Reimagined Boat Show Premiers in January
Published: Tuesday, December 27, 2022 12:00 pm
By: Progressive Cleveland Boat Show
Cleveland, OH – The Progressive Cleveland Boat Show is 66 years old, but it will be all-new when it drops anchor in the extensively remodeled I-X Center, January 12-15.
“The I-X complex has created an exciting new exposition area,” according to Michelle Burke, president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association. “This new showplace has allowed us to totally redesign our event’s floorplans, expand our feature areas, add new attractions, and more.”
Plans call for more than 400 power and sailboats ready for boarding, ranging from the smallest inflatable to high-powered fishing machines and cruisers. In addition, there will be 300 accessory displays of fishing and boating supplies, marinas and clubs, nautical clothing and gifts, marine services, dockside living products, and more.
“Boating is family fun and our show will immerse visitors in that summer experience,” Burke promises. “Visitors will enjoy more hands-on and entertainment features. Like, taking the helm of high-performance racing simulators in our Discover Sailing Center; enjoying an all-new Kids Zone exclusively designed by Lewis-Eldred Studios; visiting our new “Say Hey to the Bay” area; and exploring summer in the Lake Erie Shores & Islands region.
“But there lots more,” Burke continues, “Catch live entertainment on the Progressive Main Stage daily by the Nashville Crush, Jimmy Jack Band, the Island Doctor and others; play family Flinkin’ Chicken and Corn Hole on the adjacent Mark Wahlberg Airstream and RV Lawn; and cheer the return of family favorite Twiggy, the Water-Skiing Squirrel and her new show boasting two skiers for the first time anywhere,” she adds.
For more hands-on experiences, show goers can climb aboard a paddle board or kayak in the Paddling Center Pool; hook up with a live one in the Trout Pond; learn from angling pros daily at the Toyota Tundra Fishing Stage or from atop the giant Berkley Aquarium presented by Vic’s Sport Center, all part of the show’s Fishing Expo section.
The new I-X showplace is located on the east side of the huge complex, remodeled in an area mostly unused for expositions before. Arriving through the new eastside lobby, attendees will find themselves in the center of the show surrounded by boats and exhibits to the left and the right. Even the food service is now centrally located. And, another notable benefit of the redesign is that boat exhibitors desiring to expand their display size have been able to do so because they weren’t limited by the old floorplan.
The Cleveland Boat Show has reigned as Ohio’s biggest winter-time boating event since its inception in 1957. Now in the new I-X showplace, the show is expected to attract the more than 40,000 Ohio boating and fishing fanatics that attend every year.
The 2023 show schedule: Thursday & Friday, January 12-13, 12 Noon to 9:00 pm; Saturday, January 14, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm; Sunday, January 15, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Regular Admission:
Adults $20 dollars (online discount promo-code: cbs2023); All Military & Seniors 60-plus discount $15 at door only; Kids 6 & under free.
For tickets and show schedules: www.clevelandboatshow.com.
tags: Boat Show, Cleveland, Lake Erie
