Cancelling Long Beach boat show

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) will be cancelling the Strictly Sail® Long Beach® show in Southern California, scheduled for Oct 23-26, 2014, and will be focusing on fewer shows in larger markets to better serve the boating industry, specifically on the West Coast. NMMA plans to concentrate its efforts and resources on the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco shows and expand these events to include a greater sailing presence.

“The consensus is that there are too many boat shows in California, and we are hopeful that this shift in focus to California’s largest boat shows will improve the sailing industry’s market share and continue to help grow boating on the West Coast,” noted Thom Dammrich, NMMA president.

To maintain the support the Long Beach show has provided the Southern California sailing industry for 45 years, NMMA plans to add a new Sail Fest to the 2015 Progressive® Insurance Los Angeles Boat Show®. The LA Boat Show’s Marina del Rey location is the ideal venue for the in-water display of Sail Fest as well as educational training opportunities for attendees. Sailing accessories, small sailboats, seminars and features will be featured indoors at the LA Convention Center. Similar plans are being made for the Progressive® Insurance San Diego International Boat Show® and Progressive® Insurance San Francisco Boat Show®.