Doineann
Member
SIBS was 9% down last year as well, so it is doing no better than LIBS
Boat Show Attendance
- Thread starter capnsensible
- Start date
BlueSkyNick
Active member
Easy mistake. Guess you Berthon types don't use the minus sign on your paperwork that often
Ouch!!
Richard Shead
Slipped Anchor
A great read, thank you, made my train journey more fun.
For the final time EC is dead and will be dust soon as a venue it has had its day. There is a very good reason why the alternative lbs failed there.
NOBODY went !! Oh apart from those who coul barley walk and had long since sold their boat and had no interest in buying anything.
Not all exhibitors are moaning in fact yesterday for us was a cracking day.
Oh and for the poster that wants waterproofs and clothes for the kids then the combined outdoor and boat show has more now than I have seen for a long while !
Yes the show is in trouble ( name one that's not ?) and don't say dusseldorf as I spent Tuesday night with the show director and it ain't pretty there either.
Anyhow just because it's not at it's best does not mean that all exhibitors are failing.
And one last time the NEC won't work as a venue.
Must dash I need to argue black is white to someone.
For the final time EC is dead and will be dust soon as a venue it has had its day. There is a very good reason why the alternative lbs failed there.
NOBODY went !! Oh apart from those who coul barley walk and had long since sold their boat and had no interest in buying anything.
Not all exhibitors are moaning in fact yesterday for us was a cracking day.
Oh and for the poster that wants waterproofs and clothes for the kids then the combined outdoor and boat show has more now than I have seen for a long while !
Yes the show is in trouble ( name one that's not ?) and don't say dusseldorf as I spent Tuesday night with the show director and it ain't pretty there either.
Anyhow just because it's not at it's best does not mean that all exhibitors are failing.
And one last time the NEC won't work as a venue.
Must dash I need to argue black is white to someone.
Steve Clayton
New member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Twister_Ken View Post
No, that's Big Nick. Confusing, ain'tit?
Big Nick, MoodyNick, Shy Talk ;;;; whatever!
If he's got a doppelganger id I DEMAND that he is sin-binned for a while ;-)
Originally Posted by Twister_Ken View Post
No, that's Big Nick. Confusing, ain'tit?
Big Nick, MoodyNick, Shy Talk ;;;; whatever!If he's got a doppelganger id I DEMAND that he is sin-binned for a while ;-)
Last edited:
capnsensible
Well-known member
Latest dit.
Wednesday, 7158 Down 3%
Thursday 12110 Down 11%
And that is with the opening of the outdoor show, which is actually very interesting, lots of activity stuff, weird and wonderful ideas, booze and food much cheaper. Have you ever watched a bunch of lads playing polo on bikes? Brilliant.
Also rock climbing and a big wire slide. Everyone looks happy!
Its only 5 days too, much better for smaller companies. A breath of fresh air in Excel for me.
Wednesday, 7158 Down 3%
Thursday 12110 Down 11%
And that is with the opening of the outdoor show, which is actually very interesting, lots of activity stuff, weird and wonderful ideas, booze and food much cheaper. Have you ever watched a bunch of lads playing polo on bikes? Brilliant.
Also rock climbing and a big wire slide. Everyone looks happy!
Its only 5 days too, much better for smaller companies. A breath of fresh air in Excel for me.
neale
Active member
When it was in Earl's Court at least the tube meant taking the train form anywhere south, west or north was possible. Now its train, tube and the DLR or a 2 hour drive form west London
Simply not true.
As I pointed out on a previous thread, the difference in times to get from Waterloo (South coast boaters) to Excel or Earls court was a couple of minutes.
The same applies to Kings Cross (Northern boaters).
Coming into Paddington from the West does add about half an hour on so I'll give you that, but that is cancelled out by the extra time it used to take East coasters to get to Earls Court.
Driving wise. I can get from Excel to Heathrow in just over an hour. I bet it would take just as long to get Heathrow to Earls Court and there would be no where to park once you got there. Getting to Excel by car is easy from anywhere, with 2 or 3 lane roads all the way from North, South, East or West and no urban driving required. Ok you can't avoid the M25, unless coming from the North East sector, but as someone who drives it regularly it isn't as bad as it is made out.
