A critical boat show in uncertain times

As with everything put out there for consumer consumption, the answer to that question lies very much in the promotion of the show.

BB spoke to the Mike Enser, head of marketing at National Boat Shows (NBS) and asked how the promotions for the 2012 had been planned.

Typically, he told us, we’ll use PR, adverts, broadcast, online, direct mail and social media. Social media across both B2B and B2C audiences has played a greater part in the campaign, he emphasised. We’ve used our Loveboatshows group page to communicate year round to a boating audience.

“We haven’t limited the stories to boat show messages but have reported on most boating events and those individuals in it,” he said. “This offers our community more reasons to ‘like’ and follow us. The digital thread continues as we create email campaigns to the NBS database, its constituent parts making up the whole, ie the database holds a clubs and associations database, records for international visitors, people who have been identified as yachting enthusiasts etc, etc.”

Free assets
We also ask exhibitors to market their presence at the show with a portfolio of free assets they can use to tell their customers they’ll be at the show, Mr Enser told us. Web banners, buttons, an exhibitor ticket offer, film and a booklet of hints and tips about marketing are all available free.

Potentially one of the most useful tools we provide is the Boat Search, he added. “It’s an area on the show website that exhibitors can upload images and info about the boats they are bringing. After the general exhibitor search this is the second most viewed area of the site.”

For the second year running NBS has teamed up with Lucketts Coaches to bring people to the show. “We started this last year in a response to boaters saying they would be more likely to attend if someone organised travel for them, “ said Mr Enser. In 2011 over 250 people used this service. On the travel and transport front NBS has booked a campaigns across mainline train, the entire tube network and the DLR.

The campaign continues with The Sunday Times distributing a boat show supplement on 1 January that will be seen by around 800,000 people.

“And the Telegraph, Evening Standard and Metro will all be carrying the same message,” he told us. “The City will be exposed to the show through marketing activity at Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street, and NBS has targeted the Canary Wharf intranet.”

Intranet
Throughout the show NBS will continue to send emails to the Canary Wharf intranet database and update its Facebook and Twitter feeds. “We would encourage exhibitors to do the same,” Mr Enser added…

The show marketing doesn’t stop at advertisements and emails to visitors. Mr Enser says the British Marine Federation (BMF) uses the show as a marketing tool for the UK leisure marine industry.

We spoke to BMF executive director Howard Pridding, who told us before Christmas that he’d already got a lot of MPs and Lords lined up. “We invited five ministers,” he told us, “and we’ve already had three accepted.”

The first to respond was Mike Penning the Shipping Minister, he said. “There’s a lot going on with the MCA right now, so he’s a really key guy for us.”

Mark Prisk, the Business Minister who came to the PSP Southampton Boat Show to launch the marine industry’s Growth Strategy actually called the BMF to ask if he could come along. The third man, so to speak, is John Hayes the Skills Minister.

“Mr Hayes is coming to present certificates to apprentices at an event on the Thursday to recognise apprenticeships in the industry,” said Mr Pridding.

Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Minister, is another invitee. “We’re trying to promote boating tourism, but we’re also running out Going for Gold recognising our Olympic effort and we hope he’ll join us on that,” said Mr Pridding.

Waterways minister
And Richard Benyon, the waterways minister, has also been invited. “So out of the five invited, three said yes straight away,” said Mr Pridding.

These movers and shakers meet and greet members of the leisure marine industry and lend their names and positions to help boost the industry.

The show is also a place where UK marine businesses can meet with international buyers and do business through the BMF/UKTI Meet The Buyer programme. BMF associations use the show to host meetings and AGMs and third parties, such as the World Cruising Club, meet to talk to members.

“All this activity gives a focus to the marine community and, in itself, contributes to the marketing of the show,” added Mr Enser.

At the time of writing NBS was just about to sign off the editorial for The Sunday Times 1 January supplement and there were still companies signing up to exhibit - Hydromax, ABC Marine, Rigiflex, Fin Marine and Churchouse Boats were the latest.

ExCeL was being marked out for the stands and the first boats were due to arrive on the following Sunday by water.

The usual features will be seen at the show, although there will be some changes. The Classic Boat stand, always a favourite with the crowds, has as its centrepiece a fully rigged section of mast carrying the fore topgallant yardarm of Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory, which is currently under refit at Portsmouth’s naval dockyard.

