International Boat Show isn’t just an annual event but a part of the culture and fabric of our city– it embodies all that South Florida represents and has to offer. As the Miami Beach Convention Center transforms into a new hub for dozens of premier consumer and trade shows in the U.S., we’re working with the NMMA on a viable temporary home for the boat show in 2016 and 2017 to accommodate Convention Center exhibitors and are committed to the show’s success for years to come.”