What is not so sure is whether the business reputation of the Ft Lauderdale boat show will survive.

Arguably the most successful boat show on the planet it was already getting a reputation for arrogance, especially among those who wished to exhibit for the first time.

This arrogance was on full display by the show organiser, Kaye Pearson, president of Yachting Promotions, who, when questioned about the lack of accommodation due to the damage to local hotels, said:

"There are plenty of hotels 30 miles away."

Unfortunately not many visitors listened, attendance was said to be down by 70 to 80%.

Forget the statements about the "benefits to the marine community" unless the speaker meant only South Florida. In my humble opinion the decision to go ahead with a shorter show one week later was more about avoiding losing revenue as anything else.

The big losers if the show was not held and space costs were refunded was the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF), which owns the show and thus gets a cut, and Show Management which manages and produces it.

The needs and wants of the exhibitors were a long way behind this consideration.

A business book currently in vogue over here is The Tipping Point, How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.

The decision to hold a shortened Ft Lauderdale show one week late in a severely damaged city may well prove to be the tipping point for this show. Jim Nolan