Has the Boat Show disappeared

[colvic987]

let the southern softies have their excel, there are rumours of a boat show being held in liverpool so all us northerners can have somewhere we can travel to and from in a day, and during may/june so a little warmer than january, they'll be moaning that they have to much snow next....

 

[Kawasaki]

I can never understand why it isnt in Birmingham NEC, easy access on good roads, acres of parking, huge halls, centre of the country, instead of the appalling Excel with terrible access for anyone that is not in London or the East Coast, I only go to Southampton it is far more sensible for me, and I suspect, a great deal more people

Ferzacley Mate
'The Boat Show' Has been held there in the past.
In the Middle for everyone
Ponds to stick things afloat.
All geared up for shows
Hotels
Rail
Airport
Etc

Don't get me wrong
Love Earls Court, once in there!
Excel?
Naw
Been once
Southampton is good
Loads of stuff afloat etc
But cripes
Heck of a way to go for peeps North of Watford (the real world)

Dunno
Are there going to be 3 shows in 2010?

Two, is one to many at the mo I reckon.

Oh!
Cept the North Wales boat show!
Well, tiss rather small
But well formed
And only 3 mins from My house

 

[Amulet]

Omigod who stole your scone? If you don't like it don't go. It's now beautifully convenient for me and a reminder that the sailing season will return despite the gloom.
I always have a load of questions for kit suppliers and the like, and also end up buying a few bits and bobs.

 

[matsandys]

Bluewater for boaties

I did my duty and bought all my Christmas presents. I then did it again and followed my missus into the January sales melee. The last thing I need right now is yet another day in a retail complex .... and to have to pay to get in. Sorry, but that is all the Excel will ever be. This punter has attended the last 5, but no more. The sight of so many sad salespeople, so obviously struggling, now outweighs any positives.

 

[Jamesuk]

Following on from the "have the Boat Show bargains disappeared" I suspect that this year the number of exhibitors will be so small that some will consider that the LIBS has in itself disappeared.

I am not sure whether Excel is tracking the recession but guess they are suffering MDL-itus and believe the recession and their respective charges do not apply to them.

Having said that I intend to visit next Sunday

dont you believe it - the Boat show is going to be EXCELLENT! Im up there on Saturday and Tuesday!

 

[Alfie168]

. What sort of nautical history has Birmingham or Manchester...

Anyway, who's going to travel all that way up norf. Some geezer with a whippet?

Well Birmingham has more canals than Venice for a kick off, and you still get the occasional proper ship in Manchester which is more than you get in docklands these days.

I havn't been to a boat show of any kind for 40 years. We used to have a family day trip on the train from York to Earls Court, but I think 1965 or 6 must have been the last year we went. I went to the dinghy show at Crystal Palace in about 1969. These days I'd prefer to go to the nearest reservoir and watch the blighters frost biting while I drink hot soup..

Tim

 

[prv]

I haven't been to the London show in years, but am planning to go this time now I have KS to fit out. I have a list of things to buy, and exhibitors I need to talk to.

Is it really as dire now as everyone's making out?

Pete

 

[Amulet]

I haven't been to the London show in years, but am planning to go this time now I have KS to fit out. I have a list of things to buy, and exhibitors I need to talk to.

Is it really as dire now as everyone's making out?

Pete

No

 

[chrisgee]

Easy solution to London Boat show. Move it. Anywhere. Just not in lousy overpriced, can't park, bloody minded, low standards, rude London.

No one in their right mind goes there unless forced to by their work. That used to apply to me for a while.

Put it in Manchester for example, at a better time of year, perhaps late March, prices would be lower, place better, preferable in all ways.

Won't happen though. Londoners think they are perfect. Couldn't contemplate anywhere else. They will just demand a subsidy from the Gorgon Broon.

Mike

Totally agree why not the NEC in March central UK great road /air/train connections and the sultry delights of B/ham by night!!

