£1.2 mill sponsorship for Earls Court

No I am not happy1 and do not own a generator or a toaster, but I did call myself this a very long time ago, I think the first time ever he was banned.

Anyhow lets see how it goes as you rightly said the industry does need customers to survive but I am struggling to see this work I really am.

I am just basing it on my experience and nothing else.

As for Annapolis not everyone gets in for free but they do encourage local yacht clubs and sailors to attend some FOC.

It also only really has an attendance of around 40K and thats a very loose figure but this is made up from people all over the US and Canada with a very high proportion of French Canadians

But Annapolis is the biggest Sailboat Show in the US and until recently the only real sailboat show although the other 4 / 5 are really not up to much.

Its a great show, great weather (sometimes) and I can achieve the same results from an $800 tent (that falls down) over a 40K stand at LBS, now there's a thought..........
 
[ QUOTE ]
Just realised what your username is when read backwards!

Now i'm fascinated by who you are... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]I have met 1yppah at a totally non-boaty event and can assure you he is not GC1 etc, so lets not go there !
 
I have been reading this thread with interest & I think you're missing something here.

The problem with LBS is Excel. My experience is that the punters from every industry just don't go there. If the organisers of LBS don't listen to their target audience then they have no one to blame but themselves for their problems.

I hope the Earls Court show is a huge success but only time will tell on that one.

I will be going!

Martin
 
Exactly, thats what everybody is forgeting, I personely would go if it was up market, down market or just a boat jumble because its at Earls Court, Excel is just a pain. I'm going to the NEC boat show in a couple of weeks which is actualy about the same distance as Excel from me, but the whole experience of getting there and parking is just so much easier. Earls court has its hassles but somehow because of its central London atmosphere it doesn't seem to matter as much.
 
I agree ExCel is a part of the problem but we have what we have for the time being and have to work with it.

Its interesting reading the points about Dusseldorf as this is actually a very similar thing to excel, big show, all in halls but with no atmosphere, yes they have some very big halls and yes there is a viewing platform but it is a soulless atmosphere in most halls. And they are having an ever decreasing number of visitors through the door.

I believe strongly that NBS do listen to their target audience more so than ever before but a few questions to think about

Chandlers - most have excellent online facilities that many people purchase from so why exhibit?

Boat builders - how many small builders agents are there in the UK and are exhibitions the right vehicle to sell their products.

Entertainment - what makes good entertainment at a show? is it seminars, fancy displays, fashion shows or something non boaty.

I note the comments on the fog tunnel and the anchor display, I think Raymarine should deserve credit for sticking their hand in their pocket and putting up upwards of 70k to furnish that display, may not have been what most were looking for but they had 6000 people go through it on the last Saturday?. On top of that a good proportion of those looking for kit went there then looked at all kit available in the electronics hall so Raymarine actually helped the majority of manufactures there not just themselves.

One thing nobody has answered is what they actually want form the new EC show, some say small specialist companies others say a "show" but nobody has said what they would like to see as a whole?

Sorry bit of a random post in between tasks but I would love to understand want folk want (make a list) and you never know I may be able to put this forward to NBS.
 
I visit Trade Shows at Dusseldorf & find it amazing that you consider it similar to Excel. I have no Boat show experience there but it is a fabulous venue to exhibit in & Beats Excel into a cocked hat.

Martin
 
Lots of big halls on the outskirts of a major city.......

Excel is similar to the messe but on a much smaller scale, my point is that they both lack any atmosphere.

I do agree that EC DID have atmosphere, I love the Messe and the endless supply of German Sausage but as a show its not much fun and the majority, not all halls lack atmosphere. This is just my opinion having worked all boat shows at excel and many at the messe.
 
Just put something like SIBS under cover in EC job done. I've been going for over 25 years (i'm only 41 btw) and can't say I've ever paid any attention to the entertainment, bit of a waste of time, however you do need to dress the place up play music, large screens etc.. to add atmosphere I guess.
 
1yppah, without wanting to pressure you into disclosing your identity, would you be prepared to tell us whether you (or your firm) are saying as a matter of principle that you will definitely not exhibit at the new EC show? I say 'in principle' because clearly in the absence of a tariff, and with the assumption that it will be a show for 'Mr Average' being more prevalent here than in the organisers' press releases to date, you may well not be in a position to make that decision yet.

But assuming it's a show clearly targetted at 'Mr Average', and assuming it captures more-or-less the atmosphere of the old show, are you nevertheless saying in principle that you/your firm would have no interest? Despite the fact that you earn more from Mr Average than Mr Bonus?

And if not, why not?

There's no intention to entrap here, it's just a straight question intended to work out why a presumably rational business would not exhibit to its key market segment.
 
I totally agree but all this cost money and lots of it! this has been my whole point all along. SBS works well for nearly all who go as its cheaper to exhibit and you can commute or stay down a lot cheaper than at excel.

