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01 Feb 2006
"We are sorry to lose Paul, " said NBS chairman Brian Peters. "He has been a great ambassador for the London and Southampton Boat shows and has made a real impact on the business. We wish him all the best for the future. In his role at NBS Paul has been instrumental in the development and expansion of the London and Southampton Boat Shows, as well as the wider boating industry in general. Under Paul's leadership both shows have continued to evolve and venture into new and exciting areas."
When I spoke to Streeter he told me he had been unsettled for some time. "I'm not sorry, "he said. "I've been there for over six years, which is along time doing that job. I've enjoyed my time, but it's been tough, as you know. I feel very proud of what we have achieved, but I felt it was time to move on and the company felt it was the right thing to do, so we agreed to part."
The industry can now take a long, hard look at its boat show policies and the LBS in particular. I heard lots of very good ideas at ExCeL - it seemed there were over 700 exhibition designers at the show. Everyone has their own pet ideas.
So why did only 36 companies turn up at the exhibitor meeting to air their views? Why complain if you're not prepared to make the effort to make your point?
Let's get the whole industry working together for the good of the LBS. Let's have none of the vested interests that have shunted the Inland Water-ways feature around. Around 37,000 people came to the first ExCeL show just for that feature. But it's now in the boondocks.
The London Boat Show is on a slippery slope. We can get it back. But only if it's all for one and one for all.
