Contact: Nicki Polan, Executive Director
P: 734.261.0123, ext. 4 – E: npolan@mbia.org

Amanda Wendecker, VP of Marketing
P: 734.261.0123, ext. 3 – E: awendecker@mbia.org

Boating Season kicks off at the Great Lakes Boating Festival May 16-17
at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

Commerce Twp., Mich., May 6, 2026 – Sip, stroll, and socialize on the docks at the Great Lakes Boating Festival May 16-17 at the prestigious Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. This annual boat show is free to attendees and features more than 70 boats from 40 exhibitors, up to and over 70’ in length to see and purchase. The show has a picturesque background of the beautiful waters of Lake St. Clair.

Entertainment includes live music from steel drummer and entertainer Lamar Woodall, fresh grilled food at the food court, lawn games, cocktails, and more! Shop retail booths on the East lawn for nautical products and services, artwork, electronics and more.

The Great Lakes Boating Festival is a once-a-year opportunity to visit the exclusive Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. Club tours will be offered at 1 pm and 3 pm both days of the show. Visit the Club booth on the East lawn of the show to sign up. New this year, non-members are welcome to dine inside at the Mariners Dining Room for lunch on Saturday, May 16. Walk ins are welcome, but reservations are recommended by emailing switchboard@gpyc.org.

Parking is $20 at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, or park for free and take a complimentary shuttle to the show from North High School, 707 Vernier Rd, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236.

For more information visit www.greatlakesboatingfestival.com. HOURS: Saturday: Noon to 7 p.m.; Sunday Noon – 5 p.m.  The Great Lake Boating Festival is produced by the Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA), the voice of boating in Michigan. Revenue generated from this event is returned to fund boater’s interests via MBIA’s programs and services.

The Great Lakes Boating Festival is sponsored by Carbliss Premium Cocktails and the Grosse Pointe News.

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 Contact: Nicki Polan, Executive Director

                Michigan Boating Industries Association

P: 734.261.0123, ext. 4, npolan@mbia.org

Amanda Wendecker, VP of Marketing

P: 734.261.0123, ext. 3, awendecker@mbia.org

Progressive Novi Boat Show saw boat buyers

Commerce Township, Mich. – March 23, 2026 – The Progressive Novi Boat Show wrapped up a four-day run at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace on March 15 with 8,539 people attending. While attendance was flat with 2025, exhibitors reported positive sales as spring nears and the demand for boats continues.

More than 85 exhibitors put together a dazzling display of all things boating with nearly 500 boats, including new model introductions, and several new exhibitors showcasing boat brands new to the show.

“Exhibit space sold out wall-to-wall with exhibitors looking for space to showcase boats and products,” said Director of Sales Bethany Sly with the Michigan Boating Industries Association. “Novi is the last boat show of the winter season in metro Detroit, and is commonly been known as ‘the time to buy show.’ Exhibitors reported great sales again this year as consumers gear up for spring launch!”

The Progressive Novi Boat Show is produced by the Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA), the state-wide marine trade association representing Michigan’s $11.8 billion boating industry. Proceeds from the show are returned to the industry through MBIA. For more information on the show, go to Noviboatshow.net.  For more information about MBIA go to www.mbia.org.

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Nicki Polan, Executive Director
P: 734.261.0123, ext. 4 – E: npolan@mbia.org

Amanda Wendecker, VP of Marketing
P: 734.261.0123, ext. 3 – E: awendecker@mbia.org

Detroit Boat Show sees eager boaters in new location!

Commerce Township, Mich, February 18, 2026 - The Progressive Detroit Boat Show wrapped up its 4-day event at Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi on Sunday. Attendees were able to see an extensive display of all things boating including more than 500 boats of all types and for all budgets put together by more than 100 exhibitors across Michigan.

“Consumers showed up! With an extremely busy show, it gives us a very positive outlook for this boating season,” said Pete Beauregard, Jr., President of Colony Marine and MBIA Board Member.

Attendance was strong during the event, with ticket sales for the 4-day show coming in within 10% of the 8-day show at Huntington Place the year prior. Nearly 30,000 people attended the 2026 event. Many of these attendees came ready to buy a boat, docks, engines and more.

“The overwhelming majority of exhibitors were happy with the sales activity on the floor, each day felt like the crowd increased from the day before,” said MBIA Director of Sales Bethany Sly. “Many exhibitors indicated they had record sales at this 2026 event.”

“We had record breaking sales at this show with more unit sales than any other Detroit Boat Show,” said Chris Anderson, President of Anderson Boat Sales. “This was our best Detroit Boat Shows in years,” said Mike Raguso, President of Lakeside Formula. “Three of the boats we sold at the show went to new customers and we will likely gain more new customers once we get back and follow up on our leads.” Rob Davis, President of Club Royale stated, “From our perspective this show was a huge success in its move to Novi. Sales and attendance were solid and the exhibiting experience much improved.”

Many dealers attribute up to half of their annual sales from sales and leads gained from this show. Michigan has the second most registered boats in the US (behind Florida) with more than 835,000 registered boats, and a $11.7 billion annual economic impact on the state.

