Set over five locations, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is the world’s largest of its kind. The 51st Annual show will take place Thursday, October 28th through Monday, November 1st and features more than 3 billion dollars worth of boats, yachts, superyachts, electronics, engines and thousands of accessories from every major marine manufacturer and builder worldwide.
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
The Boat Show encompasses more than 3 million square feet of space, both on land and in water, at six sites, all connected by the Show’s Transportation Network of water taxis, riverboats and bus shuttles.
2010 marks the 21st Anniversary of the International Superyacht Society and while it may be the Society’s 21st birthday, it is in fact the Emerald 20 Year Anniversary of their signature event, the ISS Awards Gala.
With only a week remaining until the start of the 2010 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and the 20th anniversary of the International Superyacht Society (ISS) awards, final preparations are being put in place for the ISS Awards Gala on Tuesday 28 October.
International Superyacht Society
“I am proud of ISS achievements over these two decades” explains ISS president Bob Saxon, “We agreed to create an organization called the Superyacht Society (we subsequently added “International” to reflect further reach) with a Board of Directors of global yachting leaders whose lofty objective was to carry the industry forward toward professionalism. We’ve made great gains during our history. We’ve brought together East and West; our reach now encompasses all of Europe, Australasia, New Zealand, South America and beyond. Our educational forums, events, membership mixers, and awards programs all support the original objectives and goals. While we remain doggedly determined to maintain the original intent, we also evolve with the times.”
“We now work hand-in-hand with other international associations—MIASF, PYA, ASC, USSA to name a few—whose goals are consistent with ISS and who share commonality of theme: in essence, the betterment of our industry. A jewel of our achievement is the ISS Awards Program. We remain pure and entirely unbiased in nominating and selecting leadership, innovation, design, interior styling, and outstanding crew. Achievement is recognized by our members nominating and selecting finalists who are then judged by the most accomplished colleagues in our business.”
As we move forward, ISS and our industry must develop a fuller understanding of the changing marketplace and prepare to meet this challenge. I can assure you that ISS is focused on helping our industry to overcome the obstacles we see set before us. On the eve of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the ISS Awards Gala—Hollywood Goes Yachting—and all our events, I encourage you to be an active member of ISS and to volunteer your energy, enthusiasm, wisdom, and know-how at the Committee and Board levels. In short, the greater the force behind the action, the more powerful the results of the effort.” concluded Saxon
The superyacht builders who have nominated superyachts across the five different categories which are BEST SAIL 24-40m, BEST SAIL 40m+, BEST POWER 24-40m, BEST POWER 40-65m and BEST POWER 65m+ include Yachting Developments, CNB, Vitters Shipyard BV, Pendennis, Southern Wind Shipyard, Holland Jachtbouw, Royal Huisman, Alloy Yachts, Perini Navi, Fitzroy Yachts, Riva Yachts, Sunseeker Int’l Ltd, Feadship/Koninklijke De Vries, Citadel Yachts, Moonen Shipyards, Lürssen Yachts, Abeking & Rasmussen, Delta Marine, Burger Boat Company, Corsair Yachts Ltd, Oceanco and Feadship/Royal Van Lent .
Bannenberg & Rowell Design, Luca Brenta Yacht Design, Dubois Naval Architects, Tim Heywood Designs, Bjorn Johansson Design, Terence Disdale Design, Adam Lay Studio, Design Unlimited and Donald Starkey Designs are just some of the design studios to have worked on the nominated superyachts.
