SAILING NEWS
London Boat Show 2009 - Review 12
55th Boat Show finishes on a high
CELEBRITIES AHOY!: Clockwise from above - Kelly Brook opens the Show, Dame Ellen MacArthur on the Main Stage, HRH the Princess Royal, and Raymarine Young Sailors of the Year James and Frances Peters from Hayling Island
THE London International Boat Show drew to a close the New Year’s Honours list. Show during difficult times to showcase products of Hall corner. We worked with National Boat Shows on
on Sunday 18 January, concluding 10 of the busiest Overall attendance at the Show was 112,000*, 12% all ranges to buyers in the market.” the Design a Sail project, which couldn’t have turned
days in the capital’s boating calendar. below that of 2008, which is a fantastic result con- Several exhibitors chose the London International out better – it’s always great to get the kids involved
The Show, which is the largest marine exhibition sidering the challenging economic conditions. The Boat Show to unveil exciting new additions to their in boating at a young age.”
in London, hosted more than 500 exhibitors and Show’s success has been attributed to the excellent fleet. Sunseeker International’s display of 14 vessels Norma Brown, Honnor Marine added: “It doesn’t
showcased hundreds of boats, ranging from 1.4 metre features, improved layouts and enormous range of was boosted by the world launch of a 30 metre yacht, matter about a slightly decreased attendance figure –
sailing dinghies to 37 metre tri-deck motor yachts. exhibitors who have helped create a rich industry Fairline revealed their Squadron 70 to assembled we have sold sold sold! We have particularly noticed
The Show provided a vital platform for the industry showcase. press and public, while Princess Yachts premiered its interest from the foreign market this time round, and
to showcase its quality, with exhibitors spanning pow- On the whole, exhibitors have reported more interest Princess V42. have had six sales to date with our order books full
er and sail boats, dinghies, deck equipment, charter and business than expected, with the majority cau- Anecdotal feedback from exhibitors ensured the until April 2010.”
holidays, sailing courses, chandlery and more. tiously optimistic about the results achieved. Some Show concluded on a high note. Frank Stevens, Crownline said: “Fabulous! We’ve
Model, actress and TV presenter Kelly Brook ensured exhibitors had excellent Shows, while others have Richard Whittaker, Suzuki Indoor Harbour said: “We sold seven or eight boats so far, and have plenty of
a sparkling start by officially opening the Show on done very well – International Paints and Navigators have achieved all our objectives that we set prior to other leads going forward. The response has been tre-
Friday 9 January. Kelly was joined on the Main Stage & General, for example, were up on last year’s Show the Show. Footfall has been great and we have sold mendous, and there are certainly still people buying.”
– Powered by Fairline by crew members of attend- performance. In general, Show exhibitors reported a good number of boat engine packages. Having the David Dare, Oxfordshire Narrowboats reported: “A
ing Navy frigate, HMS Westminster. Kelly was one that business is definitely there, only harder to secure. feature in the South Hall has certainly drawn people very good Show. We’ve had better bookings than last
of many famous faces to be seen at the Show; among Greater marketing and sales innovations are being towards us, and given the current climate we are very year and have secured over £10,000 of holiday book-
them HRH Princess Royal enjoyed an official tour of used to attract customer interest, a development illus- happy.” ings. We’ve also had a very strong lead on a boat sale,
the Show on Wednesday 14 January and Bee Gees trated by the 1000 sq. meter Suzuki Indoor Harbour. Rick Reading, Topper commented: “The quality of as well as attracting the interest of a sponsor. We’ll be
star Robin Gibb also paid a visit. Andrew Williams, Managing Director, National Boat visitor here has been excellent, despite the overall returning next year – it’s about quality, not quantity.”
Stars of the boating world were present throughout Shows (NBS) commented: “We’re delighted by the numbers being down. We’ve had really good sales Of the 500 plus exhibitors at the Show, 80 were new
the Show. Dame Ellen MacArthur and Mike Golding success of the Show. Over the past 10 days we’ve en- over the entire range. The new catamaran has gone this year. One of these, Becci Eplett, J-UK, said:
on his return to the country were joined by members joyed plentiful media interest, positive feedback from down particularly well, and we sold a Topaz16CX on “After a year out from the London International Boat
of Skandia Team GBR, including Olympic gold med- both our visitors and exhibitors and a healthy flow of the opening day of the Show. The layout of the Show Show we’re glad to be back. It’s definitely worth
allists Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and flatwater canoer visitors, with an increase in the North Hall which was has really worked this year, especially the location of being here. Everyone is aware of the struggles in the
Tim Brabants, all of whom were recently decorated in our aim. The results show the benefits of a succeeding the Main Stage – powered by Fairline in the North market, but there are definitely people buying boats
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