British Marine President gives further thought to the future
British Marine President, David Pougher, caught up with Boat Show News at the London Boat Show and gave his thoughts on British Marine’s ‘Futures’ project and how the London Boat Show has had to change to keep pace with a changing customer and industry.
“It certainly looks like the move from five to 10 days has been fully justified. We had to do something – shows and events around the globe are needing to change to meet the altered desires of their exhibitors and audiences. We have also introduced new attractions to engage with our visitors, such as the Legends Theatre, the Practical Boat Owner Theatre and the Starter Boat Attraction powered by Rockley, which have been very popular. There has not been a quiet day across the Show either, with that constant hum of chatter across ExCeL that tells you exhibitors are busy on their stands.
“So, a lot of the chemistry is right, but we have got more to do with the Show and won’t take our eye off the ball. The feedback I have received from around the floor here and in the many networking events, dinners and meetings that are a critical part of what we do this week has been very positive. We have received a many great suggestions to make the London Boat Show even better in 2019. At the Exhibitors Drinks, sponsored by Crescat Digital, the value of the feedback was phenomenal.
“Our Futures report, which was presented this week, also says we must address change. The good news is we are amassing so much data that we are building a clear picture about our next generation of customers.
“The timing of the London Boat Show, in prime holiday booking season and the introduction of the Boating & Watersports Holiday Show, are both important in addressing new priorities that the Futures report has highlighted. The British Marine team will continue to work closely with the whole industry as we respond positively to create great experiences for our customers.”
More information on the ‘Futures’ project is available at www.britishmarine.co.uk/futures
I am delighted to hear the positive feedback that you have received on the new show format.
However, in order to keep a balanced view in the interests of the current/previous generation of customers, we see that there is a fundamental decision to be made. Does BM want the London Boat Show to be a boat show, Leisure Show, or simply yet another Lifestyle Show? At the moment it is clear that the shift is very much towards a leisure/lifestyle approach – and that might well be where the ‘next’ generation of customers comes from.
Our interest is in having a boat show which consists of yachts and power boats. This draws in people that are interested in yachting and motor boating. These people have the wealth to spend in retail outlets, charter companies, marine training schools, etc., creating the buzz at the show.
It was our observation, also reflected by several other companies with yachts, that the opportunity to sell over five days (one weekend) was greatly diminished as compared to the previous 10 days (two weekends) show. Additionally, it was so busy on the Saturday that it was impossible to distinguish between those generally interested in the boat or product being sold and those there just for a low cost day out. We had a queue of 15 minutes or so throughout the Saturday to get on board our boat and have heard of similar situations with other yacht manufacturers and dealerships. Instead of selling it was a day of crowd control! With the show half the length the level of business achieved was not unexpectedly well below the level of the previous 10 day shows. With overall costs only marginally less, this year’s review of the financial viability is initially not looking encouraging.
It is all well and good having 240 or so boats at the show (a figure that we were advised), but of that we counted just 20 yachts (from 30’ upwards), three of which were not for sale! Unless a strategy is developed to bring considerably more yachts to the show, this will not be a show that is viable for yacht dealers and companies like ourselves to attend.
The solution is to make the yachts the centre of the show. This may be unacceptable to BM, in which case there will be even less yachts at next year’s show, and to be honest to the visitor the show should perhaps be called the Motor, Small Boat and Leisure Show!