 

[timbartlett]

Almost a year ago I wrote a piece called "Why the XXXX XL?"
The magazine for which it was written refused to run it, so it ended up on the "Comment" page of my website. Here's the last few sentences.

Maybe I’m missing something. But I really can’t imagine that dragging a prospective customer outside into the fog or sleet of London in January is the best way to entice him to part with a few million quid – particularly when it surrounds him with the towering glass reminders of recession.

So why don’t National Boat Shows admit that Excel is a dead duck, and take the show somewhere else. Somewhere that is easy to get to even if you don’t live in Essex and where an £80 per night hotel doesn’t expect you to stump up another £15 for a Danish pastry and a cup of coffee for breakfast.

The words “NEC” and “Birmingham” leap to mind.

 

[Sinc]

Earls Court was, and is, an unhealthy dump, and expensive to get to.
The 'alternative' Boat Show held there was a dismal flop, with laughably few visitors.
Wherever the Show is held, it will be hard for a proportion of potential visitors to get to. I can understand the arguments for holding it somewhere central like the NEC although I suspect that means the vast majority will have a long journey.
I for one will go along to Excel, as usual, and enjoy my day out picking over bits and bumping into old friends for a natter.

I live in Sussex and it's quicker to drive to the NEC even with the M25 in the way than take feet/train/tube/DLR to Excel. For someone with decent fuel consumption it's cheaper too.

 

[FullCircle]

I live in Sussex and it's quicker to drive to the NEC even with the M25 in the way than take feet/train/tube/DLR to Excel. For someone with decent fuel consumption it's cheaper too.

So what happens if you drive to ExCel? Same time or less?

Also, what happens if you feet/train/whatever to NEC? Same time or less.

Would be good if you compared apples with apples.

 

[oceanfroggie]

Two shows make no sense in the current market. The extreme weather is likely to have an adverse effect on visitor numbers to the current show anyway. SIBS makes much more sense, outdoor, location, weather, time of year. Indoor shows in giant sheds are so yesteryear, boring, tiring, unattractive and awful location to get to.

 

[binch]

The 75% figure is, I suspect, conjured up to justify the RYA's new costly building.

 

[robertj]

libs

for me i have to travel everywhere. being in falmouth southapton is a pain to get to aswell as docklands.
We used to visit earls court every year, when it moved we visited twice and thats it for us. There is no doubt its apain to get to even if travelling by train the tube takes ages etc.
Pity we liked to visit but limit ourselves to sibs now.
Birmingham we would visit but liverpool too far.

 

[Pye_End]

For me, Earls court is 2 1/2 hours door to door by train (which is now itself getting pretty expensive), whereas Excel is 1 hour away by car. Car park = £5 or free on road if brave enough. By car, anything bought can be put in the boot, rather than lugged on public transport. The building is modern, with a logical interior that you can get round without that feeling of 'did we do the bit over there'. Food is better.

The building itself is pretty irrelevant to the content. If people think that a different building will bring back the 'good old days' when we had more small firms who were able to exhibit at an event like that then they are mistaken. The world has moved on sadly. If the exhihibition cost (which is huge) was less there might be more of the smaller interesting stands (eg Fox's Spices!). But then again, with a squeeze on margin on so many industries over the past 10/15 years or so there may not.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

I love the Boat Show .

A unique event where you can find so many things in a central place and actually talk to a humanoid rather than a computer.

Plus, London is a great place to visit in the winter.

Sibs is for 't Southerners . Nice that they have their own show.

 

[doris]

Easy solution to London Boat show. Move it. Anywhere. Just not in lousy overpriced, can't park, bloody minded, low standards, rude London.

No one in their right mind goes there unless forced to by their work. That used to apply to me for a while.

Put it in Manchester for example, at a better time of year, perhaps late March, prices would be lower, place better, preferable in all ways.

Mike

Absolutely. Stick it up north and think of all the new aticles in YM about how to exercise your bloody wippet on board. Life jackets with built in cloth caps...ah the future at last!