Fort Lauderdale Boat Show
» World’s largest in-water boat show
» 1,500 boats
» 3 million square feet of exhibit space
» 1,000 exhibitors from more than 30 countries
» $508.3 million in sales by show participants
» $380.8 million in sales by Florida companies, $240.7 million of it from companies in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties
» $51.2 million in sales and excise taxes
» 58% of visitors are from outside the region, 54% from outside Florida, 10% are foreign
» Out-of-town visitors spend $208 per day on average for lodging, food, transport and retail shopping
Source: Marine Industries Association of South Florida and Show Management from a study by Thomas J. Murray & Associates with the University of Florida
Innovation
Yacht Charters
German serial entrepreneur Steffen Bruenn’s latest company is an online yacht charter booking company, YACHTICO. He started it in Berlin in 2011 but moved it to Boca Raton to be near industry hub Fort Lauderdale. Yachtico, which won’t disclose revenue or profit, offers more than 16,000 yachts in 2,300 places. Yachtico says boat owners, following the lead of real estate owners using Airbnb, have become more interested in renting out their vessels when they’re not using them personally.
