Dear Sir,

As managing director of Avon Inflatables Ltd, and non executive chairman of National Boats Shows Ltd., I would like to add my voice to the current debate regarding the proposed Earls Court Boat Show.

As a UK industry we are largely represented by the British Marine Federation, which safeguards and promotes our business interests over wide sphere of activities, both nationally and internationally, up to and including high level governmental influence.

The recent campaign regarding the derogation of Red Diesel is a prime example of this, and there are very many others, together with the wide range of vital industry support services provided

The BMF is substantially funded by revenue streams from the London and Southampton Boat Shows. Any disruption of these revenues would substantially undermine the viability of our internationally acknowledged federation.

As an industry we democratically voted to move the London Boat Show to the ExCeL location due to the very many emerging negative factors at the Earls Court venue.

In retrospect, it is very easy to forget these.

Whilst the move to ExCeL has not been without problems, and the BMF and NBS teams readily acknowledge these, we are working exceptionally hard to improve the show and the 2007 show was evidence of this process of change. The NBS team is currently working on the planning of significant further improvement for 2008 and beyond.

Now is the time for our industry to reflect on what we have and recognise how we have benefited from our association with the London Boat Show; to consider whether we need another boat show in London, whether such a show might weaken our industry structure and whether the effectiveness of our UK business will be diluted by it.

Yours sincerely,
Alan Morgan
Avon Inflatables Ltd.
Zodiac Recreational Sector UK