The Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show today is an integral part of the local boating industry and a key barometer of its fortunes. Turn the clock back 30 years, however, and it wasn’t always that way. In fact, the origins of one of the world’s leading boat shows were somewhat serendipitous. It could all have been very different.

The conception of the show dates back to the opening of the Sanctuary Cove development in 1988. Developer Mike Gore staged what was billed as the Ultimate Event to promote the project, drawing entertainers and celebrities from around the world including Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston. Pleasure boats also formed part of the event, mainly to highlight the appeal of the site’s marina location.

Barry Jenkins, who has been with the show since the very beginning, recalls that in the wake of the Ultimate Event, he was given the task of coming up with a program of events to promote Sanctuary Cove, one of which was a boat show. Initially, in 1989, it was called the Queensland International Boat Show, before becoming the Sanctuary Cove International Boating Festival and then finally SCIBS as we know it today. It is the only event hosted by Sanctuary Cove to have been staged every year since it first opened.

To read the full article by Marine Business Magazine, click here