Yachts International – January 2006
Let’s Meet at The Pavilion

Everyone who attends a boat show is likely going to be on their feet for hours on end, often in the hot sun, their busy agenda perhaps forcing them to contemplate the prospect of another boat show hot dog for lunch.

Now, nobody is knocking the venerated boat show hot dog; heaven knows we’ve all had our share. But when the alternative is poached salmon, the discerning - at least those with the requisite credentials-headed for the Yachts International Pavilion at the Swimming Hall of Fame, where Mancini’s gourmet restaurant of Las Olas served a buffet lunch every day of the show.

Originally conceived three years ago as a respite from the sun, the rain and the busy pace of the show, the Pavilion since then has become a central feature of the boat show…a popular gathering spot for social contact, sidebar meetings and perhaps closing a sale or two.

At the show’s 2005 edition, card-carrying visitors entered the Pavilion, first passing a replica World Yachts trophy rising fifteen feet above the entrance to announce next year’s design competition. Inside, an exotic, tropical décor by IK Yacht Design mirrored the center’s role as a casual oasis.

A full-service bar offered refreshment, to be enjoyed at a central seating area and piano bar, in any of six canopied retreats arrayed in two ranks along either side, or at an open dining area adjacent to the buffet, all-day espresso service and the ever- popular chocolate fountain.

Other indulgences, notably cognac and cigars from Monte Cristo, were available through the boat show’s four-day span. Guests also could avail themselves of information on concierge or decorating services or relax outside on lounge furniture while admiring, to the accompaniment of a string ensemble, a collection of exotic automobiles, motorcycles and motor homes presented by area dealers.