Boat shows compress a year of selling into five days. Show content is the one production job where the deadline genuinely cannot move — and where most exhibitors leave with a hard drive nobody edits until the leads have gone cold.
Three windows, three different jobs
Before the show
Content that fills your stand. Vessel features, model-line pieces, and announcement assets published in the weeks beforehand, when buyers are building their walk lists. This is the window most exhibitors miss entirely, and it is the one that determines footfall.
During the show
Stand coverage, walkthroughs, dealer and principal interviews, and launch moments — captured on a schedule that works around appointments rather than interrupting them. Same-day social cuts keep momentum while the show is still running.
After the show
Recap films and follow-up assets that reach the buyers who walked your stand but did not commit. Sent while they still remember the boat.
What show shooting actually demands
Show floors are crowded, noisy, badly lit, and full of other people’s branding. Access is time-boxed. Interviews get interrupted by live buyers, and they should — the sale outranks the shoot every time.
That means small crews, fast setups, radio mics rather than boom, and a shot list ordered so the essential material is captured early. Crews used to controlled corporate shoots struggle badly in this environment.
Which shows
The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the Miami International Boat Show, and Palm Beach. Shows outside Florida are quoted with travel.
Book early. Crew availability across South Florida tightens severely in the run-up to FLIBS, and the vessels you want to shoot before the show are competing for the same weather windows.
Pricing
Show day rate — $400
On-stand coverage with same-day social cuts.
Full show package — from $500
Three pre-show content pieces, three days of on-stand coverage with same-day social cuts, and a post-show recap film.
Vessels needing aerials before the show are quoted from the standard marine table, since show venues are almost always no-fly.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should we book?
For FLIBS, months rather than weeks. Pre-show content also has to be shot before the vessel goes to the show, which pulls your real deadline earlier than most exhibitors plan for.
Can you deliver during the show?
Yes — same-day social cuts are standard, since content posted while the show is running drives stand traffic in a way a recap published afterwards cannot.
Do you handle show media credentials?
Yes, we apply for media accreditation on your behalf given at least 30 days’ notice. Organisers set their own application deadlines and they close earlier than most exhibitors expect.
Can you film aboard vessels in the water at the show?
Yes, subject to show rules and your access windows. In-water displays usually need coverage booked around scheduled viewings.
What about drone footage at the show?
Boat shows are almost always no-fly environments, and venue airspace is frequently restricted regardless. Aerials should therefore be captured before the vessel arrives at the show. All flights are made by FAA Part 107 certified remote pilots.
Do you work for dealers as well as manufacturers?
Yes. Dealer content usually needs a different edit — local market and service emphasis rather than model-line messaging.
Plan your show coverage
Tell us which show and which vessels, and we will build a schedule backwards from the opening day. Get in touch → or see the full marine media service →