Steven Hudson was ready to “make things happen” as the calls started rolling in Thursday for the start of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
The president of Fort Lauderdale-based International Yacht Collection brought 16 vessels – twice as many as his usual – to the show this year, in hopes of a rally after a lackluster showing last year in the wake of Hurricane Wilma.
The late-season storm surprised the region just days before the 2005 show, delaying opening day by a week, cutting the show by a day and pushing attendance down by 30 percent.