The ropes are out

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gjgm

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Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere..but Fairline had the olde ropes out as usual. I am sure they have a good reason but I do hope it isn,t to suggest some exclusivity. I can.t recall when I last bothered to make the Fairline stand and I am sure a moments effort on my part would be rewarded. Still,I thought the presentation on fabrics etc was a great show concept and very nicely done,along with the giro or whatever it is called.
Still ,part of the show must be raising the profile of your brand....I am one,maybe unique,boater who knows nothing of Fairline,s brand,but I find it easy to know about all their competitors because from 10 metres they welcome me on
I just find it an odd approach.
 
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We've been here before. We've complained in the past on the forum about Fairline's 'gatekeeper' exhibition policy and for a while it disappeared but at recent exhibitions it's come back. It certainly puts me off and I rarely bother to visit their stand myself but then I suppose the argument is that only those visitors who are really keen on looking at a Fairline will bother to brave the gatekeeper system and therefore its a good way of keeping tyre kickers like me away. It does also allow Fairline to build up a database of visitors to their stand but on the other hand on those occasions when I've gone through the system, I've never received any follow up promotional stuff afterwards so the information seems to be wasted. My attitude is that if this how Fairline want to market their products, thats their call and they know their business best but it is off-putting for the casual visitor
 
We went through 'check in' yesterday and subsequently received an e-mail inviting us to make contact if we are interested in their offerings.

The whole process was a bit off-putting to be honest.....the girl on the desk was clearly focused on what she had to do and forgot that welcoming visitors was part of the deal. Making a phone call was clearly a higher priority than dealing with us although one of the sales guys did gently intervene and took the phone off her so that she could focus on her real job.

Once we were in we tried to have a look on the Targa 38 but two Brokers standing at the top of the companionway talking to a couple viewing the saloon blocked our way. We hung around, thinking that the Broker just listening to the conversation would turn round and attempt to be polite but that wasn't going to happen. We gave up and went to have a look at a Squadron....very friendly girl looking after that boat and a welcome contrast to the Targa guys.

Overall left the stand fairly unimpressed and will probably revert to my usual approach which is to give it a miss. Bit of a shame as we used to own a Fairline and still have an interest in their boats. Still, we wouldn't be buying a new one so maybe their objective has been achieved :)
 
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Greg2 said:
We went through 'check in' yesterday and subsequently received an e-mail inviting us to make contact if we are interested in their offerings.

The whole process was a bit off-putting to be honest.....the girl on the desk was clearly focused on what she had to do ,,,

...Overall left the stand fairly unimpressed and will probably revert to my usual approach which is to give it a miss. Bit of a shame as we used to own a Fairline and still have an interest in their boats. Still, we wouldn't be buying a new one so maybe their objective has been achieved :)
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I think they could brief their Bimbos a bit more effectively. Scruffy jeans or the Saturday look doesn't mean you are a pauper, and its too easy to conclude smart trousers and a tie means you have the money or inclination to buy a boat.

But surely you as a former Fairline owner are exactly who they need to impress. Ignorant Brokers' showing off and lording it with the salesmen posers time are not going to buy their boats. If no one bought their boats secondhand they would have no business, so you are as valuable to them as the new buyer, and besides the likelihood that some future day you could be the new buyer must be higher than any non- boat owner in well pressed trousers.

Sometimes perhaps they should remember they started off building 19' river boats.
 
Yes have to agree, not the most welcoming, and what was the sticker all about, having looked at the 15 to 16m range of boats on the Princess and Sunseeker stands, (in fairness we never look at anything bigger) my personal view was that Fairline need to up there game, as the quality did not seem to be there, we were very impressed with the Sunseeker 55 ,
Being a Fairline fan and owner, not what I was expecting and quite disappointing
 
Greg2 said:
We went through 'check in' yesterday and subsequently received an e-mail inviting us to make contact if we are interested in their offerings.

