Minneapolis Boat Show This Weekend

Longtime Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Dealer, Minnesota Inboard (@MNInboard) is a big attraction at the Minneapolis Boat Show (@MPLSBoatShow) January 20-24, 2010 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Check out this video and article recently posted on KARE11.com the NBC affiliate serving Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Selling expensive summer toys in the dead of winter can be difficult. Selling higher end luxury products in this economy can also be a bit of a challenge. Boat vendors packed into the Minneapolis Convention center say they're up to the task.

"I think we all need a taste of summer, as we say its 70 degrees and summer (in here)," Show Manager Jennifer Thompson said with a smile.

But according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, boat sales were down 30% last year. Even this year's boat show is smaller. In years past its boasted 400,000 square feet of boats on display; this year it is down to 300,000. "We're slightly smaller this year, kind of predicting that dealers would scale back a little given the past year's economy," Thompson explained.

"We get pretty fired up," Matt Mueller of Minnesota Inboard Water Sports said. Mueller is a Malibu vendor and he says starting late last fall, interest in buying started to pick up. This weekend's show is big for the family business. "We definitely use it as a gage. The leads we generate here give us a pretty good idea of what to expect for the rest of the season; how many boats to order. It really is kind of the kick off to the season for us,"

Read more on KARE11.com.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Minnesota Inboard | Minneapolis Boat Show | Matt Mueller | KARE11 | NBC | boat show video