CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Progressive Cleveland Boat Show, an annual dose of summer in the middle of winter, is canceling its five-day event in early 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty over the future of the I-X Center.
Organizers hope fans of the water will go instead to an alternative show, featuring in-person dealer events and online sales and seminars.
The boat show is the second major I-X Center event to announce it won’t take place in early 2021, at least not the way it has in the past. The Ohio RV Supershow announced last week that it was canceling its event, also scheduled for January.
Michelle Burke, president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, which produces the Progressive Cleveland Boat Show and Fishing Expo, said the decision to change the show was difficult, due primarily to spiking COVID-19 numbers in Ohio.
Confusion over the future of the I-X…
