Drawing to a close yesterday, the 2011 Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show has proven to be popular with visitors and exhibitors alike. The new-look Show attracted 109,778 visitors from all over the country and abroad, 7% up on the final attendance figure for the 2010 Show and 2% behind 2009. Together with the Outdoors Show & The London Bike Show, the total combined attendance number of visitors to ExCeL and all three shows is 140,164.
National Boat Shows (NBS) is confident that the rejuvenation of the Show with brand new features and attractions including the Watersports Action Pool and Used Boats Marina in association with yachtworld.com has helped to broaden the Show’s appeal and attract a more diverse range of visitors.
Andrew Williams, Managing Director of NBS is delighted with the success of the Show: “We have worked extremely hard to create a 10 day event that our exhibitors would be proud of and the response we have had from exhibitors and visitors is that the ‘wow’ factor is certainly back. The stunning new east entrance giving a glimpse of the pool and some of the exciting action has given visitors a hint of what is to come before they have even walked through the ticket barriers.
“There has been a real buzz around the Show, the bleachers at the Watersports Action Pool have been packed throughout the week and it’s great to see the crowd getting involved with all the attractions. The new layout has, in the main, worked well and it has, without a doubt, helped visitors to navigate the Show more easily whilst giving it a fresh and modern new look.”
Paul Strzelecki, Chairman of National Boat Shows added: “We are thrilled with the re-energised Show. This has been a fabulous first year of a three year plan to develop the Show for the visitors and trade, and we look forward to building on the successful performance of this Show.
“Although we have attracted a good number of visitors, sales at the Show have proven to still be challenging with exhibitors finding that final commitment sometimes difficult to secure. Reports have been that the visitors to the Show are keen boaters and are asking the right questions, but sales are slower in the current climate. The important thing is that this new-look Show is, once again, a world-class showcase and vital sales platform for the marine industry.”
The Used Boats Marina has proved to be a great success with the sale of more than 50% of the used boats on display and many sea trials booked for the remaining craft; the inclusion of used boats at the Show has encouraged a new type of buyer at the Show and also provided the opportunity for owners to upgrade their boat, once their previous craft had been sold. The sale of a Beneteau Flyer 12 to a Jersey buyer allowed the previous owner to head into the Show’s South Hall (Boat Hall) to purchase a brand new Jeanneau 42 DS.
One of the stars of the Show has to, undoubtedly, be the Watersports Action Pool. Following the impressive Show opening by Jodie Kidd and the watersports experts, the pool has seen wall to wall action with champions of all disciplines showing off their skills. Importantly 1400 visitors have had the chance to get on the water and give it a try themselves, choosing from kayaking, wakeboarding, dinghy sailing, windsurfing and stand up paddle boarding, and the miniport boats for the much younger visitors.
“I genuinely feel that NBS has listened. The fact that we are back exhibiting canoes, after two years away, is testament to the changes that have been made. As a result of our activity, our dealers at the Show have made sales and we expect sales in the future as a direct result of this Show.” Andrew Dron, MD of Johnson Outdoors
“As a first time exhibitor, we have seen the benefits from the Watersports Action Pool and the SUP racing as Tushingham has had good sales and very good leads. We are already looking to 2012.” John Hibbard, SUP Brand Manager, Tushingham.
The Boardwalk has been a fabulous addition; enabling new exhibitors to take space, ensuring a great variety of boats are on offer for visitors to see. This, together with all of the boats across the Show has successfully showcased around 1,000 boats for visitors to climb on board, view and compare. Thirteen boats made their world debut here, including the Princess 32M – the biggest boat ever to be displayed inside the halls of ExCeL - and a further 23 were shown in the UK for the first time.
“The Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show has been productive, successful and worthwhile. It’s encouraging to see an increase in visitor numbers attracted by the new features and attractions. We look forward to seeing what else NBS will be planning to build on this success.” Paul Heys, Director of Key Yachting Ltd
“We have been pleased with the level of visitors to the show. Sales and enquiry levels have been good given the financial climate and we feel sure the industry has turned the corner and sales will increase.” Richard Trafford, Wessex Yacht Sales and Dufour Yacht Dealer
The interactive activity provided by exhibitors on various stands around the Show has really added to the overall visitor experience and has also been a success for those exhibitors involved.
