Boat Shows

[EME]

Cannes
Genova
Dusseldorf
Ft Lauderdale
Paris
Miami

and METS if you want to look at every accessory/piece of equipment/build process ....

...in that order, I really do not like SIBS. I suspect I've just been on the busiest days ...

 

[Greg2]

Cannot understand the bile that is heaped on Excel - if you don't like it, don't visit - simple as that.

As for the yearnings, ever expressed, for Earls Court - I was delighted when I no longer had to fight my way to get there and fight again to see anything while there.

Tom

Completely agree - Earls Court was a dingy place that was hard to access. Never understood the slating that Excel gets or the complaints about being a pain to get to. Always driven straight in and out with little trouble and it is something to look forward to in the long winter months.

 

[nonitoo]

There is also the statistic (no, I can't remember where I read it) that 25% of the UK population is within one hours drive of Excel.

Tom

 

[Nautical]

Well I guess if one is talking UK it has to be SIBS but in all honesty and at risk at being shot or being unpatriotic it really is more of a local show if one is comparing it on a worldwide stage. Apart from the UK builders it is pretty much the same stuff year in year out. You can do most of it in around 6 or 7 hours and then it is time for home.

Genoa, Fort Lauderdale, Dusseldorf are just huge compared to SIBS, Dusseldorf is a minimum two day jaunt and FL a three day visit of you want to see everything.

For atmosphere and a bit of glam Cannes is hard to beat, it is my personal favourite as so many of the EU builders use it for their premier's and new launches.

It might just be me but I do sense that us UK bods are begining to see the overseas shows as actually a preference to the UK ones. I met quite a few UK peeps at Dusseldorf who said they had not bothered with LIBS and quite a few at Cannes & Genoa who said they didn't go to SIBS. The view was (Re Cannes anyway) why bother with SIBS when for not much more money (assuming you came from a reasonable distance to SIBS) you can go to Cannes, see more, do more, be in 25 degree sunshine, the party's, the red carpet premier feeling, the glamourous shopping etc.

From a perspective of someone who has to pay the bills for the various shows I can see why the UK shows are loosing some favour and why we will not for the foseeable future do the UK shows again, THE COST !, SIBS is the most expensive show in the world per square foot yet one of the smallest and the least well attended as far as international buyers are concerned. My perhaps unwanted view is that the organisers know too well that UK company's will pay because one feels obligated as one's local show but as far as value for money, it is not the best well spent money at the moment, hence the lack of any real presence from international builders.

All IMHO of course

 

[nonitoo]

as far as international buyers are concerned.

I think we are getting to the nub of it here.

What percentage of visitors to a UK show would bother to travel abroad to other shows ?

Very few I would guess.

Perhaps the particularly well heeled/larger boat buyer would travel but the 'normal/average' boater (the one in the middle of the ownership bell-curve) is unlikely to consider the effort worth while, unless he/she is looking for a specific boat and I suspect that the majority of visitors to Excel (or SIBS for that matter) are not in that position.

Tom

 

[bigwow]

"So here's my vote: Birmingham NEC Outdoor leisure show"

" ......................will your alloy wheels still be on the car when you come out ?



"what Liverpool has to offer it should be a good do."
........will your car even be there ?

Here's the top 20 areas for car crime, can't see liverpool




BR7 Chislehurst, south-east London

TS28 Wingate, Durham

IG4 Redbridge, east London

DN7 Hatfield, Doncaster

M3 Manchester city centre

BS29 Banwell, Somerset

BD1 Bradford city centre

S2 Arbourthorne, Sheffield

NP24 New Tredegar, Newport, south Wales

RM7 Romford centre, east London

IG9 Buckhurst Hill, Essex

IG8 Woodford Green, north London

M4 Ancoats, Manchester

CF34 Cathays, Cardiff

S13 Handsworth, Sheffield

LS15 Barwick In Elmet & Cross Gates, Leeds

NR23 Wells-Next-The-Sea, Norfolk

DN8 Thorne, Doncaster

RM11 Hornchurch, Essex

RM13 Rainham, east London

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I think we are getting to the nub of it here.

What percentage of visitors to a UK show would bother to travel abroad to other shows ?

Very few I would guess.

Perhaps the particularly well heeled/larger boat buyer would travel but the 'normal/average' boater (the one in the middle of the ownership bell-curve) is unlikely to consider the effort worth while, unless he/she is looking for a specific boat and I suspect that the majority of visitors to Excel (or SIBS for that matter) are not in that position.

Tom

Possibly true but ask the question what % of UK visitors who are actively considering buying a boat would travel abroad to a boat show and my guess is that % would be considerably higher which IMHO is a big concern for the UK boating industry. Obviously at foreign boat shows, UK buyers are exposed to foreign boat builders and foreign dealers so they are potentially lost to the UK boating industry. A challenge for the UK industry is to make LIBS/SIBS so attractive that UK buyers don't think of going abroad to boat shows and IMHO, a parochial show in a shed in E London just after the Xmas hols are over isn't going to do that

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

I think we are getting to the nub of it here.

What percentage of visitors to a UK show would bother to travel abroad to other shows ?

Very few I would guess.

Perhaps the particularly well heeled/larger boat buyer would travel but the 'normal/average' boater (the one in the middle of the ownership bell-curve) is unlikely to consider the effort worth while, unless he/she is looking for a specific boat and I suspect that the majority of visitors to Excel (or SIBS for that matter) are not in that position.

Tom

Well, maybe we are the exception that proves your rule - but we go to the UK shows, and we also try and get to one foreign boat show each year - in the last few years we've been to the shows in Dubai, Antibes, Split and Miami.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[Nautical]

I think we are getting to the nub of it here.

What percentage of visitors to a UK show would bother to travel abroad to other shows ?

Very few I would guess.

Perhaps the particularly well heeled/larger boat buyer would travel but the 'normal/average' boater (the one in the middle of the ownership bell-curve) is unlikely to consider the effort worth while, unless he/she is looking for a specific boat and I suspect that the majority of visitors to Excel (or SIBS for that matter) are not in that position.

Tom

I guess you would be right in your assessment and would agree, internationally and for the major builders EU/worldwide SIBS or LIBS is seen as one of the smaller shows, very expensive and not really drawing the international buyers in the same way as Dusseldorf or Genoa. I guess it depends also on what you do the shows for, 95% of people go just to look and the experience and on that level I think I would rather go to Dusseldorf or Genoa.

On a slightly different tack and I have mentioned it before, why can we not be an international show in the true sense. If Germany in the middle of January in -3 degrees with a smaller manufacturing base (Marine) can hold the second Largest Boat show in the world then why not us?

 

[lpdsn]

Here's the top 20 areas for car crime, can't see liverpool

It was there a moment ago.