Broward Commission OKs Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show for 2020
Broward County commissioners gave the go-ahead Thursday to allow the annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show to take place amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Final safety protocols will now be negotiated between County Administrator Bertha Henry and show organizer Informa Markets to ensure the five-day show can open Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020.
At Thursday’s county commission hearing, Commissioner Lamar P. Fisher said the show was “necessary now more than ever” given the “thousands” of local jobs it supports. In its most recent report, Informa estimated that the statewide economic impact of the show, regarded as the largest in-water event in the world, has grown to more than $1 billion — larger than the Super Bowl.
“This event is not only really important to the marine industry, but also for the small businesses involved,” said Informa U.S. President Andrew Doole. Businesses as far north as Indian River County benefit, he said, deriving as much as 30% of their annual sales from the show.
“It’s going to be a jump-start for the economy,” Doole said.
Added Phil Purcell, CEO of show owner Marine Industries Association of South Florida, “If we didn’t think we could do this safely, we wouldn’t.”
In response to the pandemic, organizers have added 14 show entrances, a “contactless” ticketing system and additional staff to direct guests. The show’s six miles of floating docks will be widened to 30 feet. Informa will deploy infrared and thermal imaging temperature screening at venue entrances and advise participants accordingly. Hand sanitation stations will be set up throughout the show.
Masks or face coverings will be mandatory.
Doole said the show should be able to accommodate as many as 28,000 attendees a day.
“We’ll have a dashboard showing who’s in and who’s out,” he said. “If we need to slow down [traffic], we can.”
Doole said Informa has already successfully produced more than half a dozen events in Asia this year.
In a joint statement with show organizers, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said the event was vital to getting the city’s economy back on track. State data show the metro area’s unemployment rate hit 13.1% in July, trailing only the Miami and Orlando metro areas.
At the same time, Trantalis said, “public health will be protected.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 5:24 PM.
