Boat Show 2011 - Behind the Scenes

With another Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show in the record books, the crew at TowBoatU.S. New River is looking back on what it takes to build a show of this magnitude. As always, the entire crew of Show Management carefully choreographed every detail that is necessary to pull off the largest boat show in the world. Building tents, providing power, managing vendors, supporting exhibitors and monitoring security are just a few of the tasks that have become routine for this group of professionals.

If you ever wondered how the miles of floating docks and barges that make up the "In water" portion of the show between Bahia Mar Marina, Hall Of Fame Marina and the Las Olas City Docks get put into place...wonder no more. Floating docks are deployed into the water using a land based crane located at a property in Dania Beach Florida. The docks are secured together in groups measuring as large as 200' by 90' and towed as one unit by TowBoatU.S. New River. The route takes them down the Dania Cutoff canal and North on the Intracoastal Waterway to the site of the show where the staff from Show Management takes over with small push boats moving them into their final position. This process lasts for over a week with several of these "sectional dock barges" being moved each day. Meanwhile, a piling company is driving large steel I-Beams in predetermined locations that will be used to secure the floating docks as well as acting as pilings to secure the bow lines of the large motor yachts that border the western side of the show. The large barges that form the water taxi dock are also towed into place by TowBoatU.S. New River; these barges help ease the pressure on land based transportation allowing visitors to take a scenic boat ride on their way to and from the show. Finally, TowBoatU.S. New River has been assisting many of the large motor yachts exhibiting at the show for over 15 years. Working for the show, the towboat captains take time with each of the yacht captains to put a plan in place to ensure that their move in is smooth and incident free. The company welcomes calls in the weeks leading up to the Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Boat shows for assistance or advise.

Although this was just a small glimpse of what it takes to build an event of this magnitude, it really is a monumental effort which is evident the moment you arrive on opening day of the show. TowBoatU.S. New River is available to assist with your towing needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.