The whole process was a bit off-putting to be honest.....the girl on the desk was clearly focused on what she had to do and forgot that welcoming visitors was part of the deal. Making a phone call was clearly a higher priority than dealing with us although one of the sales guys did gently intervene and took the phone off her so that she could focus on her real job.

Once we were in we tried to have a look on the Targa 38 but two Brokers standing at the top of the companionway talking to a couple viewing the saloon blocked our way. We hung around, thinking that the Broker just listening to the conversation would turn round and attempt to be polite but that wasn't going to happen. We gave up and went to have a look at a Squadron....very friendly girl looking after that boat and a welcome contrast to the Targa guys.

Overall left the stand fairly unimpressed and will probably revert to my usual approach which is to give it a miss. Bit of a shame as we used to own a Fairline and still have an interest in their boats. Still, we wouldn't be buying a new one so maybe their objective has been achieved :)
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+1 we'd just come off the Princess stand after viewing the V39 (beautiful) so went direct to Fairline. Registered but it was hard work, the girls nails wouldn't work on the iPad and she was very rude to serval people who went to walk on the stand.

Had a look on the T38, lovely boat but not a patch on the Princess IMHO...... So really don't understand the snotty barrier. Wife left the stand most disgruntled, yet on the drive home the decision was made by Swmbo that we should start to save in the hope that in a few years we will be able to afford a used V39.

We are all customers and should be treated so, not a nuisance to their job.
 
Friend visited stand yesterday and now calls it Fort Fairline, Shame but no doubt will stay with the brand as he has owned 3 Fairlines and is looking to upgrade this year
 
I have never understood this "keep them off the stand/boat" approach. This topic comes up year on year and still they don't realise it is a policy that peeves so many folk
Whenever we are at an exhibition we always have an open boat policy. I know our boats don't suit everyone but if a visitor cannot look and evaluate they will never know what is on offer.
Everybody has paid to be there and should be entitled to look over the boats and ask questions.
I think it is called something like company and product promotion...............
 
Imperial One said:
Everybody has paid to be there and should be entitled to look over the boats and ask questions.
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Yeah that is a fair point but on the other hand exhibitors like Fairline spend tens if not hundreds of thousands of quid to be at these exhibitions and they are entitled to manage their stand as they see fit. Their strategy may well be to focus on a relatively small number of invitation only visitors who they think are real prospects. After all if you were genuinely in the market for a new Fairline and you had received a personalised invitation from them to visit their stand at LIBS, you would expect the sales people to give you their full attention rather than constantly being interrupted dealing with tyre kickers. As I say I don't like it and I don't think it does their brand any good but if thats the way they choose to operate their exhibition stands, its their call. However they should remember that what comes around goes around. As superheat6k says above, for every new boat sold, a used boat has to be sold and its not good policy to antagonise potential used boat buyers anymore than it's good policy to antagonise potential new boat buyers
 
Deleted User said:
Yeah that is a fair point but on the other hand exhibitors like Fairline spend tens if not hundreds of thousands of quid to be at these exhibitions and they are entitled to manage their stand as they see fit. Their strategy may well be to focus on a relatively small number of invitation only visitors who they think are real prospects. After all if you were genuinely in the market for a new Fairline and you had received a personalised invitation from them to visit their stand at LIBS, you would expect the sales people to give you their full attention rather than constantly being interrupted dealing with tyre kickers. As I say I don't like it and I don't think it does their brand any good but if thats the way they choose to operate their exhibition stands, its their call. However they should remember that what comes around goes around. As superheat6k says above, for every new boat sold, a used boat has to be sold and its not good policy to antagonise potential used boat buyers anymore than it's good policy to antagonise potential new boat buyers
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I agree. It's a reasonable enough proposition for a manufacturer to say that anyone seriously interested enough to pony up for a new boat will also be bothered enough to call in advance and indicate an interest and then give those people priority access and treatment. It may mean that the odd hedgie who has just wandered in with his bonus burning a hole in his pocket gets the bum's rush and wanders off to spend his money somewhere else but that's a risk with which F/L seem to be happy to align themselves.

