The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) today announced it will postpone the 2008 Liberty Boat Show from September 25-28 until October 1-4, 2009 in an effort to provide a stronger show for exhibitors. The show will be held at its originally scheduled location and venue: Liberty State Park’s Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, N.J., just minutes from Manhattan.

“The decision to postpone Liberty was born out of the challenging economic climate our industry is currently facing and our desire to provide a solid and worthwhile show for our exhibitors,” says Ben Wold, NMMA executive vice president. “In our first year owning and producing the show, NMMA wants to give exhibitors and attendees an event of the quality and caliber they’ve come to expect from NMMA shows. At the end of the day—when we weighed all our options with the sentiments of manufacturers and dealers exhibiting at the 2008 show—we decided it’d be wise to postpone the 2008 show and wait to host the event in a more suitable economic environment.”

The decision to postpone the 2008 event was discussed at length with Liberty exhibitors, who overwhelmingly agreed to push the show back a full 12 months. Exhibitors felt it was better to aim for a strong inaugural event under the NMMA banner in twelve months time when the market is likely to be expanding rather than in current market conditions.

NMMA purchased the Liberty Boat Show in May 2008 from Liberty Event Management LLC. It manages show operations and exhibit sales out of its New York City office.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 September 2008 )