£1.2 mill sponsorship for Earls Court

Earls Court was warm and friendly, and the organisers managed year after year to do something creative and imaginative with the theme, largly based around the pool in the middle. It felt like a real event.

Excell just feels like another trade show. Its souless and drab and impersonal and I think that is the real issue.

I for one will be going to EC (if it happens) and Dusseldorf next year, but not ExCell.
 
I also don't think you can generalise about the 'industry'. The needs of the large organisations are very different to those of the medium and smaller organisations. I can't see the competition hurting and if it means a greater variety of product on show then good stuff.
 
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I for one will be going to EC (if it happens) and Dusseldorf next year, but not ExCell.

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I'd probably skip an Earls Court boat jumble. Agree about Düsseldorf though - superb show.

Rick
 
I know what you mean, but if Riva and Absolute are there a few more different brands might get in where the cartel of ExCell keep them out. I am bored of the same old Sunseeker/Princess/Fairline stands, good as they are they don't really offer anything new each year.

2006 had promise, but the fog tunnel was awful, the anchor demonstration crowded and there wasa total lack of atmosphere. I have fond memories of EC, and I will give them a chance this year.
 
Ok lets look at it another way, what do YOU think will be at EC, how do you see it laid out, what features do you see around the pool?

The features at EC in "the good old days" such as tourist boards etc cost upwards of 100K to build. This was with sponsorship which is incredibly difficult to secure in the current climate ie how many tv programs etc were sponsored 10 years ago compared to now? Competition is tough for sponsorship and I think they will struggle to get a central feature sponsor.

My question is, what exactly do you expect to see in this venue? What type of "show" do you expect to see?

If you want small chandlers and specialist companies etc then visit a boat jumble as even these are more commercial nowadays. Another question how many people researched their purchases on the internet before visiting the show? if you did, did you buy it at lbs or did you get it of the web, people do not shop the way they used to this has to be factored in.

I am simply saying the industry is not big enough for three shows and anyone who thinks its going to be a hall full of small companies is going to be disappointed. Do you actually know how big EC2 is alone?

If anyone can tell me how they are going to fill all this space with all the ideas they are promising and make it pay then I will listen.

As you will notice I have never filled in my profile and never will but I have attended almost every boat show in the world over the last 15 years and seen many differences between organisers over dates and venues and the ones that always win are the ones that have the backing of the industry and what ever-way you look at it the exhibitors will stick with NBS as its their industry.

Just my opinion
 
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the ones that always win are the ones that have the backing of the industry and what ever-way you look at it the exhibitors will stick with NBS as its their industry.

[/ QUOTE ]I disagree entirely... the exhibitors will stick with the show that gets the right customers in front of them, so that they sell 'stuff'... they won't give a damn whether its an 'industry' organised event or not.....
 
Then tell me who will be exhibiting at this show and what do you want from it?

What I get from this is people want to see smaller specialist companies and a wider selection of more affordable craft. This will not happen at London be it EC or Excel as they cannot afford it but they will attend sbs where the organisers have more flexibility to offer these companies reduced rates and more space.

If you want my opinion London does not work at all for a good proportion of the industry but we have what we have and have to work with it, this was supposed to be the turning year, a good effort but not enough. Who knows what 08 will bring, the one thing I am certain about is it will bring disappointment for the orgnaisers of EC I just hope they don't loose to much money.
 
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the ones that always win are the ones that have the backing of the industry and what ever-way you look at it the exhibitors will stick with NBS as its their industry.

[/ QUOTE ]I disagree entirely... the exhibitors will stick with the show that gets the right customers in front of them, so that they sell 'stuff'... they won't give a damn whether its an 'industry' organised event or not.....

[/ QUOTE ]

This being Britain that may be a bit of an assumption. I hope not.........

I would have thought having first crack at the cheque books / HP forms and pre Xmas would be a good thing...........
 
Either the EC crowd will succeed and will be heroes, or they'll fail and will be fools.

Whatever, as a 'boater' I believe in more choice so I'm going to applaud them, and hope they get it right.

'Nother scenario - they're successful enough that the XL mafia realise they've got to up their game, and we get a better LIBS, as a result.

BTW, I don't care if I never see another pool feature in my life.
 