I don't think you will ever put SBS into EC its a lovely idea but once more the sums will not add up.

Right must do some work.........
 
I have sympathy with the exhibitors faced with a choice of shows (and not wanting to put up a black with BMIF, whose show XL is), from the p-o-v of logistics and expense. To equip and man two stands, a few weeks apart and with Christmas in the middle would strain the financial and manpower resources of anybody except, perhaps, the very big players. This is especially true because for XL exhibitors, they are likely to have only one set of visitors, who will now be split across two shows.

That's why I think, if it is going to work, EC has to target different exhibitors from XL. Hearsay suggests that many smaller businesses can't afford to be at XL, so I'd pitch EC at those people, rather than the Sunseekers, Sunsails, Raymarines and Benjenbavs of this world.
 
Andrew

If the show looks as if it will go ahead and they promise to deliver what they say they will deliver then yes we will be involved in many ways not just exhibiting.

But in order to deliver a show for Mr average and fill EC it will cost an awful lot of money to achieve and this is my point. (take the big screen hanging from the ceiling, theres 30K already)

Slightly different but one of the reasons Beaulieu Boat jumble attracts over 12,000 people on one day is it caters for exactly that type of person, thats why most main stream chandlers go there, it costs jack and they get the results.

I guess all I am trying to say is that the new show is being run as a business (unless they really are mad) I cannot see how they are going to deliver what they promise unless they have substantial investment, the exhibitors and the visitors will only make up a certain amount of this revenue,sponsorship has always made up the rest.

I just don't see it happening, you need Mr Sunseeker and Mr Oyster to take large areas of space to help make it pay.

For instance Sunseeker have often taken 1000 square meters of space the average chandler anywhere between 12 and 100 square meters.

Average space £100 per square meter (space only).

Without doing all the sums it should give some people an idea of what it takes to fill both halls.

If I had more time I would draft a more substantial document but I am afraid I have boat shows to plan for!
 
As if by magic I received a mail from the EC boat show.

Prices have still not been confirmed but and I quote it is hoped that they will be slightly lower than excel..

You get a 5% discount for registering interest before 1st Feb, not as good as the 25% I receive as a bmf and long standing exhibitor.

Lets wait and see.
 
£100 Per Sq Metre?

If LBS is that cheap I'll exhibit there & I've got very little to sell to the Boating Public.

Most Trade Shows Charge £200 to £300 Per Squ. Metre.

Martin
 
One of the benefits of the trade organisation organising it, yes a lot cheaper than trade events.

But you still have to build your stand on top of that.
 
Thanks 1yppah, that's very interesting. Hmmm - in some ways I'm beginning to see your point, not so much on the overall economics of the EC show (which I haven't got my mind around) but the pov of smaller exhibitors.

Assuming that XL costs around £100 per sq m and EC are looking to be 'slightly' cheaper, then that presumably isn't going to make this an easy decision for BMF members. Do they exhibit at XL and pay the BMF-subsidised £100 rate, or do they pay a slightly lower rate at EC? The EC organisers may have missed a trick here, if they haven't pitched the exhibitor rates significantly lower that what BMF members would pay at XL, at least for the inaugaural event.

I imagine the thought process will be different for non-BMF members. If they can't access the discounted rates at XL (because I presume that route is only open to BMF members), then EC is potentially attractive to them. Perhaps also for small BMF members who can't get into XL or feel that they are squeezed out by the big boys.

Not cheap though: I can't see how a smaller chandlery could get away with less than 5 sq. metres for even a fiddly little stand just to accomodate some sale stock and a till/worktop. A specialist provider (windvanes, say, or watermakers) could cope with less floor area.

Point taken on the comparison with Beaulieu, but to be fair Beaulieu is a one day event, only realistically accessed by private transport, and possibly not attractive to punters from further afield who would, in contrast, find it easier to get to London. In addition EC is under cover and doesn't require them to schlep through a muddy field, and (if expectations are met) will still have the additional benefits of boats on display and entertainment in/by the pool.

It'll be interesting to see how potential exhibitors respond to that pricing...
 
[ QUOTE ]
I agree ExCel is a part of the problem but we have what we have for the time being and have to work with it.


[/ QUOTE ]

If you are including the punters in the "we" I think their is no <u>"have to"</u> about anything.

If the "we" only relates to the exhibitors, then that is solely THEIR problem.......

I can understand exactly why the Industry wants to stay with only ExCel - it works for <u>them</u>. Without competition things would probably stay the same - but no reason why ExCel can't "bite back".........
 
Who said it works for all exhibitors? I did not.

NBS are contracted till 2010 at least thats why I was saying we have what we have as in the industry.

Not all punters go to Excel then again not all punters go to SBS either and EC might have a huge draw in the first year (as Excel did) but I will lay money it wont have the following year.
 
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