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Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Palm Beach International Boat Show reports record attendance after a big change this year
The Palm Beach International Boat Show expanded by one day this year, and the move seems to have paid off. The five-day turnout for the festival on West Palm Beach's downtown waterfront had record numbers, according to the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, which hosts the event. "We had a record attendance of over 60,000 people with an extra day of the show,' said Alyssa Freeman, the organization's executive director, in a statement. 'In years past, we've averaged just over 55,000 guests." The event, which debuted in 1982, won permission from the city this year to add a fifth day, bringing it in line with boat shows in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It ran from Wednesday, March 19 to Sunday, March 23. This year's show, which was produced by Informa Markets, also set an event record for the most boats, with more than 1,000 on display. Organizers say a successful boat show generates grant money that the organization uses for charitable purposes, and it also provides a substantial economic boost to the area. The week of the festival, hotel occupancy rates in downtown West Palm Beach and near the airport were 95%, 6 percentage points higher than the previous year, according to Discover The Palm Beaches, the county's tourism marketing arm. The Marine Industries Association said it plans to continue with its five-day format next year, with the event running March 25-29, 2026. Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at amarra@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The Palm Beach International Boat Show sets an attendance record
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Palm Beach International Boat Show is expanding to a fifth day in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH — The Palm Beach International Boat Show received an official OK from city leaders Tuesday to expand to a five-day event for the first time. The massive boating event along downtown West Palm Beach's waterfront is adding an extra day for the March event amid what organizers called increasing demand and interest. 'It's the first time that we're going to be expanding to five days in our 40-plus-year history,' said Alyssa Freeman, executive director of the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, which runs the event. 'It's definitely going to be great for all of our exhibitors.' City commissioners on Tuesday approved amending the association's agreement with the city to allow it to extend the event from four to five days. It runs this year from Wednesday, March 19 to Sunday, March 23. The agreement also extends by a day the length of time that some roads are closed. Northbound Flagler Drive will remain closed downtown for eight days after the event to allow workers to remove temporary docks, according to a city memo. In exchange, the event's organizers this year will pay the city a license fee of $117,755, up from about $103,000, according to the agreement. Freeman said the five-day schedule brings the boat show into alignment with annual boat shows in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. West Palm Beach's event, which draws between 50,000 and 55,000 visitors each year, is smaller in attendance but trumps them in money spent. Last year, she said, the show generated $725 million in sales. 'We do more sales than Fort Lauderdale and Miami,' she said. 'This is where the serious buyers are.' A large portion of show-goers travel from out of state to attend, and the extra day comes at a time when Palm Beach is seen as receiving heightened attention in certain elite social circles as a result of President Donald Trump's reelection. 'The allure of the fact that president is living here again, I think that attracts people from all over the country and the world,' Freeman said. 'It just has that effect.' WEST PALM NEWS: Downtown West Palm Beach's iconic Phillips Point complex will lose its pink facade The extra day also gives attendees and exhibitors more flexibility in the case that heavy rainfall affects one or more days. And she said it will be an extra boon for downtown businesses. 'The extra day for the hotels and the restaurants in the area is huge,' she said. Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at amarra@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach International Boat Show runs March 19-23 in West Palm Beach
