The 2008 London Boat show will be under severe pressure from the Earls Court Boat Show, which was launched late in January and is scheduled to run from December 1 to 9, with November 30 scheduled as press and preview day.

The ECBS organisers claim to have huge interest from companies that don’t want their names released, so there’s nothing for BB to talk about there.

And National Boat Shows (NBS) decided to pretend the ECBS wasn’t going to happen. So there was nothing to talk about there, either.

But last month NBS broke cover and along with promising ‘exciting plans for 2008’, MD Andy Williams published a long list of assurances from some of the 2007 ExCeL exhibitors who insist they will not book for the ECBS, but will remain faithful to the NBS show at ExCeL, giving the incumbent show a huge fillip.

The full list of testimonials is on the Boating Business website at http://www.boatingbusiness.com/archive/2007/april2/news/lbs_-_industry_comments

Once the plans for both shows have been approved NBS will tour the Midlands and the south with roadshows to explain the plans.

‘We know the majority of you think this show was a turnaround over previous years both physically and fiscally,’ says Williams of this year’s ExCeL show in his letter to exhibitors. ‘However, not all had such a positive experience and we intend to change this.’

We have taken the feedback on board and are working up even more exciting plans for 2008, he added.

The roadshows break in Kettering on Monday April 23, moving to Southampton on Tuesday the 24th, Egham on Friday the 27th and Plymouth on Monday the 30th. Key decision makers and stand managers will be invited to attend. Places can be booked by emailing ctaylor@britishmarine.co.uk

The ECBS has a new name and is now to be called the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show, after the distillery company upped its sponsorship from the original £1.5m to £3.5m.

‘The positioning of W&M as title sponsor reflects the scale of the sponsorship and allows us to structure an ongoing sponsorship and marketing campaign,’ said the organisers.