Departing from its longtime history of opening the first Thursday of November and closing the following Monday, the 2017 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will open Wednesday, November 1 and run through Sunday, November 5. The news was announced this morning in a press release.

The MTI 340X Black Diamond catamaran was one of several high-performance powerboats that drew a crowd during the last year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

The annual South Florida show is owned by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF). The event is produced by Show Management, which was purchased last month by Informa’s Global Exhibitions division.

“We decided to change the days of show after listening to strong industry feedback supporting an earlier event,” said Charles McCurdy, the chief executive officer of Informa’s Global Exhibitions division, in the release. “We worked diligently with all stakeholders involved, including exhibitors, venues, local hoteliers and the MIASF, to ensure a seamless transition and build upon the strength of this annual event.”

Exhibitor contracts do not need to be changed, according to the release. The organizers plan to keep the new Wednesday-through-Sunday date pattern in future years.

“Over the past 57 years, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show has evolved from a local boat show into a truly international exhibition,” said Phil Purcell, the chief executive officer of MIASF, in the release. “In today’s world of financial transactions, it is no longer necessary to use Monday as a banking day, and with more frequent client visits and exhibitor opportunities on Wednesday, we think it’s in the best interest of both exhibitors and consumers to activate the Wednesday of show week and deactivate Monday.”

Related stories
No Stopping: Busy Season Continues for Performance Boat Center
American Custom Marine Does ‘Demo Day’ With 45-Foot Nor-Tech Center Console
Westrec Marinas Excited to Show Off New Haulover Marine Center