Doing the Shows – Southampton Boat Show
Doing the Shows Southampton Boat Show The UK is blessed (or should that be cursed?) with a large number of boat shows covering all segments of the market from smaller local shows (such as London on the Water, Bristol or Liverpool), shows focusing on particular segments (such as narrow boats or boat jumble) to the largest show – the YachtMarket.com Southampton Boat Show (or SBS for short). Perhaps unfortunately, the London Boat Show at Excel had its swansong this year; with no London show planned for 2019. However, the good news is that the SBS in September is thriving, and this year is planned to be as great as ever. Also, there are some great shows abroad, at many glamorous locations such as Phuket, Miami International, Dubai, Moscow, Qatar, Palm Beach, Kuwait, Croatia, Singapore, Sydney, Cannes and Monaco among many others. (Maybe it’s a matter of opinion as to whether or not Moscow could be regarded as glamorous!). Some shows focus on segments of the market, such as superyachts. We know what shows are like for us as exhibitors – in a word, exhausting! SBS is 10 long days, and with all the parties and dinners to go to, as well as manning (is there a gender-neutral word ‘personning’?) the stand we are exhausted at the end of it. It’s a hard life! However, this article is a short guide to help you – the client – make the most of your time at boat shows. KEY EVENTS With a typical (lack of) modesty, I have to point out one major event at the SBS – a talk on the central stage – namely the talk on ‘Buying a Boat’ given on each of the Fridays at 2:00 pm on the central stage. (There may be additional times / dates – but not confirmed at the time of writing.) Yes, I am giving the talk, so this is definitely one not to be missed! There are also other talks and events on the stage, so it is certainly worthwhile looking at the final table of events there. FREEBIES AND DISCOUNTS Of course, it’s always nice to have some freebies at any show. At our stand (Go Earth J425) we will be giving away special show issues of Boat Trader, as well as some other goodies. Perhaps more importantly, if you are thinking of buying a boat, we are giving free, no obligation, no hassle, 20-minute consultations on the science and art of boat buying. If you are thinking of buying your first, or your next boat, then this consultation should help you make the right choice and possibly save you money. Just come to the stand and make an appointment to have a chat. (We even provide settees to rest your weary feet.) Go Earth also offers Masterclasses in SuperYachts. If you have serious interest in us giving a talk in your organisation or private club, come and speak to a director at J425. Like many other exhibitors, we are also giving some ‘show only’ discounts on some of our services – in our case it is a massive discount of 25% on some of our service offerings. As is usual ‘terms and conditions apply’. Please note that most exhibitors mean it when they say‘show only’ – they usually will not give the same discount for purchases after the show. TIME Fundamentally, you need to allow enough time to really explore everything you want to.Let’s do some maths (sorry about that!). This year, there are about 580 exhibitors at the SBS. You are at the show for the full 8 hours. Allow an hour off for lunch etc. Imagine trying to do 580 stands in 7 hours. That gives you about one 43 seconds per stand! Of course, there will be some stands that you will spend much more time at. That might leave you with about two seconds per stand for the rest! Then, at SBS, there are numerous boats in the marina… The risk for you is that you might miss something really important and useful (such as, just for example, the Go Earth stand at J425!) What to do? PLAN The first and obvious thing is to try and plan what your focus is going to be. Are you looking for that new superyacht, upgrading some electronics, need advice on your first ever boat, buy some oddments for your boat, or just to see what is new on the market? If there is something that may be of particular interest, why not phone or email the exhibitor in advance and arrange to meet at the show. Many companies (including us at Go Earth) would be delighted to make a specific appointment, so that there is enough time to fully deal with your enquiry, and you can make the best use of your time. This also ensures that a sufficiently knowledgeable or senior person is available for you. The official show guide and the website can help you orientate yourself as to where everything is. LOOK AND TALK We often see people walking past the stands without really spending enough time finding out what the exhibitor does. Don’t be afraid to ask the exhibitor how they can help you. Most exhibitors are happy to talk to people – we are – even if you are not immediately buying anything. Of course, it is a matter of balance. Please don’t spend two hours talking to an exhibitor if you really have no interest. Look at the stand. What products do they have display? What do the background panels say? Don’t be afraid to stand and spend a moment or two examining the products and reading the background panels. You are there in part to get information, so take the time to do so. NUMBER OF DAYS Think about
Boat Brands and Companies at Goodwood Festival of Speed
