In 1970 after many years as a radio advertising sales representative Ed Gray was given the task of combining several advertisers to create
a station sponsored sales event known as the Piedmont Sportsman Show. This event brought together many different types of advertisers
targeting the outdoor sports enthusiast. Many of the participating dealers were marine dealers from North & South Carolina. During the time
managing this event Ed made such an impression on the dealers that he was approached about creating a show that showcased marine products only.
In 1973 the Mid-Atlantic Boat Show was born.
The 1st annual Mid-Atlantic Boat Show opened its doors in Charlotte at the Charlotte Merchandise
Mart to one of the worst snow storms in years. But none- the-less the dealers arrived, shoveled snow out of their boats and set up for a five
day event. The attendance to say the least was very discouraging to a young show producer who had given all he had to make this a go. But to
his surprise the dealers left the event feeling very good about the effort and even better about the future of the event. The very next year
Ed moved the event to the brand new Charlotte Civic Center in uptown Charlotte and the rest as they say is history. In 1995 the event made
another move and was billed as the Grand Opening Event to the brand new 285,000 sq. foot Charlotte Convention Center. It's first year in the
new facility saw the show grow to more than twice it's size from the previous year and has continued to be a sell out each year.
Along with his sons Russell & Les, both with 20+ years experience in trade show management, Ed has positioned Southeast Productions, Inc. as
one of the leaders in public trade show management. The organization now produces 8 events annually targeting the marine industry exclusively
in both North Carolina and Virginia. In 2008 over 100,000 people visited one their events and with over 80 marine dealers as clients the Gray
family has become synonymous in the industry as one of the top producers of Marine Product Events.
NC Boatshow Contacts
Edward Gray (President)
egray@ncboatshows.com
Russell Gray (V. President/Secretary/Show Manager)
rgray@ncboatshows.com
Leslie Gray (V. President/Treasurer/Show Manager)
lgray@ncboatshows.com
Terri Lambert (Office Manager/Show Manager)
tlambert@christmascarousel.com