While most people find the Windsor Racecourse a very easy venue, there is a downside.

A major problem, says NBS, is having to fit in with the racing calendar. "We can never rely on the dates, " said Streeter, "and this is not good for a regular trade exhibition."

Next is the sheer cost of the venue. "The cost of infrastructure is close to £100,000, " said Streeter. "And before long, if we keep expanding we'll run out of space."

This year, he said, we'll probably be up to the limit.

And ExCeL is offering NBS a great deal to persuade us to move our trade show to Docklands.

There are some financial benefits to moving, said Streeter, and these savings can be used to expand the show and attract international buyers. "We 're not competing with METS, " he added, "and I don't think we ever will. We're the British marine trade show."

Confessing that his recent letter to exhibitors was not the best piece of writing he had ever done, Streeter said: "I wanted to tell the trade we need to think about the venue and to start them giving me their feedback."

But while the journey from the south coast might have put some visitors off going to ExCeL, BB found little evidence of it.

When asked if the journey to ExCeL would make him reconsider going to the show, Bob Russell from Pumpkin Marine at Northney told BB : "It won't make any difference.

You 're going there for a purpose, aren't you?"

And I think ExCeL is a nice facility, he added.

Ian Dodgeon at Seateach in Emsworth, told BB he would prefer the show to stay at Windsor, but if it went to ExCeL, he also wouldn't be worried by the extra journey time. "It's a show we have to go to, " he said.

Streeter says NBS wants to make the decision before the end of the Southampton Boat Show. "If we leave it later, we may not get the dates we need."