Michigan-native Captain Lee proved to be a popular attraction at the show, with a 2+ hour line during his appearance times at the event. A new boating simulator, kids activities and the showing of all things boating lifestyle made the show a fun event for families.

In addition to boating customers, the show hosted approximately 150 students during Career Day on Friday Feb. 13 to learn more about careers in the industry, which is facing a critical shortage of marine technicians and other positions as the demographic of current professionals continues to grow older. The MBIA will host another Career Day at the Progressive Novi Boat Show in March.

 For more information visit www.detroitboatshow.net. The Progressive Detroit Boat Show is owned and produced by the Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA), the voice of boating in Michigan. Revenue generated from this event is returned to fund boaters’ interests via MBIA’s programs and services. If you missed the Progressive Detroit Boat Show, stay tuned for the MBIA’s Progressive Novi Boat Show coming March 13-16, 2025 to the Vibe Credit Union Showplace!

 The MBIA Boat Shows are sponsored by Progressive Insurance and the Great Lakes Scuttlebutt, the official publication of the MBIA Boat Shows.

The 68^th annual Progressive Detroit Boat Show is moving from Huntington Place in Detroit to the Suburban Collection Showplace (SCS) in Novi for its 2026 event, which will run February 12 – 15, 2026. This move is a result of the North American International Auto Show pushing their dates one week later on the calendar and Super Bowl Sunday falling on February 8 which would have been the Detroit Boat Show’s only weekend.

 Contact: Nicki Polan, Executive Director

                Michigan Boating Industries Association

P: 734.261.0123, ext. 4, npolan@mbia.org

Amanda Wendecker, VP of Marketing

P: 734.261.0123, ext. 3, awendecker@mbia.org

Progressive Novi Boat Show saw boat buyers

Commerce Township, Mich. – March 20, 2025 – The Progressive Novi Boat Show wrapped up a four-day run at the Suburban Collection Showplace on Sunday with more than 8,500 people attending. While attendance was down 10% from last year, exhibitors reported positive sales as spring nears and the demand for boats continues.

More than 85 exhibitors put together a dazzling display of all things boating, including a brand-new exhibitor at the show that attracted a lot of attention. “I almost lost my voice talking with so many people that are so interested in this invention… but I was tireless to share the interesting and exciting stories behind the product,” said Tao Zeng, Founder of Wabeek, Inc., a hexagon-shaped personal watercraft concept. “The booth ran out of candies, brochures, and business cards very quickly.”

“Enthusiastic crowds enjoyed the show and were buying boats. Exhibitors reported new boat buyers were in attendance, new relationships were made, and we’re excited that new boaters and families will be getting out on the water this spring,” said VP of Marketing Amanda Wendecker.

The show saw an increase of boats on the floor by 15% over 2024, with 466 boats on display from more than 75 brands.

The Progressive Novi Boat Show is produced by the Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA), the state-wide marine trade association representing Michigan’s $11.7 billion boating industry. Proceeds from the show are returned to the industry through MBIA. For more information on the show, go to Noviboatshow.net.  For more information about MBIA go to www.mbia.org.

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Contact: Nicki Polan, Executive Director
P: 734.261.0123, ext. 4 – E: npolan@mbia.org

Amanda Wendecker, VP of Marketing
P: 734.261.0123, ext. 3 – E: awendecker@mbia.org

67^th annual Progressive Detroit Boat Show highlights industry and lifestyle

For Immediate Release - Detroit, Mich., February 10, 2025 – The Progressive Detroit Boat Show wrapped up its 8-day event at Huntington Place in Detroit on Saturday. Attendees were able to see more than 600 boats of all types and for all budgets on display and for sale including 125 new model introductions.

“New technology, electronics, and even color trends were on full display,” said Show Manager Nicki Polan. “Our exhibitors brought together an impressive showing of all things boating. Attendees were pleased to get a dose of the boating lifestyle amidst a cold week in February. Sales reports were mixed, and the next two weeks of follow up should produce good results.”

A new exhibitor to the show this year, Rodolphe Arenales of Bertrand Docks said, “This was a very positive experience for us with very good attendance during the weekend days. We will be back next year!”

Many dealers attribute up to half of their annual sales from sales and leads gained from this show. Michigan has the second most registered boats in the US (behind Florida) with more than 800,000 registered boats, and a $11.7 billion annual economic impact on the state. 43,491 people attended the 2025 show, about 4% less than the previous year.

In addition to boating customers, the show hosted approximately 250 students during Career Day on Monday Feb. 3 to learn more about careers in the industry, which is facing a critical shortage of marine technicians and other positions as the demographic of current professionals continues to grow older.

For more information visit www.detroitboatshow.net. The Progressive Detroit Boat Show is owned and produced by the Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA), the voice of boating in Michigan. Revenue generated from this event is returned to fund boaters’ interests via MBIA’s programs and services. If you missed the Progressive Detroit Boat Show, stay tuned for the MBIA’s Progressive Novi Boat Show coming March 13-16, 2025 to the Suburban Collection Showplace!

The MBIA Boat Shows are sponsored by Progressive Insurance and the Great Lakes Scuttlebutt, the official publication of the MBIA Boat Shows.

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