50th Annual Fort Myers Boat Show is set for sail this weekend with some post-Ian changes

After Hurricane Ian set it off course from its traditional date in November, the 50th Annual Fort Myers Boat Show is set to take over the historic downtown riverfront this weekend with some slight changes.

Hurricane Ian demolished the Fort Myers Yacht Basin with its severe winds and storm surge, leaving show organizers to pivot and move it to Jan. 5 through Jan. 8.

"It's gonna be a really a great show. I know everyone has been through so much with the aftermath of the hurricane and the marine industry obviously has been through a lot like everyone else, but we've had amazing cooperation from the city," said John Good, Fort Myers Boat Show manager. "This show is traditionally in November and obviously had to be canceled in November, but the city bent over backwards to find us dates and to make the show happen."

The boat show still boasts the largest display of boats, boating products, and services on the state's western coast, featuring more than 500 boats on land, representing over 130 manufacturers. According to their website, they will display boats of all styles and sizes while giving boaters the ability to have their dream shopping spree with hundreds of accessory exhibits at their fingertips.

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Good has been managing the boat show since 1986 with his wife, watching the boats get bigger and the displays get grander. He knows how important boat shows can be, both for the boating community and the local economy.

In 2020, Good and his wife did an economic impact study on their show, determining it brought in $550 million for the Southwest Florida region.

"In our industry, boat shows accounted for probably more than 50% of the remote sales over the course of the year nationally and the reason for that is from the consumer standpoint, they can come to one place," Good said. "They don't normally have dealers from all over Florida that are in the show, so for people who are in the market for a boat, it's a great way to come in. One-stop shopping."

While Ian's hit didn't throw too much of a wrench into their logistical planning beyond designing around the destroyed basin, Good said they were ready for their November show when Ian hit. Luckily, moving to their new date wasn't too much of a concern with the help of the city.

"To a large degree, it was just changing the dates and we virtually lost no exhibitors," Good said. "Everybody that was going to be there in November is here … even some of the big dealers that have the larger yachts. While they don't have their boats on display, they do have booths inside the Convention Center."

There will be some noticeable changes this year, starting with its lack of in-water displays.

"We do not have the yacht basin … we have traditionally had boats in water in the city's yacht basin. That's obviously closed from the storm but we probably have moved 60% or 70% of the boats, other than the really big boats, up on up onto the land now that the amphitheater is completed," Good said. "It opened up a bunch of area for us, so we have more and more boats on land than we've ever had before."

Good also highlighted the Caloosa Sound Convention Center, which will be teeming with boating accessories from engines and electronics to services and swag.

The show will have boat and accessory displays on-land throughout Centennial Park and Amphitheater and into the Caloosa Sound Convention Center and east along Edwards Drive.

With the boat show being one of the major annual events to return after Ian, Good said he believes the residents are ready to return to normalcy.

"We've been very involved in many aspects of the hurricane relief efforts as well for all of our members and our dealers and despite everything that everybody's been through, there's a huge amount of optimism out there, so I honestly I think people are going to come just to get out and do things," Good said. "I was just talking to some of the restauranteurs since I've been in downtown and since Christmas, they've seen an amazing increase in their businesses, the restaurants and all people are out and doing things, so I think people are ready to get back to some resemblance of normalcy."

The show will run Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (5 p.m. on Sunday). To find tickets, go online at the Go Boating Florida website. Adult tickets are $18, while kids 15 and younger are free.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers Boat Show 2023 sets sail this weekend