Both parties are happy for Boating Business to publish their correspondence here on our website and - as June BB is being printed now - in the July issue of the printed edition of BB.

Letter 1 from James Brooke to Rob Stevens, dated May 25:

Dear Rob,
Having read, listened and watched your comments regarding the Earls Court Boat Show, and having listened to the views of many of your members, we do understand your concerns about the potential drop in revenue from the National Boat Shows to yourselves that you believe will be the effect of the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show in December 2007 and annually thereafter.

We would like to make our position on this very clear. It has always been our intention that the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show should and will support and benefit the British Marine Industry in many ways.

The Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show will be very different in look and feel from the show at Excel and will complement rather than damage the show at Excel.

We also feel that the substantial sponsorship from Whyte & Mackay, Earls Court and others will directly benefit the industry, as will the creation of another opportunity for the industry to show and sell its wares to the international boating community, business communities and press.

However, it has always been our intention to ensure we make a positive and direct contribution to the welfare of the British Marine Industry in order to fulfil part of our vision, and to allay the un-necessary fears of many of your members. In that respect, we would like the opportunity to discuss with you ways that we can make that contribution that will enable you to engage with the Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show and embrace the opportunity that it brings for your members.

Potentially, there are opportunities for this to happen through a number of avenues, for example a percentage of ticket sale revenues, sponsorship of BMF space within the Earls Court Boat Show, and many other possibilities that we can discuss.

As part of our policy of openness and transparency with the public and media, we will be copying the press community into this correspondence.

I look forward to hearing from you soon and meeting with you and your committee to discuss how we can work together to the benefit of your members and the boating community at large.

We continue to satisfy the needs of our exhibitors and of the wider boating community.

With kindest regards
James Brooke
Managing Director
Earls Court Boat Show 

Letter 2 from Rob Stevens to James Brooke, dated June 4:

Dear James,
Thank you for your letter offering support to the British Marine Federation at the proposed Earls Court Boat Show. Our position remains unchanged and we will still not be taking up your offer for all the reasons that we discussed, when you first raised it with me on the phone on 22 March 2007.

As you know we are owned by the industry and so work on the industry’s behalf. It is on that basis that we have looked at what is best for our customers and members. They believe very strongly that if the Earls Court Boat Show materialises, the overall audience and potentially the exhibitor base will be diluted and crucially the opportunity for business to be transacted will be reduced all round. They and our Executive consider that there is simply not room for two London shows and we must focus our resources to ensure that the Shows produced ‘by the industry for the industry’ continue to prosper.

Also as I am sure you are aware, all of the contribution earned at the two NBS Shows - London and Southampton - is re-invested into the industry. This money is then used to provide the highly acclaimed services through the whole of the Marine leisure sector, to deliver technical and export advice, skills development and training, Legal advice, compelling statistics, and a powerful industry voice at government level. The London Boat Show at ExCeL is an important part of that delivery and showcasing of these services. A private organisation that will want to make a profit will be taking money out of the industry and could arguably cause a reduction in these services.

Another important historical point is that in our many years running the London Boat Show at Earls Court, visitors and exhibitors alike were increasingly aware of the constraints the venue imposes. The move to ExCeL was brought about because the industry needed better facilities and we responded to that by creating the bigger, better, more embracing and exciting Show we have today at ExCeL. The members would not support a step backwards.

In a similar vein, we have successfully run two annual world-class events for many years. The Southampton Boat Show and the London Boat Show at ExCeL have provided the industry with a superb platform on which to meet, talk and do business with the vast array of enthusiasts from across the marine spectrum. The size and breadth of the show appeals to aspiring first timers at the budget end of the market, through to the middle ground of established users and buyers of small to medium sized craft, right up to those for whom price is secondary to specification. The shows also embrace the myriad of support services and products from holidays through finance to accessories and apparel. We believe the market is well served by the existing exhibitions and do not think that it would benefit the industry to provide a tacit endorsement to another event.

In conclusion I note your offer but logic and the overwhelming demand from our customers and members is against this approach. They want BMF and NBS to focus on producing the world class, internationally influential shows, at the waterside in Southampton and London and not to be side tracked by a competing Earls Court event.

To match your decision to copy your letter to the press community we will also be doing this with our response.

Yours sincerely
Rob Stevens
Chief Executive
BMF