Show staff to wear PFDs in Miami
CHICAGO – The National Marine Manufacturers Association will help showcase the importance of life jacket use by having security guards, ticket takers, greeters and show staff wear life jackets for the duration of next week’s Miami International Boat Show, NMMA said today.
NMMA staff, PR representatives and guest speakers at the show will also don life jackets during the Miami Media Breakfast Feb. 15 to promote the availability of new, comfortable styles and to help promote responsible boating messages.
“We want to hammer home the fact that life jackets are part of the boating uniform,” said Cathy Johnston, NMMA vice president of Southern Shows and manager of the Miami International Boat Show. “Life jacket technology has changed dramatically over the years, and today’s models are no longer the bulky, orange vests of years past. The styles are now sleeker, lighter, more stylish and, most importantly, more comfortable to wear.”
In addition to live models, signage will be posted around the Miami show floor encouraging life jacket use. The signs depict various black and white boating lifestyle scenes, with only the life jackets illuminated in visible, bright colors. Underneath the images the tagline reads, “It Only Works If You Wear It.”
These posters will be scattered throughout the show in prominent places, reinforcing the work boating safety organizations are doing by emphasizing the visual impact of how life jackets are worn. Life jacket-clad mannequin displays will also be visible on the show floor, and a number of boat manufacturers exhibiting at the Miami show were asked to help support the cause by featuring life jackets as part of their exhibits.
A special award will be presented to the boat manufacturer that best incorporates life jackets as part of its display as part of the Miami Best of Show Awards, which are announced Feb. 16.
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