Boston, MA – The annual New England Boat Show will take place in Boston as scheduled February 20-28 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center after being sold by North America Expositions Company to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).
Joe O’Neal, who has been at the helm of the event for 25 years, will continue on as show manager. “We are very proud of the show we’ve built in Boston, and now the show will be the beneficiary of all the resources and talent the NMMA possesses,” said O’Neal. “The timing is perfect, and the NMMA is just the organization needed to elevate the show to new heights.”
The NMMA said the acquisition was part of a larger repositioning of its boat show portfolio, which now includes 20 events across North America. The association represents companies that provide 80% of the boats and related equipment sold to pleasure sailors and fishermen in the U.S. and Canada.
NMMA President Thom Dammrich described the New England Boat Show as the pre-eminent exhibition of its type in the region. “Cities like Boston that are near strong boating communities are the most capable of attracting a diverse and wide-ranging group of potential boat buyers,” he said.
The transaction was handled by Berkery Noyes. Terms of the sale were not revealed.
Reach Joe O’Neal at (617) 472-1442 or joneal@nmma.org; Thom Dammrich at (312) 946-6220 or tdammrich@nmma.org; Kathleen Thomas, managing director at Berkery Noyes, at (646) 442-7993 or kathleen.thomas@berkerynoyes.com
