The 2022 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show, the largest boat and yacht event in the world, was a success by all measures after returning to the Miami Beach Convention Center and Downtown Miami. The Miami Boat Show welcomed over 100,000 visitors across six locations and featured thousands of new boats, luxury yachts, and boating and marine products, generating big business for the recreational boating industry.
This was the first iteration of the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show – a joint production between Informa Markets, the NMMA, and the International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA) – combining the Miami International Boat Show, the Miami Yacht Show and SuperYacht Miami to create one seamless experience for exhibitors, customers and the marine industry at-large.
“The 2022 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show was a historic success, welcoming over 100,000 guests to the largest boat and yacht event in the world and placing South Florida as the top boating and yachting destination,” said Andrew Doole, president of U.S. boat shows with Informa Markets.
“We are grateful to the National Marine
The 2022 Miami event is the first boat show to be integrated with the Discover Boating brand, which is the North American lifestyle brand for boating aimed at attracting the next generation of boaters and engaging current boaters.
“The reimagined, re-branded Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show was a resounding success and couldn’t have come at a better time, bringing all facets of the recreational boating industry together to deliver a world-class, one of a kind experience to boaters from all walks of life,” noted Frank Hugelmeyer, NMMA president. “We are grateful for our partners and look forward to building off of the 2022 event to continue to deliver the best of boating to hundreds of thousands of boating enthusiasts from around the globe for years to come.”
SuperYacht Miami, which was the place to be for those looking for the largest and most luxurious yachts, showcased Damen’s 182-foot Gene Chaser and 180-foot Gene Machine as well as Oceanfast’s 163-foot Thunder, among other luxurious superyachts.
“The docks were full and the exhibitors were pleased with the consumer response. It is clear that our partnership with the NMMA in the new and reimagined Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show will be a successful one for many years to come,” said Paul Flannery, chief operating officer with the International Yacht Brokers Association. “Many thanks to Frank Hugelmeyer and his team at NMMA and the folks at Informa Markets for their hard work in making the 2022 Miami Boat Show a great success! Next year will be even bigger and better.”
With the return to the Miami Beach Convention Center – powered by West Marine – visitors got the chance to get an up-close look at power boats, engine manufacturers, marine accessories, electronics, and retail pavilions. The boat show was the first exhibitor to occupy the entire Miami Beach Convention Center since reopening after the pandemic and featured the largest variety of the nation’s leading boat brands and thousands of marine accessories, gear, technologies and engines.
Sustainability and innovation took center stage at the 2022 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show at the Progressive Boat Show Experience at Pride Park. As the ultimate boater’s destination, Pride Park featured experiential activations such as the AquaZone from Nautical Ventures, the Costa Conservation Village – which was dedicated to sharing information on how we all can protect and promote a healthy marine environment – and the Charged! Electric Pavilion, which featured state of the art electric propulsion systems, battery powered boats, and high-tech products from across the globe.
Emerging technology trends also made their way to the 2022 boat show, specifically in the arena of NFTs, electric boats, and cryptocurrency awards. Cloud Yachts, a digital yacht dealer, created a strategic partnership with Informa Markets to release a limited series of 100 yacht NFTs at the 2022 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show. The NFTs are original artwork by the top superyacht designers. The limited series is currently available on OpenSea.io/CloudYachts.
To expand how boat show exhibitors can connect with customers beyond the show floor, NMMA launched the Digital Show Guide in several markets including Miami. The beta version featured the boat search tool – which featured more than 1,000 boat listings – and included show maps, event schedules, an exhibitor directory and brand microsite pages. To date, the Miami Boat Show Digital Show Guide has generated more than 60,000 page views with average time spent within the boat search tool more than three minutes, indicating a strong consumer desire to connect with companies and shop online.
The 2023 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show is slated to return on February 15-19, 2023.
For more information, please visit: www.miamiboatshow.com.
