The meeting at Egham was attended by more than 20 people and, said Methven, they made it obvious that the show ought to concentrate entirely on the marine aftermarket, ruling out a move towards making it into a mini-METS with engine manufacturers and an OEM focus.

The meeting stressed other points, such as how National Boat Shows (NBS) should focus more on selling stand space and attracting more visitors.

The last show saw a high level of no-shows from pre-registered bookings and this, said the meeting, is another aspect that must be addressed.

The next move is to hold a meeting of the steering committee at ExCeL in January to take the discussion on how to make it a better show forwards.

Force 4's Peter McLuskie has been co-opted onto the show steering committee. Along with Peter Steinberger, David Lewin and David Coleman, McLuskie was another of the original movers and shakers that helped get the Marine trade Show back on its feet in the late 90s.

The 2004 show is already set for the same Windsor site, running on Tuesday, October 19 and Wednesday, October 20.

"NBS has done a deal with another exhibition to use the same temporary marquee, " said Methven. "and that will offset some of the overhead."

Boating Business is very pleased to hear the show will continue. And exceptionally pleased to hear it will not move from its current location west of London.