50 years of boat shows

More than 150 boat show identities turned out for the Brisbane Boat Show's 50th anniversary celebration last weekend.

Hosted at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the event recognised key exhibitors who have displayed significant loyalty and dedication to the show over its 50 year history.
“It is a significant achievement and a real credit to the exhibitors who make this show happen year after year,” said Marine Queensland president Sharon Russell.
“We are currently experiencing the hardest period of time our industry has ever seen and to look around the show and see the effort and investment that has gone into the displays is a testament to the resilience of our marine industry.”

Don Jones, Keith and Greg Nickerson from Northside Marine and Sharon Russell.

Key highlights from the night included presentations to Northside Marine, which had exhibited at 46 consecutive Brisbane Boat Shows, and Wynnum Marine, the only exhibitor to present at all 50 Brisbane Boat Shows.
Greg Haines from The Haines Group was also able to share his family’s boat show experiences which spanned across the show’s 50-year history.
Awards were presented to exhibitors at the 2010 Brisbane Boat Show who had been exhibiting for a minimum of 10 consecutive years.

Those recognised on the night for their contributions to the show were:

Allstate Boat Licensing & Training
Australian Master Marine
BLA
Boat Books
Brisbane Skiboat Centre
Bush 'N Beach Fishing
Club Marine
Coorparoo Marine
Cunningham's Marine
GME
Hobie Cat Australasia
Leisure Marine
Marine Tune
Queensland Fishing Monthly
Stones Corner Marine
The Jetty Specialist
TMQ International
BRP Australia
Honda MPE Australia
Mercury Marine
Yamaha Motor Australia
The Haines Group