Strictly Sail Philadelphia moves to every other year
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – Sail America, producer with the NMMA of the Strictly Sail boat shows, is changing the dates for its Philadelphia venue, which premiered in January 2005, it reported in a recent statement.
Due to a date conflict in 2006 with the Philadelphia Convention Center that would have reduced one weekend day from the planned Jan. 26 – 29, 2006 schedule, show organizers and the Sail America Board of Directors analyzed all available date options from January through March, tapped key exhibitors for feedback, and determined the best choice was to move the show back one year to Jan. 18 – 21, 2007.
The same scheduling scenario conflict exists again in 2008, prompting the decision to skip that year as well, while at the same time, firming up 2009 show dates.
Convention center expansion is scheduled to be completed in 2010, which should allow show producers to return to an annual format if desired at that time.
“While we would have preferred to host the Strictly Sail Philadelphia show again in 2006 as we originally planned, there really was very limited date availability that would have allowed us to produce the high quality caliber of show which our exhibitors, and the public, have come to expect and demand,” said Sail America President Bill Bolin. “On the positive side, Sail America members long have been proponents of the possible benefits of rotating show venues, so this unexpected turn of events will give us a chance to test the waters. Some in our membership advocate that a major show, rotated every other year, will create more excitement and demand in the marketplace, while allowing us to continually improve the overall show experience and keep the show fresh.”
All other 2006 Strictly Sail shows remain on their annual schedule including Strictly Sail Chicago, February 2-5, 2006; Strictly Sail Miami, February 16-20, 2006; Strictly Sail Pacific, April 19-23, 2006 and Strictly Sail St. Pete, November 2-5, 2006.
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