Obviously an approach which sits unhappily with drawing in the punters to the exhibition on the back of seeing the new Fairlines and, I guess, if all of the big builders followed suit the public would eventually feel pretty shortchanged by being asked to pay £20 (or whatever it is) just to look at some ropes and holiday brochures, which would not auger well for future attendances or for the longer term prospects for the show.
 
I'm always surprised to read a version of this thread following either SIBS or LIBS, from my experience I've always found the Fairline exhibition to be well managed. Interesting to hear of the resistance, (by some), to register before admittance, this would not put me off looking at a boat and I quite enjoy receiving the mailshots from builders/dealers.

Last year I was up on business so went to the show, we'd just taken delivery of our new boat so completely not in the market. Popped onto the Fairline stand for a look at the new ips boats and told the lady at check in that we were just doing a sneaky comparison.

Nick popped over and gave us a very comprehensive tour of several boats, he could not have been more accommodating, hats off to him for that. It is a shame that some do not give their firewall a chance but I understand and agree with the above post, If you have paid £20 for a boat SHOW then you would perhaps expect to have access to all the boats...

Difficult balance but I'm not sure that Fairline/Boats.co.uk have it wrong....
 
Firefly625 said:
Maybe I'm odd, well actually I know that, but if I was in the market for a new boat the last place I would go and see it would be at a boat show....
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Couldn't agree more with you James...... Happy New year bye the way ;) ........ The show is good for looking around and comparing. Then once you've narrowed it down, that's when you start visiting dealers and get a feel for the boat / boats afloat.
 
Deleted User said:
they are entitled to manage their stand as they see fit.
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I disagree with this. Yes, if they were exhibiting af The Fairline Oundle Annual Boat Show then they can set whatever rules they want. But LIBS, boot Dusseldorf and all the other large boat shows are marketed to the public as an opportunity to see all the industry has on offer.... and that's what you pay for when you buy a ticket for a show. When you then have to dress in a certain way, give out endless personal information or undergo potentially humiliating screening procedures in order to actually see the exhibited products then the show has been sold on false premises.... you don't get what you has been promised. It's dishonest marketing. I would even say its bordering on fraudulent practice.

In other industries it is unthinkable that the products exhibited at a show or a fair is fenced off. I've never encountered it in other industries. If anything an exhibitor may have a VIP-area where prospective buyers/distributors/partners can be offered refreshments and a quiet corner for negotiations. Makes perfect sense, but the products are always exhibited outside this area.

Producers who are reluctant or outright unwilling to show their products to all paying visitors should really stay away - it makes no sense to have them participate - and it should IMHO be an obligation (a condition from the organizer) of all exhibitors to allow completely free access to the products they exhibit.

About tyre kickers, then everyone starts out like that. Today's tyre kickers are tomorrows used boat buyers and in a decade they might just buy an expensive new boat. Boat shows are for tyre kickers[/I while those genuinely in the market for a particular boat/brand should contact a dealer and arrange a test ride. That's what dealers are for... outside the boat shows dealers can dedicate their time completely to those genuinely in the market for their products.

Boat shows are for.... showing. Paying to exhibit at a show only to hide the products from the view of the masses completely defeats the whole idea. IMHO
 
I have to 100% agree.

I can see they don't want boats clambered over, but people are wearing shoe covers etc. If you pay for a ticket you must get something for it. Seeing a boat at a distance you can see in a marina free of charge.

We saw an S58 about 10 years ago and thought " I fancy one of those". We bought its bigger brother ( or is that sister) so it is a long long term game!

I would also query that what people are wearing etc has got that much of a correlation to the amount they are willing to spend on a boat. I don't dress up to visit the boat show, and have worn jeans for the last 10 years of my working life.
 
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