At the Miami International Boat Show on Friday, the team at Marine Technology Inc., announced a new boating event for MTI customers that is going to take place June 27-29 in Chicago.

With its owners fun run during the 2015 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Missouri, MTI started a trend that has expanded to include owners fun runs in the Florida Keys and, new for 2019, the Chicagoland area. Photo by Jason Johnson/Speedonthewater.com

During a press conference at the company’s display, which included an MTI-V 57 sport fish-focused center console, an MTI-V 42 center console, a 48-foot cat and a 340X sport cat, MTI owner Randy Scism said he was excited about adding another independent event for MTI customers, especially one held in partnership with Westrec Marinas, the company that manages 11 marinas—totaling 7,000 slips—in the Chicago area, not to mention the Haulover Marine Center facility in North Miami where MTI’s new sales and service center is located.

“We’re extremely excited to partner with Westrec to bring this new event to our clients,” Scism said. “Chicago is a very cool city that we believe will be a great venue for our new boating event.”

Scott Stevenson, executive vice president of Westrec Marinas and manager of the Chicago Park District Harbors, was on hand for the press conference and shared several details about the event that is going to be hosted out of 31st Street Harbor (above, click to enlarge).

“We look forward to showing our friends at MTI the Midwestern hospitality Chicago is famous for,” Stevenson said. “We’re going to have several events to see some of our harbors and do some fun things. For example, on one day we are going to take all the boats through the Chicago locks, up the Chicago River and right in between the buildings. We’re going to tie up and have a reception at City Winery. We’ll also do fun runs to other marinas—one to North Point, which is about 50 miles away. It should be a really enjoyable weekend. Chicagoans know how to have a good time and I think that will be clear to everyone who joins us.

Stevenson said one of the highlights is going to be a private party for MTI owners at the practically brand new 31st Street Harbor marina at its new floating pool, restaurant and bar.

“We’re going to roll out the red carpet and make things easy and fun for everyone on hand,” Stevenson said.

MTI’s Taylor Scism drove the company’s new 340X sport cat demo boat for a Friday morning speedonthewater.com photo shoot during the Miami International Boat Show. Photo by Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix (click here for more images from the photo shoot).   

Taylor Scism, who handles marketing and customer service for MTI, said owners can look for an email from MTI with more information, including hotel blocks, etc. Since hosting its first independent fun run in 2015, MTI has hosted multiple events for its owners in the Florida Keys and on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. Taylor expects the new venue in Chicago to cater to the company’s Midwest customers while also allowing a new place to explore for other MTI customers from around the country.

“We’re excited to host this event for MTI and its customers—Chicago is a great city to go boating in and we’re expecting it to be a wonderful time,” said Enza Montano, assistant general manager of Westrec Marinas in the Greater Chicago area. “I think from a boating perspective, this is going to be one of the coolest things (MTI customers) have seen in a long time.”

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