Fort Lauderdale Boat Show Supports Bahamas Relief

From October 30 to November 3, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) welcomed over 100,000 attendees with more than 1,000 exhibitors and 1,300 boats, to celebrate its 60th anniversary as the "yachting capital of the world." The show's organizers say that this year's edition was among the best: VIP ticket sales for well-qualified buyers were up, and exhibitors reported an increase in sales, new prospects, more model unveils and larger space in the show than in years past.

As a special tribute this year, FLIBS and the Marine Industries Association of South Florida joined forces to use the boat show as a platform to support Bahamas hurricane relief efforts in the Abacos and Grand Bahama. Through multiple initiatives, which included a boat raffle of a Pioneer Sportfish 180 donated by Palm City Yachts, and proceeds from the show’s signature Sunset Soireé & 2nd Annual Yacht Chef Competition, more than $30,000 was raised to benefit two Bahamas relief missions, Mission of Hope and ONE Bahamas Fund.

Brisk business, bigger boats

“This year's FLIBS was the best boat show Denison has ever participated in. We met more people than ever, and closed more new boats than ever. I think it was the hottest boat show I've ever experienced, but people still came out anyway. We had brokers fly in from all of our offices, as far away as California, to meet clients and write deals all week. Every single day was busy. Saturday was the busiest for us. The docks were crowded throughout the morning and the afternoon,” said Bob Denison, president and founder of Denison Yachting.

FLIBS kicked off its 60th anniversary with a ceremony at a new Superyacht Village, a destination for superyachts and yachting enthusiasts. The new venue featured some of the year’s best-known new yachts, including the world debut of Lürssen’s 311-foot Madsummer -- the largest and newest megayacht at FLIBS – as well as Heesen Yachts’ 180-foot Vida. The dedicated marina also featured 17 exhibits from renowned shipyards, yacht “toys” like helicopters, personal submarines, and exotic and collectible automobiles by Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

“Our overall show experience was a very good one.  We had many qualified prospects onboard Vida in Superyacht Village, several of whom have serious interest,” said Thom Conboy, director of sales for North America, Bahamas and Caribbean for Heesen Yachts.