With more than three million square feet of exhibitor space at six different venues, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is a behemoth and the possibility of being side swiped by Hurricane Sandy is not lost on the vendors.
"Basically, we turned on the news this morning and realized we are going to be effected by the storm, so we are regrouping on our display and where we were going to have a tent we are not going to have a tent. We are redirecting our plan," said Susan Penrod with Ferrari Maserati of Fort Lauderdale.
About 100,000 people attend the show each year to gaze at over 1,000 boats both in and out of the water, so safety is a concern.
"You have to take weather seriously and as boaters here, we are always watching weather during the boat show and when we are not doing the boat show, so we are constantly keeping a finger on the pulse of what the weather is doing at all times," said Daniel Grant, a spokesman for the show.
The most expensive mega yachts are moored along the Intracoastal Waterway on a temporary dock system that is interconnected. Some yacht captains have reportedly considered using steel chains to secure their pricey products should rough weather from Sandy become an issue, but show management says they have been producing this event for 53 years and the show will go on.
"Nothing has changed. We are setting up the show as usual. It will run as usual, same dates as usual," said Grant.
Click here to purchase tickets for the boat show.
