Attendance up at London show

Attendance up at London show

Some 109,778 people visited this year’s Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show — a seven per cent increase over 2010 figures and a mere two per cent drop compared to that of 2009.

Together with the Outdoors Show and London Bike Show, total combined attendance reached 140,164.

Event organiser National Boat Shows (NBS) says that the rejuvenation of the show, which closed on Sunday, helped to broaden its appeal and attract a more diverse range of visitors. Highlights included a revamped ExCel centre with new layout including a Watersports Action Pool, a new Boardwalk area and Used Boats Marina (click here for more).

NBS managing director Andrew Williams says: “We have worked extremely hard to create a 10-day event that our exhibitors would be proud of and the response we have had from exhibitors and visitors is that the ‘wow’ factor is certainly back. The stunning new east entrance giving a glimpse of the pool and some of the exciting action has given visitors a hint of what is to come before they have even walked through the ticket barriers."

According to NBS, more than 50 per cent of the used boats on display in the marina were sold at the show, with sea trials booked for the remaining craft. As well as attracting a new type of buyer, the Used Boats Marina allowed owners to upgrade their model once they had sold their boat on display.

The sale of a Beneteau Flyer 12, for example, allowed its previous owner to buy a brand-new Jeanneau 42 DS that was displayed in the show’s South Hall.

Exhibitors both big and small have been impressed. Bill Manley at Teja Wooden Boats says: “It’s been our first time exhibiting in the UK and the show has been a great success. We have sold all four boats on our stand and have two further confirmed orders.”

Chris Cleverly, managing director at Princess Motor Yacht Sales, was similarly pleased. “It’s well reported that the industry is experiencing challenging times, but this show has certainly given us a great sales and promotional platform,” he says.

“We have sold several boats to new, walk up, never seen before visitors and having the impressively positioned new 32m yacht inside the hall has added and extra dimension to our presence here.”


Source：
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