Boat Shows and The Economy

[hoopykat]

There was a story in the local paper this weekend about how the economy has hit the RV and boat show circuit. The annual show that usually occurs in January at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton has been pushed back this year to May, and there is a very good possibility there will be no boats at the show. A rep from NAMMA said there would probably be more of a boat emphasis at the Sacramento and Oakland boat shows later in the spring, instead of in January. Kind of sucks since I am right around the corner from the fairgrounds, but I had noticed a drop-off in the number of ski and wakeboard boat booths there, and more bass boat and larger, cabin cruiser and yacht style boats being shown. Tigé wasn't even represented there last year.

-Mike

[da.bell]

I heard that the Pleasanton shows have been cancel completely.

The only boat show that I was aware of in NorCal this year was the Sacramento Boat Show and they are still trying to get people to purchase space. The price of a space has gone down this year but they are trying still.

I don't even know if my Tige dealer is going to be there. I guess I will have to check to see who is registered to display.

[hoopykat]

Nope...not cancelled...the event has been rescheduled for May 15-24 in conjunction with the Manufacturer's RV Show and Sale at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Traditionally the boat show was first, then the following week the RV show would be on, and both shows shared the cost of the tents and facilities. The new event will be called The California Sports, Boat and RV Show. Good Times Promotions is handling all the arrangements with the NCMA and the RV folks. We'll see...I'm afraid all the boat booths will be relegated to some small tent near the stables at the fairgrounds.

-Mike

[deltadayzd]

Show

Each year Show traffic goes down and down. The SF Show used to be great 15+ years ago. Each year you could watch the costs go up and the traffic go down. They finally moved it to Pleasanton and it was pretty good the first couple of years. Two years ago that Pleasanton Show was terrible and last year was even worse. I think the day of the Boat Show are about over, thanks to the internet and other factors. For a manufacturer or dealer to pay $15,000-$40,000 and sell next to no boats because the economy (and the Show) is so bad is a total waste of money. And get this: MasterCraft was going to go because Nautique was there and Malibu was going because MasterCraft was there and because Sanger was going to be there, Centurion was going to be there and so on. They were all going to spend tens of thousands of dollars just because their competitors were going to be there. NOT because they would sell boats and make profit, but because of their ego. Ridiculous. I heard they canceled the Show. I guess the NCMA saying they "moved it" to May is good marketing. The fact is they could not get enough dealers to give them deposits for space. I would at least call that failure if not canceled. With this bad economy and dealers like Bayliner and Cope totally gone, I'm not sure there will be enough dealers or enough willing to invest in a risky show in May. Good idea, but probably bad timing. Oh and the Oakland Show? What a turkey! Who wants to go to that dumpy area, have trouble parking, pay too much to get in and only see cruisers in the water? BTW, I would love to see a rockin Boat Show in the Bay Area.

[kko]

I about had a heart attack when i found out how much it cost to do a boat show. I dont think they are going to last either like delta said the cost go up and the traffic goes down. Its not worth the $$ IMPO.

[da.bell]

Greed sounds like it's hit this market also but there is no regulations in place. I was talking to my local board shop about them attending the Sacramento Boat Show. He did say that the cost did go down but not by much. Then there is Cope & McPheaters (sp?) that filed for Chapter 7 or 11 (not sure which one but they are no longer in business but one of them is a terminations of all sales/employment/...) They were definitely one of the biggest shops around. Heck, they where selling Malibu's here in Sacramento and the Bay Area. At one time, I think they were also selling Mastercrafts so they did have a ton of business.

But, it is good to hear that there will be a show in the Bay Area.

[deltadayzd]

KKO, it costs dealers a ton to do the Show. What I mentioned was just the space cost. Some of the large manufacturers will co-op some of the space cost. Many, like Tige, from what I hear, do not pay a dealer a dime. That's why you're not seeing some inboards like Tige and others represented at Shows across the nation. Then there is all the labor for setup, detailing, a sales crew and teardown. Then the public has to pay $12 each to get in, $10+ to park and $8+ each for lunch. Take a family and you've dropped $100! That's just one reason why attendance is dropping. BTW, Copes filed Chapter 11, re-organization, in November. They filed Chapter 7, liquidation, in December. That means they are totally done and out of business.

Well, there "might" be a Show in May, but I wouldn't bank on it. One problem, like I said, is that Cope and Bayliner are gone and they usually paid for a lot of space. Cope had 4 Winns, Centurion, Malibu and a bunch of other lines to display. Olympic had Bayliner and Maxum and always paid for a lot of space. Dealers that are left probably don't have a lot of extra cash to risk investing in an unknown Show. I would be concerned that it would be a small Show and not enough people would show up and the ones that did would be disappointed like at the Oakland Shows. I'm not sure what's going to happen with the Sacramento Show in March. That Show was usually pretty good. With the dealers that have closed there, it may be a disappointment.

[chpthril]

KKO, it costs dealers a ton to do the Show. What I mentioned was just the space cost. Some of the large manufacturers will co-op some of the space cost. Many, like Tige, from what I hear, do not pay a dealer a dime. That's why you're not seeing some inboards like Tige and others represented at Shows across the nation. Then there is all the labor for setup, detailing, a sales crew and teardown. Then the public has to pay $12 each to get in, $10+ to park and $8+ each for lunch. Take a family and you've dropped $100! That's just one reason why attendance is dropping. BTW, Copes filed Chapter 11, re-organization, in November. They filed Chapter 7, liquidation, in December. That means they are totally done and out of business.

Well, there "might" be a Show in May, but I wouldn't bank on it. One problem, like I said, is that Cope and Bayliner are gone and they usually paid for a lot of space. Cope had 4 Winns, Centurion, Malibu and a bunch of other lines to display. Olympic had Bayliner and Maxum and always paid for a lot of space. Dealers that are left probably don't have a lot of extra cash to risk investing in an unknown Show. I would be concerned that it would be a small Show and not enough people would show up and the ones that did would be disappointed like at the Oakland Shows. I'm not sure what's going to happen with the Sacramento Show in March. That Show was usually pretty good. With the dealers that have closed there, it may be a disappointment.

Just an FYI, KKO works for Fortes Inboard Connection, the Tige dealer FL. and yes it does cost big bucks to do a show, I work for the Tige dealer here, HQ Marine. Still planning on the Feb show!

[da.bell]

From what I understand, the Sacramento Boat Show is still going and they have 2/3 of the space filled from what I understand. However, the three-four buildings that they were in are now going to be 2-3.