The 2019 Festival of Speed saw an exciting selection of boating companies exhibiting within the brand-new Marine Section. Go Earth Ltd Stand 248 Go Earth offers a variety of services to its clients who are considering buying a recreational boat. These range from an initial, no obligation advice and consultation right the way through the entire process until the client has taken possession of their new pride and joy. We act for the buyer, not the seller. Go Earth are known for their expertise and outstanding service to their clients, helping them procure boats or yachts with the minimum of risk, hassle, time and cost. As regular readers of Boat Trader know, Go Earth also contributes a number of knowledgeable articles each month to Boat Trader (and occasionally to other publications). They cover multiple aspects around buying a boat, and are intended to be genuinely helpful to the boat buyer. As Go Earth has curated a number of boating companies for the festival, they are offering a free advice tent. If you visit their stand (248), they will gladly provide you with a ‘goody bag’ full of useful information from the other boating companies, plus a free copy of Boat Trader. If you have any queries that other boating companies might be able to assist with, then they will helpfully point you in the right direction. Go Earth will also be showing its innovative automatic fender system. This system removes the hassle associated with deploying and storing fenders. Also, there will be some festival only very special deals on Indespension trailers – offering a significant discount. These trailers cover everything from boats to cars (including covered trailers) to motorbikes, and even livestock! Bates Wharf Stand 410 Bates Wharf are a very well-established family business based in London & the South Coast. They can offer a superb range of new and used boats from these prestigious recommended boat manufacturers: Fairline Chris-Craft Bayliner Brig Beneteau Sessa SACS RAND They offer a personal service, whether you’re buying your first boat or upgrading to your next one. Bates Wharf will provide a day to remember at the festival and welcome you to their boat showrooms. Bates Wharf pride themselves on their high level of customer service and with four established offices in Chertsey, Eastbourne, Poole & Southampton, which are all open seven days a week, you can view the boat of your choice every day! They look forward to meeting you at the festival. At the show they expect to be exhibiting Chris-Craft Launch 27 and Bayliner E5. Please feel free to come along and talk boats. Mercury Stand 403 The biggest and latest Mercury outboard engines will be showcased for the first time at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the Mercury Racing Verado 400R and the new V8 platform released last year. Visitors to the Mercury stand will have the chance to get up close to the latest RIBs and tenders from boat builders such as Pascoe International and Axopar and benefit from expert technical advice; either from boat builders or the Mercury UK team. For more information, please see our additional article in Boat Trader magazine. Multihull World Stand 256 Multihull World is an international Yacht brokerage specialising in catamaran and trimaran sales, repairs, maintenance and training and was established over 30 years ago. MHW act on behalf of multihull owners seeking to sell their vessels and on behalf of buyers looking to enjoy the benefits of catamaran and trimaran sailing. The wide range of designs available, enormous variations in design criteria and specific features of each vessel make our experienced staff a highly valued asset in selecting the right boat for each buyer sailing agenda. They are all experienced, passionate multihull owners, each with over 20 years experience. This allows us to provide all the benefits of a professional brokerage service with an exceptional pool of knowledge on these sailing yachts. We sell new and pre-owned vessels, acting as sole new boat UK agents for Outreme and Rapier performance catamarans (both designs have won their respective classes in international yacht races) and Broadblue and Gemini cruising catamarans, designs which prioritise crew comfort and security above all else, together with Corsair trimarans, suppliers of fast and energetic performance trimarans. Each marque is outstanding in its own field. The Broadblue range is the only production catamaran still manufactured by a British Company – if you prefer to buy British then look no further!! We are all excited to introduce visitors at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to these high performance and luxurious sailing yachts. Boat Club Trafalger Stand 276 One of the most important things in life is making memories with family and friends, Boat Club Trafalgar helps you make that happen. Boat Club Trafalgar offers you Hassle Free, Unlimited Boating, for a simple monthly fee and as a member you have the choice of using a large range of premium boats anywhere within the Solent. You have all the fun of boating without the costs and responsibilities of being a boat owner. With our varied pool of boats we’ve got boats that will meet your needs for any occasion. Our dedicated team will take care of cleaning, maintenance, servicing, storage and insurance leaving you free to spend all your leisure time out on the water with no worries. Boat Club Trafalgar is convenient, just book online and once you arrive you simply get on board and drive away, it’s that simple, all you pay for is your fuel. We provide all the training and support that you need. Come and visit us on stand 276 to find out how you can enjoy boating, without the cost of owning at the same time have a coffee and find out more about our amazing one-off Goodwood Festival of Speed special offer! Dads’s Boats Stand 306 Introducing The Pedal Boat. A unique design, 50 years in the making, which allows two people to face each other and both pedal forwards in comfort.