Southampton showstopper – not in a good way!


A


t 6.34 p.m. on Thursday, 10 September, on the eve of opening day, British Marine received the decision from Southampton City Council that the show could no longer go ahead due to the rising


risk of Covid-19 and growing Government fears. The show, due to take place from 11-20 September,


2020, was set to open on Friday following extensive work in collaboration with Southampton City Council to ensure that the existing Public Health England Covid-19 secure requirements were met. Lesley Robinson, CEO of British Marine, said: “We are desperately disappointed that BOATS2020 will no longer be taking place, especially receiving the news at the eleventh hour before opening. A tremendous amount of work has been put in and it was heartening to see committed exhibitors on-site today getting geared up for opening.


“British Marine has remained committed to staging


this ‘not-for-profit’ boat show to support the leisure marine industry and our host city of Southampton, and I am deeply saddened that it will now no longer be taking place. Alongside our exhibitors, we were ready to open a show that exceeded all safety requirements. We are truly perplexed as to why we are unable to run the show at least until Monday in line with the government restrictions imposed yesterday. The global pandemic and unprecedented times mean that the latest circumstances are beyond our control. Public health and safety come first and naturally, as the show organiser, British Marine must comply with all guidance.” An appeal was subsequently made to the Secretaries of


State for Public Health, as well as Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, but to no avail. Lesley Robinson confirmed, “I am saddened that our


appeal has been rejected and the plight of our exhibitors and the industry has not been recognised by the Secretaries of State. The cancellation of the show will have a considerable financial impact on the marine industry and also on the city of Southampton. We are now considering all options available and what we can do for British Marine members and all show exhibitors”. The same fate befell the Ocean Village Boat Show


organised by MDL Marinas, which was also stopped from opening on 11 September. The company had, from the outset, strived to develop a show that offered visitors an appointment-only, controlled and safe show, specifically designed for serious buyers, so the last-minute decision was a devastating blow. Tim Mayer, Sales and Marketing Director of MDL,


contacted Southampton City Council’s events advisory committee to establish if the show could open later in the week, but this outcome proved impossible to achieve. He concluded, “We are naturally very disappointed for all of our exhibitors and visitors, who have all made significant investments into the show, whether to bring wonderful power and sail boats or to travel to the city to look at a boat”.


Diary of events SHOWTIME


29


Please check websites for up-to-date information before booking hotels or confirming travel plans.


Thailand Yacht Show Royal Phuket Marina, Thailand 7-10 January, 2021 www.thailandyachtshow.com


boot Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany 23-31 January, 2021 www.boot.de


China (Shanghai) Int’l Boat Show Pudong, China 1-3 April, 2021 www.chinaboatshow.com


Singapore Yacht Show Sentosa Cove, Singapore 22-25 April, 2021 www.singaporeyachtshow.com


Palma Int’l Boat Show Palma de Mallorca, Spain 30 April-4 May, 2021 www.boatshowpalma.com


Marinas21 Surfers Paradise, Australia 24-25 May, 2021 www.marinas.net.au


Korea Int’l Boat Show Goyang City, Republic of Korea 5-7 June, 2021 www.kibs.com


Seawork Southampton, England 15-17 June, 2021 www.seawork.com


Grand Pavois La Rochelle Port des Minimes, France 28 September-3 October www.grand-pavois.com


No visitors were able to tread the decking on Walcon’s pontoons at BOATS2020. Bellingham Marine Buyers’ Guide & Directory


Daniel S. Natchez and Associates Inc DeckSafe Solutions Ltd


Inland and Coastal Marina Systems Ltd Lee Sanitation Ltd


Marina Industry Awards


Index to Advertisers 27


7


19 13 11


10 8


Marine Travelift Inc


M-Tech Marine Technologies Naval Tecno Sud Srl Seawork SF Marina


Walcon Marine Ltd


OBC 3


17 28


IFC 5


Abu Dhabi Int’l Boat Show Adnec Marina, Abu Dhabi 13-16 October, 2021 www.adibs.ae


METSTRADE Amsterdam, The Netherlands 16-18 November, 2021 www.metstrade.com


MARINA INDUSTRY • OCTOBER 2020


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32