The truth is that nobody really knows. But National Boat Shows is spending some £2m in an attempt to reach as many of the target audience as possible.

BB spoke to ExCeL CEO Jamie Buchan on the day the marine trade started setting up. Everything's in place and ready, he said.

"The pontoons are laid, the crane is on site, the ramp's working perfectly, " he told BB ."We 're all excited here - bring on the boat show!"

Talking to NBS managing director Paul Streeter at ExCeL on the same day, he told us: "After four years, this it. I'm standing here looking at it all coming together and it's very exciting."

So all we can do now is give it our best shot. The leisure marine industry is not generally held to be one of the leading sectors in terms of customer service. But this time we have to make sure people who turn up have such a good time they feel forced to go away and tell all their friends they should be coming to ExCeL to see the boat show.

And extra support for the move to ExCeL came from an unlikely direction on the same day. Giving a good indication of the work the British Marine Federation (BMF) has been doing behind the scenes to get government support, Anne McIntosh, Conservative shadow minister for transport and MP for the Vale of York, tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons on December 18, the subject of which was:

That this House congratulates the British Marine Federation for its success in relocating the Schroders London International Boat Show to the ExCeL Exhibition Centre; notes this represents a £6.5million investment that will deliver an expanded event which will include the biggest ever inland waterways feature and sectors not previously represented such as canoeing and windsurfing;

notes that the event will be a showcase for the industry, and will be attended by an estimated 200,000 people; recognises the significant role the BMF plays for its 1500 members and acknowledges that an estimated 3.5 million people enjoy their recreation afloat on the coast and inland waterways of this country; further congratulates them on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the world's premier marine exhibition .So this it. No more talking.

No more writing. ExCeL is our London boat show home for the next 10 years.

Enjoy exploring and make sure you tell us after the event what you thought about it all - ExCeL, the show, the hotels, the restaurants and the nightlife.

Above all, make it not just a good show: make it a GREAT show!