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From Humble Beginnings...
Two Great Shows, From One Great Idea
Houseboat magazine’s National Houseboat Expo, today a renowned boat show by any standard, began as a simple effort by the magazine and industry leaders to give the houseboat market its own venue to showcase houseboat-specific products and celebrate the unique lifestyle of houseboating.
“Before our first run at it in 1999, the national and international show circuits offered next to nil when it came to houseboats,” notes Houseboat editor Brady L. Kay, “yet at this same time the houseboat market was in a rapid expansion. Several new houseboat manufacturers were popping up, our subscription numbers were accelerating by the day and boat facilities across North America had quickly come to appreciate an exclusive form of dock community—the houseboat marina. The timing was perfect for a show to call our own.”
In March of 1999 the magazine held its first Expo in Nashville, Tenn., home of the prestigious Nashville Boat Show. Although the houseboat event paled in comparison to the size and scope of the mainstream show, it attracted a target audience of several thousand current and potential houseboat owners. The industry brought roughly a dozen boats to that first event, as well as a surprising number of houseboat-specific aftermarket products. Attendance was a pleasant surprise—nearly double that of some early estimates.
Before the first show had even ended, magazine staffers and their promotional partners wondered if the Nashville Convention Center would be able to sustain the show in the coming years. From an attendance standpoint, a destination city like Nashville made perfect sense. The facility itself, however, imposed physical limits on the size of boat that could fit through the doors. Show organizers soon began their search for a venue that would attract a crowd—the right crowd—and allow boats in a greater range of size.
Atlanta, Ga., was a possibility. Cincinnati, Ohio had its perks, as did St. Louis, Mo. “But as soon as we looked into Louisville, Ky., we knew we had found a perfect home for the show,” says Houseboat magazine publisher, Greg Larsen.
The bay doors were just the right size to allow the largest of houseboats. Access to the facility was excellent. And the city of Louisville itself—no stranger to boating markets of all kinds—had its own rich history of houseboating culture.
“That was over a dozen years ago,” Larsen continues. “And we’ve coming here ever since, and we couldn’t be happier.” As an exclamation point on the success of the show, Houseboat magazine has taken the concept a significant step further by adding a second event, the On Water Expo. In 2009 the first on-water venue was held at the State Dock Marina on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky and the show was an instant hit.
“While traditional houseboat shows are indoors, the On Water Expo takes interested parties to the dock to see exactly what the houseboating lifestyle is like,” says Larsen. “It’s truly an experience like no other.”
Houseboat Expo, Nashville, TN March 19-21, 1999
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY March 31-April 2, 2000
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY March 30-April 1, 2001
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY March 1-3, 2002
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY February 28-March 2, 2003
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY February 27-29, 2004
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY February 4-6, 2005
Houseboat Expo West, Reno, NV October 28-30, 2005
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY March 3-5, 2006
Houseboat Expo West, Reno, NV October 6-8, 2006
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY March 2-4, 2007
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY March 14-16, 2008
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY February 20-22, 2009
Houseboat On Water Expo, Jamestown, KY September 25-27, 2009
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY March 5-7, 2010
Houseboat On Water Expo, Jamestown, KY August 27-29, 2010
Houseboat Expo, Louisville, KY March 18-20, 2011
Houseboat On Water Expo, Jamestown, KY August 26-28, 2011 |
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| © 2012 National Houseboat Expo® Magazine |
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