Nova Southeastern University NSU Ocean: Making Waves at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

When NSU Florida united its extensive work in marine research, conservation and its work to build the blue economy under a new umbrella — NSU Ocean — it saw the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) as the perfect opportunity to debut this new designation. FLIBS delivers an audience of seafarers and marine industry professionals who understand the goals and stakes of protecting our oceans and promoting a thriving marine economy.

To maximize their first-ever participation in FLIBS, NSU teamed up with Starmark to create an experience that would be attention-getting and informative, ultimately encouraging philanthropy and showing the value of a contribution to NSU Ocean.

Differentiating NSU Ocean within a Sea of Exhibitors

The largest in-water boat show in the world, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show annually hosts 1,000+ exhibiting brands, 1,300+ boats on display, and 100,000+ attendees to experience it all. It’s a captive audience of boaters and industry experts, but the biggest benefit to NSU Ocean would come from exhibiting within Superyacht Village, featuring the largest and most luxurious vessels at FLIBS and attracting an audience of high-income individuals who are more likely to make a philanthropic contribution to NSU Ocean.

Even with our NSU Ocean booth strategically positioned near the entrance of Superyacht Village, we knew we would be competing for attention with marine retailers, manufacturers and many other high-profile exhibitors. To differentiate NSU Ocean, we needed to include visual displays with stopping power, offer booth experiences that encouraged visitors to linger, and take advantage of every opportunity to tell our story.

Immersing Attendees in NSU Ocean

A 20’ x 20’ booth sounds enormous — until you realize it can fill up fast. That’s why we combined ideation with reality checks in VR. The team created a virtual booth where we could manipulate the contents of the space quickly and easily to ensure the team’s great ideas would suit the square footage.

Ultimately, the team came up with an overarching theme of taking attendees below the surface, brought to life with a combination of interior design, digital experiences, brand ambassadors, and freebies to wow the crowd. As visitors entered Superyacht Village, they were greeted by a 20’ wall bearing the bold statement, “The next wave of ocean research begins here.”

Inside, from floor to ceiling, Starmark recreated an undersea experience, starting with a realistic “floating” buoy sculpture to lure visitors in, an aqua blue carpet, and a coral reef-themed bar serving signature Shark Bite cocktails and Mako Mocktails, named in honor of NSU’s mascot.

Behind the bar, things got really immersive. A 20’ x 20’ video wall featured looped videos that showcased the four pillars of NSU Ocean in discrete chapters: shark research, coral research, sea turtle conservation, and the blue economy.

High-top tables were equipped with NFC sensors, where guests could place their phone to be taken to a landing page. That page invited them to enter for their chance to win a uniquely NSU Ocean prize, something that transcends price: an invitation to join NSU Ocean scientists on a private shark tagging expedition.

In a League of Their Own

As the home of the Guy Harvey Research Institute, the International Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center, the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, and workforce development for South Florida’s blue economy, NSU Ocean is a convener of scientists, policymakers, specialists and business leaders.

And for their first time at FLIBS, NSU Ocean convened an impressive number of visitors under the tent. During the five-day event, visitors arrived continuously, with 407 people signing up for the grand prize who qualified as potential major donors of $50,000 or more. Best of all, by showcasing the depth of their accomplishments, NSU Ocean was able to forge connections with a significant number of prospective donors.

Now, elements of this display, messaging and video are key parts of the broader NSU Ocean effort to build the support and partnerships that will make even greater efforts possible.