Attendance was up at the National Marine Manufacturers Association’s (NMMA) Nashville Boat and Sport show. The association’s first show of the year attracted 12,561 attendees, a 5-percent growth from 2010.

“The 2011 winter show season will be much stronger than 2010,” said NMMA president Thom Dammrich. “The recovery in new boat sales begins this winter at boat shows.”

The NMMA will continue to monitor boat show attendance, consumer confidence, light vehicle sales and other factors to help predict how sales will fare during the rest of 2011.