Published on: 03 March 2022
BoatLife Live made memories at the inaugural show with reports of strong sales and companies already rebooking for next year. Visitors and exhibitors have shared overwhelmingly positive feedback on the show organisation, the diverse range of boats, layout and visitor experience. A positive 95 percent of exhibitors that have responded to the survey have said ‘yes’ or ‘possibly’ to rebooking for 2023.
The launch show has created a springboard for the future with 140 companies exhibited over four days and displayed over 120 boats from RIBS, to powerboats, inland boats to watersports. The feature boats Falanda, SmartFish 25 and Atlantic rowing boat were also popular attractions.
The show attracted a lot of trade interest and talks have already begun about enhancing the B2B element. There is an opportunity for BoatLife to become a significant networking opportunity at the start of the year and bring together our industry in one place.
Richard Dove, Director at BoatLife Events Ltd said: “I couldn’t be happier with how the show has been received. The hard work has paid off, and it’s the start of something very special. We now need to build on the success and gather feedback. Next year we hope to have more yachts, equipment and watersports. From the interest we have had from companies visiting the show to check it out, it looks possible. We may need a bigger space.”
Despite challenges in the lead up with covid and stock availability, and during the show Storm Eunice, nearly 10,000 dedicated visitors came and battled with the weather. Visitors enjoyed talks on the Live Stage from Pip Hare and Katie McCabe and lots of fun was had on the Virtual Reality feature.
The show organisers are currently looking at 16-19 February 2023 for the next BoatLife Live event!
EXHIBITOR QUOTES
Steve Chambers, Bates Wharf: “The show was really good, very positive, great quality. Boats have been sold and we would definitely come again.
Dan Arscott, Grand Boats UK: “It was very good, we came to BoatLife with limited stock and it’s pretty much all gone. There was good footfall, the people who came were serious buyers and the organisation was really good. We will 100 percent come next year and have a bigger stand!”
Mike Cook, Bluefin LED “The first BoatLife was a breath of fresh air, positive vibes and plenty of leads.”
Tarik Safa, Rota Marine: “Sales are good, lots of people, we are very happy with the first show. Next year we need more credit card machines!”
Stephen Byfield, Vanclaes Stainless Steel Boat Trailers: “A great show that delivered beyond our expectations. The time of the year, the location in the country ticked all the boxes.”
Andy Sims, Quick UK: “The event for us has been really good. We have enjoyed the interactions with the customers who have been very knowledgeable about the industry, their boats and products. And we have had a very positive few days in Birmingham. Absolutely think this show will grow and we would love to be part of it.”
Haley Hadley, ABC Leisure: “It’s been a great show. We have had a lot of interest with over 1600 people coming through the boat and we are anticipating bookings directly from the show.”
Terry Wright, Excel Boats: “The show has been very good. It is the first Midlands boat show for quite a few years and in the first two days sales have gone through the roof. We are very pleased and hope it repeats again.”
Matthew Bridge, Mustang Survival Global: “It was so important for us to have a launchpad for the products and it has been fantastic. We are excited about next year, it is important for us to continue to put this brand in front of people and BoatLife is a great place to do that.
