Yachts Miami Beach plans a high-end show
By Martin Lenkowsky
Yachts Miami Beach aims to attract an exclusive crowd this year by featuring a new VIP experience on the Grand Floridian, a 130-foot yacht with four decks.
The show runs Thursday, Feb. 16, through Monday, Feb. 20, with general admission tickets $20 per person per day. The VIP event includes gourmet dining, an open bar and entertainment, with tickets $125 per person per day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday only.
“There will be a very experienced concierge for the people to schedule their appointments on board the yachts,” says Brett Keating, vice president of consumer marketing for Show Management, which co-owns the show with the International Yacht Brokers Association.
There will be five street entrances along Collins Avenue as well as an entrance on the water for those arriving by boat. The main entrance is across from the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc.
Keating says the show will be split—from the main entrance south will be all new boats, with brokerage boats to the north. There are two entrances north of the main entrance, and two south of it. Bus and water taxi transportation are included with ticket purchases.
This will be the 29th year of Yachts Miami Beach, formerly known as the Yacht and Brokerage Show. Many exhibitors will stay open longer than the official closing times to accommodate the show’s expected 50,000 visitors, Keating says.
“It’s the way the show is done,” she says. “It’s a very sexy, Latin, high-end event. Our show stays open later. At night, it’s a spectacular thing to see.”
Show organizers expect 500 boats and 200 exhibitors.
Yachts Miami Beach 2017 will be held on a mile-long strip along the Indian Creek Waterway, covering more than 1.2 million square feet of space.
Several parking lots and garages are available along Collins Avenue north and south of the show location. A shuttle service will be available to stop and pick up patrons. There will be bus transportation available from Yachts Miami Beach to and from the Miami International Boat Show on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
A secondary event, Superyachts Miami, will be at Island Gardens Deep Harbour on Watson Island to accommodate deep-draft vessels up to 500 feet long. Keating expects up to 20 superyachts. It is closed to general audiences. “This is more in the line of invitation-only,” she says. “You need an appointment to get on these boats.”
Show organizers say the hundreds of new and pre-owned vessels will be valued at more than a billion dollars and will include the world’s most extraordinary and uniquely designed yachts and superyachts. ↵
Yachts Miami Beach 2017
WHEN: Feb. 16-20. Show hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (5 p.m. on Feb. 20)
WHERE: Entrances on Collins Avenue, along Indian Creek Waterway; main entrance is across from the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc
TICKETS: $20 for general admission
INFO: showmanagement.com
