LBS Sailboat builders / buyers

[Richard Shead]

Interesting bit of toilet chat yesterday.

Chap to the right of me (pink trousers/blazer, upper class voice and I mean upper class , I work next to Country Life editorial and he was off the scale compared to them ) anyhow back to subject.

He says.....Bloody shame a lot on the sailing builders are not here especially the French ...

I say... Yes a real shame but there are still plenty here, what have you seen.

He says ..... Nothing, not left the bloody bar yet ....

Sums it up really.....

But still on that note all I hear is that folk are disappointed that a good proportion of sailboat builders are not there but yet you talk to the builders and they say their customer base is not there ?

What am I missing ?

 

[pvb]

I think major shows like LIBS are in their death throes. The organisers are the only people who profit. In olden times (I'm talking 1970s) people would go to boat shows (and other exhibitions) to find out what was on offer, to compare specifications, to ask questions. In those days, boatbuilders were virtually forced to exhibit, because every other builder was there. Today, with t'interweb, there's just so much information - and opinion - available without leaving home. And some boatbuilders, realising this, are brave enough to save the huge cost of exhibiting, knowing full well that it wouldn't make any real difference to their sales.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Interesting bit of toilet chat yesterday.

Chap to the right of me (pink trousers/blazer, upper class voice and I mean upper class , I work next to Country Life editorial and he was off the scale compared to them ) anyhow back to subject.

Blimey, you're brave. Chatting up a pink-trousered poshie in a toilet. You know what that lot used to get up to after lights out in their Eton'n'Arrow dorms, don't you?

BTW, does Country Life still run the Top Totty portrait every issue?

 

[Resolution]

Blimey, you're brave. Chatting up a pink-trousered poshie in a toilet. You know what that lot used to get up to after lights out in their Eton'n'Arrow dorms, don't you?

TK
How do YOU know what went on in their dorms????

 

[Twister_Ken]

TK
How do YOU know what went on in their dorms????

I'm well read.

 

[Tranona]

Well summarised.

Richard - the dog has had its day. Was great while it lasted (particularly when it was at Earls Court).

UK is a static or declining market depending on which sector you look at. There are not new people to be enticed in by the glamour and the existing people find their information in different ways.

Physical exhibitions will have their place in the growing markets such as India and China where people need to see and touch all the new goodies they might aspire to.

 

[Richard Shead]

Well summarised.

Richard - the dog has had its day. Was great while it lasted (particularly when it was at Earls Court).

UK is a static or declining market depending on which sector you look at. There are not new people to be enticed in by the glamour and the existing people find their information in different ways.

Physical exhibitions will have their place in the growing markets such as India and China where people need to see and touch all the new goodies they might aspire to.

Dont worry I am well aware of what may happen to this show but its still very interesting to hear peoples comments, most of which are ill informed the remainder are from some that appear to live on Mars! none of which are from this tread of course...!

If I am honest I cant think of anyone else better placed to obtain feed back from visitors, readers etc we speak to owners of 200 quid tubs to Superyachts worth millions and the bottom line is...

I fear this will be the last London...

Düsseldorf rules when it comes to Sail boats as does Paris...

SBS is the premier UK show...

But at the end of the day, we have not had a bad show in terms of meeting our objectives of copy sales and subscriptions, low value items ad
admittedly

 

[G12]

OK, so if London is now rubbish then there must be a good show elsewhere in the world.... I think London is OK but from what I understand, It's massively expensive to exhibit there and that puts off exhibitors... Maybe somewhere else makes it more attractive for exhibitors.

 

[bbg]

Düsseldorf rules when it comes to Sail boats as does Paris...

Haven't been to Düsseldorf but I agree that Paris is excellent.

 

[rotrax]

Interesting bit of toilet chat yesterday.

Chap to the right of me (pink trousers/blazer, upper class voice and I mean upper class , I work next to Country Life editorial and he was off the scale compared to them ) anyhow back to subject.

He says.....Bloody shame a lot on the sailing builders are not here especially the French ...

I say... Yes a real shame but there are still plenty here, what have you seen.

He says ..... Nothing, not left the bloody bar yet ....

Sums it up really.....

But still on that note all I hear is that folk are disappointed that a good proportion of sailboat builders are not there but yet you talk to the builders and they say their customer base is not there ?

What am I missing ?

Hi Richard, I worked in and was later associated with the motorcycle industry for many years and made many freinds with whom I still keep in touch. The motorcycle industry is suffering also and the costs of showing at the annual NEC show keep increasing for fewer sales. But it appears to be a vicous circle-your competitors are there so you need to be, even if its just showing the flag and letting punters know you are still making motorbikes. Some years ago Harley Davidson did not exibit annualy. They went every other year and had their own travelling "Roadshow" which visited dealers for a three day weekend and gave test rides, had all the new bikes and accessories plus tottie and loud music. Very popular with the punters I believe. Back to LIBS- First mate and I went the first Sunday-not too busy, attentive stand staff, not many queues to get on boats and a feeling of not being rushed. We see it as a day out in the dark days of winter, but for us its only a 2 hour drive. Not sure how we would feel if we were coming from further afield. Not quite enough to see, but we are in the midst of a global reccession-what else would you expect. There is no doubt in our minds that the more mainstream sailing boats are leaning towards comfort on the hook or alongside in their interior layouts. Sailing is becoming less of a "Macho" pastime and the creature comforts are well catered for. I must congratulate you on the Crash Test Boat-all parties involved have done a gteat job and very usefull lessons have been learned as a result.Well Done!