It's perfectly valid to point to the potential pitfalls of the new EC exhibition (wouldn't be much of a forum otherwise) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

What I find interesting though is that some of the most vociferous opponents in this and earlier threads on the topic are either industry stalwarts (such as JJ) or appear to be so (1yppah, that being my inference absent his/her profile). Whereas the supporters seem for the most part to be consumers with an eye to keeping their boating budgets under at least some semblance of control.

I fall into the latter group and will be going to EC to see if it delivers on my needs, which pretty much tally with MagnaCarter's. And if it does, I will keep going in the following years.

I wonder how many other people fall into that category? Quite a few, I reckon, and possibly growing in number as the cost of boating rises, and more and more grp boats continue sailing into an old age of (seemingly) limitless duration characterised by maintenance, refits, renewals and upgrades.

And I wonder to what extent the BMF, and those who champion it, have taken that demographic into account.
 
If that is the case then perhaps it is because the "industry insiders" as you call them have a better understanding of the realities and practicalities of running a boat show.

I'm afraid I don't see how the show can succeed but I will probably attend the first one if they get that far...
 
I can't exclude that possibility but I do question the quality of some of the 'inside expertise' on display here.

For example the 'expert' assertion that neither XL nor EC can offer the kind of pricing flexibility that smaller exhibitors will require. I wasn't aware that EC had published their tariff yet? So on what reliable evidence is that assertion based? Or is the expert just so 'inside' that s/he already knows what EC's rates will be?
 
My point exactly I just wonder what you are all going to see there?

As I have said before I do not think there is a market in London for what the average boater (Mr 30 footer / 10 years old) is looking for.

I do not know what you are going to see at EC, they say they will be allocating space in five / seven weeks but have still not secured one exhibitor including Riva who have just shown an interest. Its interesting that most people want a "boaters show" but they applaud the so called first exhibitor which is Riva!

Don't get me wrong I work in the industry and Mr average boater pays my wages more than Mr Bonus.

I am simply saying that based on their rather weak business plan I cannot see this show being a success.

Two enthusiasts that used to go to earls court in the good old days and just so happen to work for the sponsors and an ex MD of national boat shows who is part time and to be frank holds little credibility with the industry.

The industry want nothing more than to work a show that gets results as with all exhibitions this will not apply to all those who go and at the moment a fair few are not getting it at excel and I am afraid they will not get it by moving back to EC.

Excel is in trouble, more so now the O2 has lost the casino and therefore most of the further development but moving back to EC is not the answer and never will be. The costs are too great, to make it work for the smaller exhibitor the whole show will have to be shell scheme which will make it look like a trade show and there will not be much "show" in that I am afraid.

I want nothing more than to be corrected at the end of Dec but I am afraid I simply wont be. Give Excel one more year and I bet you there will be serious change then.

I have my reasons for not filling in my profile but I am male and do work in the industry, for both Mr bonus and Mr average.
 
I know it happens the world over, but I have always found it bizarre that consumers are expected to pay up to £15 entrance and (originally) £6.50 for show guide (primarily advertising and lists of exhibitors) so that industry can show said consumer the product they want them to buy??

I shall most likely go to the Annapolis Boatshow as I can get in free through my sailing club and we all have a big party afterwards /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
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What I get from this is people want to see smaller specialist companies and a wider selection of more affordable craft. This will not happen at London be it EC or Excel as they cannot afford it but they will attend sbs where the organisers have more flexibility to offer these companies reduced rates and more space.


[/ QUOTE ]I remember seeing one of the major book chains write something very similar about Amazon.com when they first started, I saw several high street retailers suggest that they'd never sell on-line...... how utterly and completely wrong they were.... not being open to new ideas is a dangerous strategy for any industry....

How about if exhibitor prices were kept really low, through the show receiving massive attendance... so much so, that over 3 years or so, the show is extended out to 3 weeks.... with perhaps 200,000 or more visitors?.... or creative pricing, like the manufacturers paying exhibitor fees on a '£xx per boat sold basis'?.... that would get the manufacturers there with so little risk... if you don't sell it hasn't cost a fortune...... not impossible.... disruptive business models either fail spectacularly, or change the market..... there are a 1001 ways that you could bring in exhibitors and visitors... just needs fresh thinking...

No-one really knows what their plans are, but if they are being cute with their ideas, then IMHO, they stand a good chance... in my eyes, the very fact that they have managed to achieve such a big publicity splash thus far suggest that they aren't stupid....
 
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