“We’ve been demonstrating how an inflatable lifejacket works, allowing people to try one on, inflate the lifejacket and learn how to repack this important item of personal safety. Having this interactivity on the stand is a huge success and is the way we should sell lifejackets in the future. Sales are well above expectations and we will be back at the London show next year.” David Lewin, Secumar
FURTHER EXHIBITOR FEEDBACK
“The Show has been fantastic for the RYA. The Expert Sessions stage on the RYA stand has been extremely popular, with talks and practical demonstrations to suit all tastes and abilities, and the stand has been buzzing all week recruiting members and selling our range of publications. We’re set to beat all our targets not just in terms of matching the performance of the 2010 Show but for the last five years. The whole atmosphere in the show has been very optimistic and visitors seemed to have really appreciated all the new features around the Show.” Paul Bayliss, RYA
“It’s been our first time exhibiting in the UK and the Show is been a great success. We have sold all four boats on our stand and have two further confirmed orders. We are looking forward to next year’s Show.” Bill Manley, Teja Wooden Boats
“As a new exhibitor we have been very excited with the interest shown with the Volvo products. Quality of visitors has been good and we are looking forward to the 2012 Show. The layout and colour coding has made it easier for visitors and exhibitors to navigate around the Show and the feedback from visitors about the features has also been positively received. Well done NBS!” Dave Hill, Engineering Manager, Darthaven Marina Ltd
“It’s been a fantastic Show and a perfect platform for us to launch the Range Rover Evoque in the UK. We have had massive interest in the Evoque and our full range of vehicles and we look forward to returning next year.” Sam Adams, Events Manager, Land Rover UK
“We are very happy with the new layout and feel it has been a great idea to have all of the boats in one hall. There has also been much more animation that we have seen before. Our only complaint has been the difficulty of controlling the number of people to our stand!” Francois Renault, Beneteau
“This has been a very positive Show for Archambault with the launch of the M34 and continued interest in our complete range throughout the whole show. Interest in the M34 one design fleet has exceeded our expectations and we are confident about the future of this class.” Craig Smallwood, Archambault UK
“Sealine has made a very positive return to the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show. The new format has created renewed interest from our customers and we have been very happy with the improvements made to the show by the organisers, National Boat Shows. It’s been a good Show for us as we have met our sales targets and so we go away very pleased with our decision to return to London and very positive about our plans for 2011.” Nick Powell, Marketing Director, Sealine
“This has been a great Show, with a vast improvement on previous years including the quality of visitors to our stand. We are pleased with the level of business achieved which is up on last year and feel there is a good feel and buzz about the show.” Rob Clay, Managing Director, TCS Chandlery
“It’s well reported that the industry is experiencing challenging times, but this Show has certainly given us a great sales and promotional platform. We have sold several boats to new, walk up, never seen before visitors and having the impressively positioned new 32m yacht inside the hall has added and extra dimension to our presence here.” Chris Cleverly, Managing Director, Princess Motor Yacht Sales
“This is the first time we have exhibited at the London Show and we are really pleased. We have seen a lot of potential customers who are very excited about our new project. The new layout has worked as has the features, in particular the Knowledge Box and Cruising Chute.” Ben Vaes, Marketing Director, Gunfleet Marine Ltd
The Cruising Chute has educated over 16,000 people, around 19,000 people flocked to the Knowledge Box to listen to and participate in discussions with 37 various speakers including Mark Covell, Mike Golding OBE, Tom Cunliffe, Tony Brooks, and Nigel Calder, 3,000 have enjoyed themselves at the Model Boat Pool and the Classic Boat attraction has, once again, been one of the most popular destinations for visitors.
The 2011 PSP Southampton Boat Show will take place at Mayflower Park from 16-25 September. www.southamptonboatshow.com