 

[Tranona]

OK, so if London is now rubbish then there must be a good show elsewhere in the world.... I think London is OK but from what I understand, It's massively expensive to exhibit there and that puts off exhibitors... Maybe somewhere else makes it more attractive for exhibitors.

The expense is not just the rent on the stand and fitting it out, but the cost of keeping staff there. Few can be staffed by day workers - that is going home at night. So you are looking at between £1000-1500 hotel and food for the show per person. Off course some are able to keep that down by dossing with mates etc, but go down to the hotel row in the evening and watch the money flow.

Add to that the access problems from the south and west of London, and the decline of overseas visitors as big chunks of the UK boatbuilding industry has gone and you will see why it has declined.

SBS is better for many in this respect as many of the exhibitors are based in the daily travel zone and there is a much greater choice of accommodation etc for those who do stay. It can also appeal to a wider family audience - rarely saw children at the London shows, but Southampton can be a good day out. The proximity of the huge new shopping areas in the city means that families have a choice - shopping as well as show. Then the good road and rail access, good car parking and a bit of late summer sunshine......

 

[Koeketiene]

But still on that note all I hear is that folk are disappointed that a good proportion of sailboat builders are not there but yet you talk to the builders and they say their customer base is not there ?

What am I missing ?

Chicken <-> Egg

 

[Nostrodamus]

We went to the Liverpool boat show but some scoucer had stolen everything.

Went to the London one once but it was overpriced for what it was. As has been said most things are cheaper online and if I am intrested in a boat I can go and see, try one at the dealers for free. Better than being hearded round like a sheep for a three second glance.

Southampton is better but always overcrowded.

 

[Shuggy]

I went last night; I've never been to a boat show before but I happened to be in London and wanted to finalise the purchase of a new sail with someone who is exhibiting. Arrived at 7pm and left at 9. Cost - £10. Plus tube and DLR costs. Concluded the sail purchase so went for a wander. I was struck mostly by how much the exhibitors were chatting to each other. The only one that showed any proactive interest was Oyster. Must have been my suit post-work! I walked round the other sailing boats but didn't so much as get eye-contact from anyone on duty. On the whole I found it interesting but was done in 2 hours - would I go back? Yes, if I wanted to buy something but wanted to see it first. Otherwise, no. Too much like a trade jolly where the visitor feels like a bit of a nuisance.

 

[Skylark]

I was extremely disappointed with the show and consider myself a "target" punter for an AWB.

In past years, I've enjoyed many of the Knowledge Box presentations but this year they were generally poor. The one on cooking was a blatant sales pitch. The cooking skills were rated 0/10 by my SE Asian born wife. We wanted to listen to talks on Blue Water Crusing but it was a pay-ticket event.

At the other extreme, the hugely expensive mobo's seemed to be doing brisk business as observed from their lavish entertaining, but that's a segment of society to which the vast majority of us don't belong.

I didn't bother with the Oyster as I'm sure I wouldn't have past their vetting procedure.

Post Christmas, mid hibernation, is a good time for a show in my view and I was really looking forward to it.

 

[rotrax]

I didn't bother with the Oyster as I'm sure I wouldn't have past their vetting procedure.



Well they let First Mate and me on! See my post on Grotty or Snotty.

 

[Sybarite]

....none of which are from this tread of course...!

You're Irish...!!!

 

[Richard Shead]

You're Irish...!!!

iphone and phat fingers....

 

[arfa]

OK, I haven't been to this year's show but one of my colleagues went and told me that he was fairly disappointed with the lack of sailing boats at the show. He reported back that he felt it was aimed more at city mobo types and given times in the city, there are probably fewer of the flash harry types who want to "blow the bonus" on a new hobby (let's face it, city based money broker tullet prebon sponsors it ).
Anyway, if that is the target Market, in times like these, LIBS is probably a busted flush.
From my own perspective, on hearing about the lack of sailing content and my own lack of need of kit, I did not bother to make the trip (even after being given a freebie ticket- which I gave to a colleague). Ultimately Excel is a poor location unless based on the East side of the UK or flying into city airport and that is the problem.
Earl's Court has its issues as a show venue but the economic catchment area is better. However we probably are heading in the direction of one show until economic times get better.

 

[Resolution]

Ultimately Excel is a poor location unless based on the East side of the UK or flying into city airport and that is the problem.
Earl's Court has its issues as a show venue but the economic catchment area is better. However we probably are heading in the direction of one show until economic times get better.

Can we kill off this myth of Excel being hard to get to?

For all those travelling up to London Waterloo (and that's most of us living in the South or South West, the biggest concentration of yacht berths), a combination of Jubilee Line and DLR takes around thirty minutes only.
It would be nearly as much to get from Waterloo to Earls Court.