January 17, 2017

2017 Miami International Boat Show is going to be even better

2017 Miami International Boat Show takes place February 16-20, 2017.

The Miami International Boat Show is undeniably one of the most important economic and entertainment events in South Florida. It has evolved over the decades to suit the ever-growing population of boaters in Miami and reached a significant milestone in 2016 when it was successfully moved from the Miami Beach Convention Center to its new home at the Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin in Virginia Key.

The move took more than two years and several legal battles to complete. However, once all permits were in place and the show was set to go on, the final result was astonishingly (an unexpectedly) good. The new location proved to be much more appropriate for an international boat show of this magnitude, with magnificent views of the Miami skyline, almost a mile of space for display tents, and hundreds of feet of floating dock space atop gorgeous blue-green water. Transportation was also very well-thought out, with several buses and water taxis shuttling visitors back and forth from parking to the show. It wasn't perfect, and there are plans for improving the transportation system, but it really was quite effective for a first-run. The 2016 show turned out to be much more beautiful than we all expected.

This year, show management continued to make the best use of all the advantages the new location has to offer to improve the show's visitor and exhibitor experience, and many improvements are already underway. The on-water display has increased by 40% to accommodate 565 boats on the water, up from 409 boats last year. The deep water basin, which makes it possible to display large vessels, will host more than 100 luxury yachts at this year's show. Transportation plans have been improved and enhanced, signage is set to be much clearer, and a new VIP Experience has been added to the show highlights.

The new VIP Experience.

The VIP experience is a critical new element for the Miami International Boat Show. It is geared toward both exhibitors and attendees to lend an additional element of elegance and opulence to an already upscale show. The VIP Experience will provide VIP ticket holders with exclusive access to a private lounge featuring upscale dining, happy hours each evening featuring complimentary drinks and musical entertainment, live music daily, an open-air sky deck, multiple bars, private restrooms, complimentary Wi-Fi, and luxury product displays and services, including complimentary massages and manicures for the lucky visitors forming the upper crust of marine society. Miami Boat Show VIP tickets can be purchased here.

Transportation

The Park & Ride system was extremely popular last year, and improvements have been planned for the 2017 show.

For starters, the capacity of the water taxis more than doubled. 125,000 people will be able to ride the water taxis to she show, a great increase from last year’s 52,000 capacity. In order to allow the higher-capacity boats to operate with increased frequency, the routes have been consolidated from seven down to four. The water taxis are free, but you must provide a valid entry ticket to the show in order to board. Tickets will be sold at each departure location. 

Shuttle service will be available, also for free, between four departure locations throughout downtown Miami and a fifth location shuttling visitors between the Miami Boat Show and Yachts Miami Beach. The bus system will drop people into a newly-paved area in front of the Miami Boat Show, and along Collins Avenue for those who wish to visit Yachts Miami Beach.

Parking

Thousands of parking spaces have been designated for show visitors and exhibitors throughout downtown Miami and Virginia Key. American Airlines Arena and Marlins Park in downtown Miami will offer 10,000 parking spots with access to shuttles and water taxis. Virginia Key will offer 4,000 among four lots with VIP sections, Uber/ Taxi dropoff areas, and Valet dropoff areas.

PLAN YOUR VISIT: Visit the Miami Boat Show's transportation page to plan your route, reserve parking, and more. Advanced planning is guaranteed to make your visit much more enjoyable!

Another improvement to the show this year is that the mini buses that will transport show goers to/from each lot on Virginia Key will follow a direct route to/from the show’s front entrance, rather than looping around the entire Rickenbacker Causeway like they did last year.

Extra goodies

There are other details in this year's venue that will make Miami Boat Show visitors' like just a little bit sweeter. For instance, additional restroom facilities will be added and the show's management plans to mark them with big balloons so they can be easily spotted. There will be six food service locations throughout the show, offering higher quality fare and more competitively prices than last year. And all lights within the display tents have been replaced with LEDs for much brighter interior spaces. As they say, it's the little things that matter.

We're very excited about the upgraded 2017 Miami International Boat Show and have been working to finalize the InterMarine displays and show guides, which will be online over the following week. We encourage you to visit the Miami Boat Show official website to carefully plan your visit to the show so that you can enjoy the experience and truly get the most of your time there.  Don't forget there are also accommodations available via the show website if you wish to stay in the area, but be advised that rooms sell out quickly and the rates will only increase as the show gets closer. Please do not wait.

Feel free to call us or email us to contact your preferred sales and boat specialist to help you collect information on any of our boats you want to see at the Miami Boat Show. InterMarine is the local certified dealer for Bayliner Boats, Chaparral Boats, Four Winns, Jeanneau Powerboats, Nuova Jolly, and Prestige Yachts. For our luxury division including yacht brokerage, DL Yachts Dreamline, and Prestige Luxury Yachts please contact InterMarine Yacht Group. You may wish to call our toll-free line: (866) 725-7495.

We hope to see you at the Miami International Boat Show!

January 17, 2017