Sailboat show in Chicago

[Brunet33]

Anyone going or ever been to this show in Chicago? I plan on going on Saturday Jan 30th. I have never been before and pretty excited to check it out... The website is pretty good and looks like a lot of speakers and boths.. If anyone has been before, let me know about your experiences.

Official site of the Strictly Sail Chicago

[bakerha51]

Have been there 4 times and going again on the 29th. Good show and a great winter break. Show has gotten smaller the last couple of years but the exhibitors list is good this year so there should be a good turn out. If you are going to see boats - early on weekdays is the best. We usually shop all the vendors after seeing the boats early. Haven't done the seminars but plan to this year. Show discount if you use promotion code "Facebook Fan" and order tickets online. Parking at Navy Pier is pretty cheap for the day.

[Brunet33]

thanks for the info and promotion code.. It saved me $4 on each weekend ticket, plus a free subscription to sailworld mag..... Looking forward to it!

[padean]

I enjoy the show in Chicago, and am going again this year. Nice winter break, and the Navy Pier venue is quite comfortable. As mentioned previously, go early in the week or early Saturday if you want to get on the boats. I most enjoy the small booth displays - typically a lot of useful ideas that you might not think about otherwise. Spend some time wandering the exhibit aisles. most of the vendors are happy to talk to you about their product, and it is a good chance to compare products if you are in the market for a particular item.

I typically go to several of the seminars. They are hit and miss. Some are only thinly veiled advertisements for some product or other, while others are truly informational and often helpful. It is easy to wander in and out of most of them, though, if you find them to not be useful. There are lots of seminars, so pick a few and check them out. You can easily see what you want in a day, along with a few seminars. Have fun.

[kwaltersmi]

My wife and I are heading down early Saturday morning and spending the night at the Fairmont. First time for us at Strictly Sail. We're excited to pick up some new ideas and possibly some gear. It'll be a bonus if we get on some of the boats, as none of the cruiser are in our price range.