The Super Bowl has come and gone, but one local tradition is still going strong. The 69th annual Miami International Boat Show and Strictly Sail Miami will have boating, fishing, and water sports enthusiasts in a frenzy this weekend.
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), which organizes the show, expects about 100,000 people to show up at the Miami Beach Convention Center and Sea Isle Marina from February 11 through 15.
Yesterday, Silicon Beach spoke with a few boat show movers and shakers over the phone on the subject of social media.
This is the first year the NMMA has explored social media full-throttle. "We started a Facebook fan page last year," says public relations manager Sarah Ryser. "But we're really drumming it up this year. The fan page is for our Miami-based boating and fishing enthusiasts. We'll be posting articles and key information that will be more relevant to our Facebook fans."
Boat show management has also ventured into Twitter (@miamiboatshow). "We're working with exhibitors to pulse
information," Ryser explains. "But we'll also be putting out
information on press conferences, events, product features, and tweeting
photos. Our Twitter account is for everyone interested in the boat
show -- not only consumers but also media and industry professionals."
A number of boat manufacturers and sellers have been popping up on the boat show's Twitter account, including Sea Ray (@searayboat), the world's largest manufacturer of quality pleasure boats, according to its website.
This year, Sea Ray is giving financial wizard Suze Ormon
the keys to a craft in the effort to promote its Women on Water
initiative, which hopes to make boating more accessible to women. The
company has been using social media to promote the Ormon event, but it won't stop there. "We'll be using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to
report back to friends, fans, and followers," says Ken Rohman, director
of interactive marketing.
Nielson Paty (@jettypro),
who owns a video production company and is not affiliated with the boat
show, is holding the first boat show tweetup this Friday, February
12, at Shucker's in North Bay Village. (Invite here.)
Paty,
an avid fisherman and boater, has been eager to put together a marine
industry tweetup. It might be a rogue event, but Paty wisely
chose boat show weekend for his first one and hopes it will become
a regular gathering over the coming months.
"This isn't
sponsored by the boat show," Paty explains. "But I'm looking for
marine enthusiasts, fisherman, boaters, divers -- basically anyone
interested in the industry. I'd also love to see people there who
don't know a lot about the ocean but are curious. I want the marine
aspect to be the center point."
Paty claims he has seen the
fishing community embrace social networking platforms. "Captains are
tweeting daily. I get information on a daily basis from all over the
world," he says.
The marine industry, which relies heavily
on technology, is also using Twitter. Any serious boater is already a
gadget geek by default. "I've seen companies coming on to Twitter and
asking customers to respond about products," Paty says. "Captains have
been using GPS for a long time, and they're very likely to respond to
location-based apps like Foursquare."
The official hashtag for the Miami International Boat Show is #mibs. Follow the event on Twitter @miamiboatshow and on Facebook.