Travelling time and distance isn't the real issue IMO. It's the perceived location that seems to be the problem ie it seems a long way away, which it isn't, and there is little to do around the area, which is true.
jimbaerselman
New member
Speaking as an exhibitor who's used Earl's court and Excel for selling charter holidays, also for promoting electronic kit, Excel wins hands down for me.
Earls Court attracted large numbers of non-boaties out for a day's entertainment, to the degree that moving around was like pushing through rush hour crowds, and separating genuinely interested people from the gawping masses was very difficult.
Excel attracts hardly any casual "day out" people, and those who attend are far more interested in buying or keeping up to date. So the quality of the audience is far better. Fewer tickets sold, to a better audience.
For the cruising market, timing and venue are complementary with Southampton. Southampton attracts those who cruise UK and still work in UK - cash rich but time starved yotties. Excel attracts a more world wide (and often older) cruising audience - back from their summer wanderings, time rich, and sometimes cash poor, shopping for the bargains!
From the exhibitor's point of view, I miss the Earls court local pubs. A great wind down from the day's activity. But my word, the Excel catering is streets ahead of the grubby and limited eating possibilities and bars inside Earls Court.
Earls Court attracted large numbers of non-boaties out for a day's entertainment, to the degree that moving around was like pushing through rush hour crowds, and separating genuinely interested people from the gawping masses was very difficult.
Excel attracts hardly any casual "day out" people, and those who attend are far more interested in buying or keeping up to date. So the quality of the audience is far better. Fewer tickets sold, to a better audience.
For the cruising market, timing and venue are complementary with Southampton. Southampton attracts those who cruise UK and still work in UK - cash rich but time starved yotties. Excel attracts a more world wide (and often older) cruising audience - back from their summer wanderings, time rich, and sometimes cash poor, shopping for the bargains!
From the exhibitor's point of view, I miss the Earls court local pubs. A great wind down from the day's activity. But my word, the Excel catering is streets ahead of the grubby and limited eating possibilities and bars inside Earls Court.
Boat44
New member
This is always an interesting discussion.
I went, but only because I was nearby on the day job and had a free ticket. (There is something wrong in my book about paying to get into somewhere where you buy stuff; kind of like if you had to pay to enter a supermarket) I didn’t spend any money, but will probably following visiting the manufacture. But we did have an interesting chat as they were mumbling about low numbers and low orders; the two not necessarily being related.
But we did agree if you want kit then google, as most manufactures put a lot of effort into their websites to make them user friendly, and if you are after a boat then go to Dusseldorf, which would take most of us about the same length and cost to get to as Excel, as Excel according to my map is just at the edge of the world!!
It certainly isn’t the “event” that Earls Court was and this year there seems to be a fair large number of companies selling superyacht sized stuff with the inevitable sales people looking at you like you just crawled out from under a rock; and I even had a suit on!
I think the yacht show, dinghy and dive all together in Feb if a spot on idea; just when we have forgotten the x-mas credit card bill and need some cheering up with “things” for the boat spending!
I went, but only because I was nearby on the day job and had a free ticket. (There is something wrong in my book about paying to get into somewhere where you buy stuff; kind of like if you had to pay to enter a supermarket) I didn’t spend any money, but will probably following visiting the manufacture. But we did have an interesting chat as they were mumbling about low numbers and low orders; the two not necessarily being related.
But we did agree if you want kit then google, as most manufactures put a lot of effort into their websites to make them user friendly, and if you are after a boat then go to Dusseldorf, which would take most of us about the same length and cost to get to as Excel, as Excel according to my map is just at the edge of the world!!
It certainly isn’t the “event” that Earls Court was and this year there seems to be a fair large number of companies selling superyacht sized stuff with the inevitable sales people looking at you like you just crawled out from under a rock; and I even had a suit on!
I think the yacht show, dinghy and dive all together in Feb if a spot on idea; just when we have forgotten the x-mas credit card bill and need some cheering up with “things” for the boat spending!
Doineann
Member
This years attendence at SIBS was c120,000 while LIBS c110,000 according to the organisers, both were about 10% down on the previous year, in a recession
But LIBS is in trouble, SIBS isn't according to many.
Seems to me the whole concept of a boat show may be in trouble.
But LIBS is in trouble, SIBS isn't according to many.
Seems to me the whole concept of a boat show may be in trouble.
Blue5
New member
The LIBS figures quoted in earlier posts don't add up to those numbers unless today, Saturday and Sunday return vastly improved numbers.