Fort Lauderdale – the greatest show on earth?
Phil Shaw, Events & Operations Manager for Sanctuary Cove spent five days at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (thanks to the Qantas dispute) and experienced first-hand, the world’s largest yacht show.
Was this your first time to a US boat show?
Previously I have been to Miami four times, as an exhibitor with Riviera. Miami is spread out over four areas, with two organisers involved. Fort Lauderdale is one show organised by Show Management. The convention centre is five minutes away from the marinas.
What were your expectations of FLIBS?
This show has the reputation of being the biggest and one of the best in the world. My expectations were based on its position as “the yachting capital of the world”. It attracts the industry, superyacht Captains, charter companies with all the 100ft+ yachts and their crews.
Do you know how many exhibitors – how many visitors – numbers up or down?
Visitor numbers were static at 95,000 according to organisers, but the weekend seemed very quiet. There was a very good turn-out of boats and no empty spaces. If you had the intention of buying a boat, you would need two days to get around and evaluate it all. For that reason, they offer multi-day passes.
What were your initial impressions when you arrived?
I was surprised the entrance was fairly low-key for a major show. I expected more fanfare at the entrance, but that is to do with the layout of the show. The entrance is on a main road. It’s the main event in town at that time, so any empty block within a 2km radius was utilised for parking. There’s also water taxi access and shuttle buses from car parking areas, 5-8km away. Hundreds of cabs operate to the show and that seems to be the preferred means of arrival. There is a large number of hotels within 10-15 mins of the venue, so many people, the internationals particularly, walk from those.
Among exhibitors, Germany was very prominent, as were the Italian trade organisation, Britain and its superyacht organisation, New Zealand and the China yacht builders. Of course, all the major yacht manufacturers were there
It was very hot and humid, then rained heavily over the weekend when the remnants of the hurricane came through.
Did organisers run any industry networking events or seminars?
There are a lot of functions during the show, all hosted by exhibitors. The actual marine associations and show management didn’t appear to organise functions for industry. There may have been, but I was not aware of it. I attended two events through AIMEX, Lürssen Yachts and National Marine Association function, which had around 4,000 people attending.
What was the feeling among exhibitors as to climate and consumer sentiment?
Thursday and Friday, the vibe was fairly positive. One exhibitor told me there are lots of people with money to spend, but with the uncertainty of the economy and the political situation, people are holding on to their money. In his opinion, under a new president, a Republican, consumer sentiment would change and the next boat show would be a boomer!
From speaking with exhibitors, some of them had great expectations and came away disappointed, but maybe their expectations were too high? One told me they had hoped to sell 15 boats, and that didn’t happen. Maybe they misjudged the market?
The weather, without a doubt, would have had an impact on sales. It bucketed down on Saturday and Sunday and at one point, there were 6 inches of water flooding the aisles.
What is the range or extent of the exhibitors? Anything we don’t see in Australia?
From a superyacht point of view, we don’t see the size and sheer number. There are not too many 180ft yachts here, but in Fort Lauderdale, the boats parked at the back of the homes are larger than the houses! It’s the boating capital of the US. Population means more of everything. From a marine point of view, we see most products here. It is the range of brands we don’t see.
FLIBS is a different style of show, liquor licensing laws there are different, so there’s a different mood. Beer is on sale from opening time and visitors can wander the show with a beer in their hand. Whereas in Australia, our laws don’t permit that.
Does Florida tourism support the event?
I didn’t see any sponsorship or involvement. In the US, the marketing is not as sophisticated as we try to be here, because they have the population to attract the attendance.
What are the main things you learnt at FLIBS from an organiser’s perspective?
Overall, I have come back and say collectively about all boat shows in Australia, we do things very well, given our challenges, our budgets and smaller population. There were certainly things I took on board that could be implemented in our show, such as more of a carnival atmosphere due in part to their hospitality options, including floating restaurants and bars.
I learnt a few things about how NOT to do it too. Within the pavilion for example, they do not use a temporary flooring for the aisle ways. This creates a hazard for visitors when stepping in to exhibitor stands. Then when it rained, the carpet became inundated, a torrent, there was no drainage. At SCIBS we have raised floors through all pavilions which works well.
And as a visitor – were you impressed?
It was massive, by sheer volume on display, very impressive. There is a cohesion about the show. You can go up and down the walkways and view the on-water display. The Bahia Mar hotel and surrounds are not the most attractive. The quality of the surrounds, the landscaping and presentation of some displays such as the supercars, didn’t do the displays justice.
Anything you would like to add to the wish list for SCIBS?
Four days of fine weather! I saw how important weather is to visitation. There is a lot I would like to add, but we can only do so much with budgets.
What do ‘we’ (both as Aussies and boat show team) do well that is unique?
We do boat shows very well. We have all layers of the community covered – Rotary, radio broadcasts, high end exhibitors, small brands and everything in between. We are very thorough with our details and allocation of man power. Our venues are excellent with all modern facilities. Visitors have a great, high quality experience.
2012 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, 24-27 May 2012. More at www.sanctuarycoveboatshow.com.au
