By Jamie Stafford
Among all the winter boat shows , Miami ( MIBS ) can be argued to be one of the most anticipated shows of the year . It ’ s certainly one of the biggest . This year , the show boasted over 100,000 attendees and featured a soldout exhibit hall that brought together all corners of the recreational boating industry . “ The Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show is an international hub to see the wide range of new boats and marine products entering the market ,” said Frank Hugelmeyer , NMMA president , in a press release . “ Year after year , we make it our top priority to not only put on an event for attendees to enjoy , but also ensure that we create a space for our industry partners and exhibitors to showcase their new products and highlight the best in boating at the world ’ s greatest boat show .”
Many manufacturers , such as Chris Craft , were off to a running start . “ We ’ ve had a lot of traffic for a Wednesday ,” Alison Scharnow , VP of marketing for Chris Craft , commented on day one of the show . “ We usually start to see it start to pick up later , but really , it ’ s been busy since this morning . Miami is always a great show for us .”
Over five days , a hundred thousand boating enthusiasts flooded the Miami convention center to witness what the industry had to offer , with new boats making their debut and new technologies stepping into the spotlight . One such technology is electrification .
Electrification , electric technology or just “ electric ”, is not unheard of in the industry by now , but its meteoric rise within the past few years shouldn ’ t be understated . At this year ’ s MIBS , it took center stage – or rather , pavilion – at the Electric Pavilion , hosted by local Florida dealer Nautical Ventures . Next to the main exhibit hall , the Lincoln Road Room featured all things electric , from outboard motors to
Brunswick Corporation CEO David Foulkes addresses media members at MIBS 2023 .
fully functional vessels . The main event was X Shore , a Swedish boat manufacturer who recently partnered with Nautical Ventures .
“ There ’ s been lots of interest from media , and lots of interest from prospective customers ,” said Jenny Keisu , X Shore CEO in an interview with Boating Industry . “ Great response from the first two days , and we ’ re really excited to see how the rest of the show goes as well .” The rest of the show went very well for X Shore , as the Electric Pavilion captured attendees ’ attention and imagination with its vision of the future . Other highlights of the pavilion included Ingenity ’ s new Deck Boat , Ski Nautique Electric , and Aqua Superpower ’ s charging station .
Electric wasn ’ t the only new face at Miami this year – many products made their debut on the exhibit hall floor . All of these exciting new products call for recognition by the industry , and the industry responds with just that . The Innovation Awards banquet is a highly anticipated event at many of the Discover Boating shows , and Miami is an especially high-profile venue . Many look to MIBS to showcase the cutting edge of industry innovation . The NMMA and Boating Writers International ( BWI ) honored 10 recipients and three honorable mentions during the Industry Breakfast on day two of the show .
Viking Yachts took home the award for Center Console / Walkaround Fishing Boats with their V-55 Center Console . Mer-
12 march 2023 www . boatingindustry . com