PRESS RELEASES & PHOTOS
Fact Sheet and Listing of Major SponsorsWhat: The Gulf Coast’s largest show is now two shows in one-showcasing the very best in boating and sailing. It’s the ultimate one-stop shopping with more than 200 power boats, including runabouts, cruisers, luxury yachts, fishing boats, sportsboats; 50 sailboats, including daysailors to cruising yachts in floating docks and on land.
What’s New:
• Strictly Sail with fleets of sailboats, including daysailors, dinghies and magnificent yachts.
• Displays and debuts of power boat models by the industry’s most-respected brands.
• Mercedes-Benz is unveiling the all-new 2010 GLK-Class, premium compact SUV due in Tampa Bay dealerships in January.
• More than 70 entertaining and informative seminars for power boaters and sailors on every facet of life aboard, including global cruising, navigation, galley secrets, celestial and GPS navigation, and much more. All seminar tents are now air-conditioned too!
• Air-conditioned Accessories Tent with 275 booths showcasing nautical gear, equipment, apparel, engines, electronics, jewelry, plus marine services, charters, marinas and destinations.
Family Fun:
• Sail together on 30-minute cruises on a gorgeous Hunter yacht with an expert sailing through the show’s Discover Sailing program, which seeks to introduce newcomers to the thrill of sailing.
• “Hook the Future” and the kids by bringing them to Fishing Clinics on Sat., Dec. 6 and Sun., Dec. 7. Not only will kids enjoy the free casting and knot-tying lessons, they’ll go home with a free rod-and-reel as long as supplies last.
• Stop by The Yachting Gourmet and pick up mouth-watering recipes for cooking gourmet meals, like Raspberry Barbeque Chicken in a galley at sea.
Saturday Night’s Big Party:
• Latitudes and Attitudes Ninth Annual St. Pete Cruiser’s Party on Dec. 6, Saturday night-Included in Saturday’s admission, this popular beer-and-pizza party gets rocking with the Eric Stone Band. Plus, enter for a chance to win a week-long Sunsail charter, a Mason anchor or a Spectra Watermaker,™ valued at $10,000, in raffles that benefit the refitting of the Charles W. Morgan, a historic New Bedford whaler located in Mystic Seaport, CT
About the Sponsors of the St. Petersburg Boat Show and Strictly Sail:
Title Sponsor: Boater’s World Marine Centers
Boater’s World Marine Centers was founded in 1987 and currently operates 137 Boater’s World retail stores and 5 full service Boat House at Boater’s World boat dealerships across the United States. Retail locations include stores up and down the Eastern Seaboard (from Maine to Florida), the Gulf Coast, Texas, California, the Great Lakes and the Northwest. In the last few years, Boater’s World Marine Centers have expanded into the U.S. Heartland with freshwater-oriented stores in Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Nevada. Boater’s World Marine Centers maintains a strategic relationship with Ritz Interactive, Inc. which owns and operates BoatersWorld.com, a fully interactive website that offers cyber-shoppers access to 35,000 different Boater's World items. The mission of Boater’s World Marine Centers is to make purchasing marine accessories, fishing tackle, and other boating-related items as easy as possible. Customers can visit a store, call 800-682-2225 or visit www.boatersworld.com.
Presenting Sponsor: Mercedes-Benz USA
Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz products in the United States. In 2006, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 248,080 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving 13 consecutive years of sales growth. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at: www.mbusa.com
Participating Sponsor: Marina Pez Vela
Marina Pez Vela (www.marinapezvela.com) is located in one of the most spectacular billfish locations in the world – Quepos, Costa Rica – and is specifically designed to meet the needs of the international yachting and sportfishing communities. Spanning approximately 40 acres of land and water overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Marina Pez Vela will soon be home to 300 wet slips accommodating boats up to 200 feet, a dry storage facility for vessels up to 35 feet and the only full-service, free trade zone marine facility in Costa Rica staffed by U.S. certified technicians. The marina will begin accepting boats during the second quarter of 2009, and the dry storage and boatyard operations are anticipated by end of 2009.
Participating Sponsor: Discover Sailing
Discover Sailing is a nationwide program that introduces thousands of new people to the joys of sailing each year and provides reliable and unbiased information about how to get started in sailing. Discover Sailing features an informative website (www.discoversailing.com), an award-winning DVD (Discover Sailing: The Ultimate Adventure), and free introductory sailboat rides at boat shows around the country. Make time during the St Petersburg Boat Show and Strictly Sail to visit the Discover Sailing booth and sign up for a free 45-minute introductory sail with an experienced skipper that is included with the price of admission. Discover Sailing is run by Sail America, the Trade Association for the U.S. sailing industry.
Participating Sponsor: Show Management
Specializing in event production, Show Management has made the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the Miami Yacht and Brokerage Show and the Palm Beach Boat Show three of the world’s largest in-water boat shows and the St. Petersburg Boat Show and Strictly Sail and Suncoast Boat Show in Sarasota two of the Gulf Coast’s largest in-water boat shows. Show Management (www.showmanagement.com) is actively seeking new venues for additional shows in the future.
Participating Sponsor: “Hook the Future” Kids Fishing Clinics
“Hook the Future” is an organization dedicated to hooking kid’s on fishing. The “Hook the Future” TV show is hosted by Don Dingman, an expert angler who was inspired by his own son, to produce this show to show parents how important it is to spend quality time with their kids. Going out fishing three times a month with his own dad, Captain Don learned that the best way to teach a kid to do something is to simply let them do it. Each week, Captain Don takes a fresh crew to a new adventure, including trips to Jacksonville, FL, for giant bull reds, to Homer, AL, for halibut and salmon to exotic Iztapa, Guatamala, to battle rooster fish and big Pacific sails. In every episode, kis are the prime movers from piloting the boat to landing a fish as big as they are. Kids can sign up to register to on future “Hook the Future” episodes during the free Fishing Clinics at the show, or for more info click on hookthefuture.com.
For further information or to set up interviews or request press credentials, please contact: Susan O’Reilly, Kenton Smith Advertising & Public Relations, 407-856-6680, Ext. 220 or susano@kentonsmithadv.com
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