The 61st annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, a showcase of the city’s powerful multibillion-dollar marine industry, received the go-ahead Thursday, September 10. The five-day outdoor boat show will take place from Oct. 28th – Nov. 1st with Informa Markets’ comprehensive AllSecure health and safety standards in place designed to create an exceptional visitor experience that prioritizes the safety of all attendees, exhibitors, crew members, and staff.
Suffice to say, the boat show will be smaller and under tight guidelines soon to be drafted by County Administrator Bertha Henry. Last year, the show drew more than 100,000 people, 1,000 exhibitors and 1,300 vessels. This year, organizers will cap capacity at roughly 28,000 people.
“FLIBS is a major economic driver for the marine industry and the surrounding community”, Andrew Doole, President of Informa U.S. Boat Shows, said. “We recognize the importance of the show and have spoken with key stakeholders, customers and local government officials, and the resounding response has been in support of moving forward with the outdoor event this fall”.
Safety First
The Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF), owners of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), along with show producer, Informa U.S. Boat Shows have devoted significant effort to safeguard the show. All attendees can expect a contactless ticketing system, multiple new entrances (14 total), widened docks to widths up to 30 feet, thermo-imaging systems for temperature checks and high velocity sanitization systems with HEPA filters.
With the new AllSecure standards in place, FLIBS will follow the GBAC (Global Biorisk Advisory Council) standards for enhanced cleaning, including:
- Face coverings required by all exhibitors and attendees
- CDC signage posted throughout the show and in all high traffic areas
- Customer lines spaced out with visual markers every 6-feet
- Hygiene stations installed throughout
- Disinfection every hour on all high touch points during show operating hours
- Complete overnight disinfection, electrostatic sprayers with EPA biodegradable disinfectant
Enhanced Transportation Options
The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show has added additional shuttle buses and water taxi services to navigate guests safely around the five-day outdoor show while accommodating socially-distanced seating for riders.
Both forms of transportation will adhere to the show’s new safety and health guidelines including undergoing deep cleaning before visitors’ board. Before boarding a water taxi, guests will have their temperatures checked after their pre-purchased, digital show tickets are scanned through a contactless system. Click here to view transportation schedule and ticket information
Know Before You Go
To help visitors understand the major changes to expect at this year’s show, FLIBS’ organizers have produced an informative Know Before You Go safety video.
For more information on tickets, exhibitors, experiences and the AllSecure safety measures, visit www.FLIBS.com
