I talked with a salesman that said they had to move three to five units just to break even at the show promoters show.
I know that would be the case for me for sure if I ended up paying full rental fees on the space!
I think it's important in the discussion of boat shows to make a clear distinction between "private promoters" and those shows conducted by member-owned associations. In fact, the reason that the SCMA was founded in 1956 was largely due to local boat companies and dealers wanting to control their own boat shows and not have to deal with "private promoters" who are in it primarily for the profit. If you have a problem with the space cost for an SCMA boat show, that's a decision made by the SCMA Board of Directors who happen to be 15 dedicated SoCal marine industry business people who were elected by the membership. And that Board is made up of a wide cross-section of boating interests and perspectives (motoryachts, sailboats, accessories, high performance, family boats, water ski, publishing, finance, fishing, etc.). None of the Board members profit a dime from boat show proceeds.
I guess I'm perplexed to figure out what boat manufacturers and dealers really want in the way of help to sell product. They bitch about the cost of shows if they are at places like the L.A., Long Beach or Anaheim Convention Centers, but when SCMA offered industry types the opportunity to do a "boat liquidation" parking lot sale last August at the Rose Bowl, nobody stepped up even at bargain basement exhibitor rates. Go figure!
I also hear that some boat manufacturers and dealers think that they have "better avenues" to advertise and promote their products than at a boat show. I wish they'd share those pearls of wisdom with the rest of us. According to the most recent survey done by the NMMA, boat shows are "significantly important" in making more than 50 percent of new boat purchase decisions nationwide. Boat shows far exceed Internet, print advertising, radio, TV, billboards, direct mail, email blasts, boat regattas, etc., etc., etc. in generating boat sales and leads.
One final thought.....if boat manufacturers and dealers are still measuring the "success" of a specific boat show based upon how many boats they sell at that show, they've adopted a business strategy doomed for failure. Sure, boat shows are for selling boats, but the buying habits of consumers have changed. Today, the average boat buyer requires nine to eleven months in order to make a final decision whether to buy or not. The buying process is much longer than it was ten or fifteen years ago. This means that boat shows must also be a place to collect as many leads as possible and follow-up on those leads in the months ahead in order to make the sale. Yes, it is a tougher market out there, and if you're going to make it, it means working both harder and smarter.
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