David Lewin’s “Let’s get this show on the road” presentation on the features and the ticket packages for the revised London Boat Show brought one remark from the floor of “if you achieve half of what you’ve just spoken of, it will be great”.

James Grazebrook gave an excellent talk on how Halyard – and Grazebrook himself – had gone back to school to take the company into the lean manufacturing era, while Jeavon Lolay, senior economist of Lloyds TSB, held everyone in awe as he talked about the global economy and how it was likely to affect the UK.

A really worthwhile day was capped with the presentation of the BMET Awards and the BMEA’s own Innovations Showcase Award.

Interesting comments came from Julian Coleman, of Boat Electrics & Electronics, who spoke of the “Click and Brick” situation that was making life difficult in the retail sector. “It would be wise for the industry to get together and talk about the problem,” he reckoned.

And Jeavon Lolay told us all that while we hear lots about debt in the UK reaching £3trillion, he told us we were all rich and that our personal assets were valued at nearer £7trillion.

But he did warn us inflation is likely to rise and we are likely to see interest rates around 5.25% next year.

Andy Williams, managing director of National Boat Shows, told us moves were afoot to “turn around the stands that are keeping people away.” By this he means the exhibitors who rope their exhibits off to keep the peasants off the boats. Good man; more power to your elbow.