CHICAGO — After a two-year hiatus, Discover the Chicago Boat Show returns to McCormick Square From January 11 to 15, the nautical world will be present at the show in the completely redesigned 2023 edition.
Owned and produced by the National Association of Marine Equipment Manufacturers (NMMA), in partnership with Progressive Insurance, the Discover Boating Chicago Boat Show creates a sales-driven boating marketplace where visitors can test products, participate in educational experiences and enjoy entertainment inside the convention center.
“The show will look very different, with all new branding and signage,” said Keith Ogulnick, NMMA show director. “We’re introducing a feature called the Discover Boating Beach Club, which is designed to get people more involved and interactive at the event. In addition to coming to the show to see the boats, we’ve always believed it’s important to entertain and educate.”
Next month’s show will be the first in Chicago with the new branding, which is a combination of the Chicago Boat Show and NMMA’s Discover Boating consumer awareness campaign. The inaugural Discover Boating International Boat Show in Miami in February 2022 was the first of NMMA’s shows to incorporate the Discover Boating brand. The rebranding comes at a time when the boating industry is experiencing a demographic shift, with more women, young people and people of color becoming boaters.
To appeal to changing demographics and attract new groups to the industry, NMMA conducted extensive group marketing research and utilized social media more than in previous editions of the show.
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In his article “Changes in the boating clientele have an impact on maritime marketing”NMMA predicts that the next generation of boaters will be more diverse and less likely to come from boat-owning families. Show marketing, signage and graphics were designed with these demographic shifts in mind to reflect the changes being observed. In line with the growing experience and spending trends of Millennials, this year’s show signage and graphics focus on lifestyle and boating experiences rather than just products.
“The challenge we face is that the success of the boating industry during the pandemic actually hindered the boat shows,” Ogulnick said. “When the pandemic hit and everyone was forced to stay home, everyone was looking for things to do with their time, money and family. Things like boats, RVs and bikes all saw sales explode. The boating industry has seen sales that haven’t been seen since well before the recession. Over the last two years, over 800,000 new boaters, or recreational boaters, have entered the market.”
Illinois consumers alone spent an estimated $612.8 million on new powerboats, outboard motors, boat trailers and aftermarket accessories in 2021, a 10% increase from 2020.
While this is good news for the boating industry as a whole, extremely high demand and production challenges have left manufacturers with fewer products to showcase at shows like the Discover Boating Chicago Boat Show. Ogulnick said that while the show will be about a third smaller than the 2020 edition, all the major brands will still be present.
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While exhibitors will have a smaller presence at the 2023 show, there will be plenty of activities for all ages. New to the show is the Discover Boating Beach Club, where on-the-water demonstrations and tastings by Chicago-based chefs and mixologists will be offered, as well as a paddleboard pool that will allow attendees to try out the water activity. Also new is the FlowRider Surf Simulator, which allows attendees to try their hand at wakeboarding on an indoor simulator.
Returning after two years presents its own challenges, including contract changes and the loss of companies and people who previously worked on the show. “You just have to rely on your team, the people you work with, the knowledge and experience that you have,” Ogulnick said. “You have to be very proactive in your communication and be very open in your communications and expectations.”
“Overall, we’re doing a lot to change the look of the show. This is the first time in two years and we want people to leave with an amazing experience.”
Contact Keith Ogulnick at (312) 946-6242 or kogulnick@nmma.org