A copy
When I ran a story on this a few weeks back, I assumed this would be a copy of the original HMS Victory rig. Oh no, said John Goode, who’s the feature master for this and the Spinnaker Feature. Apparently the yards are from HMS Victory… Bit of coup, that, I reckon.

One other change with the Classic Boat feature is the sponsor. Fred Cole of International Paint told me it was all a friendly change with NBS. “We’d done it for four years and it was time to do something else with our money,” he told me.

So the stand is now to be known as ‘Classic Boat in association with Teamac Paints’. Teamac is a Teal & Mackrill brand and the company will be launching Teamac Protector, a new mid-range antifouling product that fits into the range between Tropical Killer and Antifouling A and D which is the Teamac premium product.

Teamac staff will be on hand offering tutorials and demonstrations.

Last year John Goode’s main Cruising Chute feature stand was in the South Hall, where the fans created a bit of a nuisance for the adjacent powerboat stands trying to put across quiet, but firm, sales presentations…

So the Yachting Monthly and Hyde Sails sponsored stand is in the North Hall this year. It’s still fan powered, but hopefully a tad quieter than last year. And this year the Southern Sailing guys will be demonstrating spinnakers – from how to pack them and how to hoist them so they don’t get hoisted with a very short luff (I’ve been there…), how to set, trim and gybe them and, finally, how to get the thing down without it becoming a rather large sea anchor. And yes…

New things
Apart from those, there are a couple of new things for the visitors to look at. Timed to get the visitors ready to cheer our sailors on to gold medals galore down at Weymouth, Going for Gold shows the Olympic classes used by Skandia Team GBR.

Hopefully there will be the odd Olympic sailor around, but that still has to be finalised.

The Knowledge Box is back, with speakers including Jim Saltonstall, Tony Brookes, YM editor Paul Gelder and Dr Simon Keeling. Alan Priddy – who was to launch his round the world challenge team and boat on the Marine Manufacturing Showcase stand – will now do it all on the Knowledge Box from 17.00 to 19.00.

The Watersports Action Pool will once again wow visitors (it says here) with some of the best watersports action and experts from Neilson Active Holidays and Rockley Watersports will be on hand to help visitors get on the water.

The Used Boat Marina will return yet again to the ExCeL, in association with YachtWorld.com, with one of the boats up for sale being a veteran of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC).

The Swan 651 for sale on the Used Boats Marina in association with Yachtworld.com and will be used to illustrate the ocean sailing forum presented by the World Cruising Club on 7 January at the show.

One new feature this year certain to be a winner with the crowds is the Yachting Monthly Crash Test Boat.

The 40ft Jeanneau Sun Fizz has lost her rig, been capsized and even blown up by the Royal Navy in a series of features about safety at sea.

Southampton Boat Show title sponsor PSP shipped the delicate remains of the boat to ExCeL where we’re sure she’ll be a major attraction.

After the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show PSP will ship her to the Lowestoft International Boat Building Training College, where she will be worked on by the students.

Seminar
The Start to Race seminar is another new feature. This will take place on 7 January 2012 and will attract sailors looking to take their first steps into racing.

Another new feature is the Luxury Lifestyle & Supercar Showcase will be in the South Hall, adding even more value and glamour to the area which also features Fairline, Jeanneau, Oyster, Princess, Sealine and Sunseeker...

NBS assures us it will be ‘a fantastic opportunity for all exhibitors and visitors’ to benefit from a larger, broader buyer offering, with up to 50 new brands and their customers together in the South Hall.

These brands will include a rare diamonds investment company, Elite Gems, designer sunglasses from Robert Roope, Wayne Pollock bespoke holidays, contemporary fine art by Gallery Rouge and other luxury products.

Those are all the details we have of this new feature right now. It might be a winner. I hope Mrs Nash doesn’t come to the show…

But let’s have none of this talk about ‘the show’ because there will be FOUR shows over the last weekend. To be precise, from the Thursday to the Sunday.

For the last four days of the show, visitors will also be able to enjoy the London Bike Show, the Outdoors Show and the Active Travel Show at ExCeL.

Last year the additional shows brought in 30,389 visitors to give the total combined attendance for all three shows of 140,164.

Murray Ellis, NBS MD, is aiming to match last year’s boat show attendance this year - 110,000.

Will the Active Travel Show add even more to the total this year? Who knows…

I walked around the extra shows on the Thursday evening last year and found them to be pretty deserted, but let’s hope they are more successful this year.