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Working a Boat Show To Your Advantage

When buying your first boat, the boat show is a superb place to start. It is also a great spot for veterans to learn what's new, be it in boats, electrical or laws changing.

Within an interview with Joe O'Neal, show director for the New England Boat Show in Boston, he talked about his definitive goal for the show. "The goal is," according to O'Neal, "to create a industry for the dealers and the manufacturers to sell almost all their products. And also to produce a industry for the customer in the future in and hopefully in a single few days days, view everything they need to view to make a decision. You can imagine how much time, effort and money you need to place in to go from dealership to dealership trying to puzzle out what you would like for any boat. So, it's actually a win-win situation for that consumer and the dealer."

boating expo

The show also offers a number of seminars for example: knot tying, navigation, qualifying for any captain's license, radio communications, boating for women, etc.

boat shows

Working the Showroom Floor Efficiently

At first glance, walking to the showroom floor could be overwhelming. To get the most from your entire day, you need to have a plan of action. So, what is the easy get the most out of a boat show?

   Grab the exhibitor list while you go into the hall then walk around the perimeter of the show and find out who's there. Look to see which booths are busy. If your booth is empty could it be due to there being no one there or perhaps is it not appealing to visitors. Are the exhibitors all standing around speaking with one another with hands within their pockets; are they eating, reading or actively engaging with prospects? What kind of raffles could they be having? Does the raffle represent the business's product or are they just using the raffle to grab your attention? When the later, don't expect a phone call from their store for business.
   Make notes next to the exhibitor's name of which you'd like to return and talk to.
   Check out the agenda for the various seminars making note of the ones you want to take part in. Make note of where the seminars are being held in case you need back there in a rush.
   Once you've circled the area, then go back and begin speaking with those you need/want to determine, grab their information (brochures, business card printing, etc), talk to others within the booth (both exhibitors and boaters) and climb on board the boats you're interested in. Don't forget to take notes on the way to examine later when you're home. At home, go through all the information you've collected and your notes. Research the boats online, call your boating buddies and/or ask questions in a variety of forums (ex. TheNauticalLifestyle.com or MassBaySailors group in Yahoo). Go back again towards the show armed with pointed questions.