When the International Boat Show completes its 29th appearance in Newport next Sunday (Sept. 19), it should mean an infusion of more than $11 million for the local economy.
At least that’s what a recent University of Rhode Island survey suggested would be the impact of the boat show.
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A new tack at the 29th annual Newport International Boat Show could also provide boating enthusiasts with more to see, and local business with more to reap.
From Sept. 16 through the 19th , The Newport Yachting Center, Oldport Marine, and Bannister’s Wharf, all on America’s Cup Avenue, will be home to the show.
“This is the third largest boat show in the United States,” said Karla Little, general manager of the Newport Exhibition Group, owner and producer of the show. ” A lot of businesses in the Newport area from high scale restaurants to the corner coffee shops have told me that this is their busiest weekend.”
And this year the show is getting a little larger. To accommodate the growing waiting list of companies wanting to exhibit at the show, Little said, the Newport Exhibition Group has redesigned several of its display spaces.
“The show has grown in all categories,” Little said. “We have more exhibitors, more public attendees, and more trade industry representatives that we are trying to accommodate.”
In all, the reconfiguration has provided show officials with room for 30 additional booths, six more “good size” boats, and 2,500 square feet of open land.
“We try and tweak every year, but this is the first year we have done some major moving,” Little said. “Each year we have added more docks, larger tents, or open land space and last year we expanded as much as we can within three show sites We had nowhere else to go.
We had connected the three marinas, expanded 60 feet out into the harbor, and even given up promotional and demonstration areas for exhibit space. We had no choice but to creatively reconfigure our existing space to find more display space.”
Little attributes this year’s increase to a strong economy, and a growing interest in boating, but said the show still has a long waiting list for entrants.
“The economy is really good right now, and the boating industry is really good right now,” she said. “We still have another 25 companies, all of whom are interested in showing between one and 12 boats.”
Because of the reconfiguration, Little said, the show will provide the industry and the public with a wider range of sailboats and power boats, on land and in the water. Unlike other boat shows, the Newport International Boat Show provides equal space for motor boats and sailboats.
“The motorboat industry is seven times the size of the sailboat industry,” she said. “But we feel that the 50/50 formula is right for New England customers.”
The show will have more than 300 booths and displays packed with thousands of products, Little said. Some of this year’s new exhibitors include: Almeida Electric Inc., of Fall River, Mass., which will display the Hubbell Marine Product Line; MaxSea Navigator, a computer software system distributed by NetSea Inc., of Centerville, Mass.; and Indrive Corporation from Norwalk, Conn., which will be exhibiting their hydraulic propulsion and steering systems.
“The manufacturers are here to sell their product,” Little said. “They will have six different dealers here ready to sell. It’s pretty amazing.”
The cancellation of the America’s Cup Memorabilia traveling display along with the reconfiguration, will also allow boat show officials to add something else – A Boat Show Classroom.
The International Boat Show has not had a speaker or a seminar program for many years, specifically because of the space constraints, but officials hope this year’s classroom will be an arena for speakers from up and down the East Coast to share their experiences and advice on a variety of topics ranging from Choosing the Ideal Cruising Boat, to How to Handle Your Boat in Heavy Weather, and even Sailing with the Elephants in Africa.
“Rather than carve up the space into 10 by 10 foot booths we decided to turn it into a special promotion for our show attendees,” Little said. “We invited a select group of authors and speakers to the show to give presentations that would be of interest and benefit to the attendees.
Don Casey, author of “This Old Boat,” America’s top-selling comprehensive boat maintenance and repair guide will be making a “show call,” answering questions about refinishing, canvas-work, and fiberglass repair.
The classroom which is planned for the center of Tent A, will also include Katherine Redmond, Roger Marshall, Peter King, Tom Neale, Patti Moore and Carol Cuddyer as speakers on various boating topics.
Also running simultaneous to the show are two other boating attractions: The National Women’s Sailing Association’s Taking the Helm seminar series a day-long seminar which will be held at the Newport Harbor Hotel on September 18 for a cost of $75, and the Brokerage Boat Show held at the Newport Harbor Hotel Marina.
The Newport International Boat Show is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission for adults is $12 Thursday of Friday, $15 Saturday or Sunday. For $22 adults can purchase tickets for any two days, and for $30 any three days. Children under 12 are free with an adult. For more information on the any of the programs or displays call the Newport Exhibition Group at 401-846-1115.
