South Africa’s boating industry is abuzz with the news that the country’s three industry bodies have joined forces to establish the Marine Industry Association (MIA). The organisations behind the new MIA are the Boating Industry Association of South Africa (BIASA), the Cape Town Boatbuilding and Technology Initiative (CTBI) and the South African Boat Builders Export Council (SABBEX).
Says Heidi Warricker, MD of Biz Events, organiser of the National Boat Show and Dive Expo, “The key significance of this development is that MIA is the first industry association that is both national and representative of the entire South African boating industry. Whereas its founders all represent key industry sectors, MIA provides a platform for cohesion and cooperation on an unprecedented level.”
Cohesion and cooperation are certainly the watchwords for MIA, whose key stated objectives are ‘to unite the broader boating industry on a national level’ and to ‘lobby government for support and recognition of the industry’s importance to the economy’.
The boating industry is indeed an important one and its contribution to the national economy is significant. South Africa manufactures 28% of the world’s 30 to 40 ft size catamarans and power and sail catamarans are its leisure boat industry’s biggest export sector. In 2009 the boatbuilding and support industry contributed R1.2 bn to the national economy, while employing 4 500 people, both skilled and unskilled. In addition, approximately 85% of all boats manufactured were exported.
Equally vibrant is the local leisure boat retail sector. That South Africans are enthusiastic about boating is self-evident. In Johannesburg alone, some 32 000 visitors attended the 24 000sqm, 250 exhibit-strong National Boat Show and Dive Expo (NBS) in 2010.
Warricker adds: “NBS, s now entering its ninth year and has become the biggest show of its kind in Africa. Moreover, by driving consumer demand as it does, the show has done much to contribute to the growth of the South African boating industry.
“Our success depends on a thriving boating industry. As a result, we have always committed ourselves to working toward the greater good of the industry as a whole. And, I would like to think that we have been successful in this endeavour, as evidenced by the number of visitors who attend the National Boat Show and Dive Expo, as well as the strong and enduring relationships we enjoy with our exhibitors as well as their boating industry associations.”
MIA’s Veda Raubenheimer echoes this sentiment: “The National Boat Show is an established voice of the South African boating consumer, while we represent the voice of industry. Naturally, there are tremendous synergies to be drawn from a close relationship between our organisations and we look forward to exploring these further, starting with our own participation in NBS 2011.”
Raubenheimer concludes: “While the recession has made markets more cautionary, the South African industry is vibrant, energetic and working together for growth.”
In addition, NBS and the South African Marine Safety Authority (SAMSA) play a proactive role in promoting safety in our waterways. SAMSA, sponsor of NBS has embarked on a nationwide safety campaign to increase the awareness of the current Boating Regulations and general safety in our waterways – inland and the open waters surrounding our coast.
NBS and SAMSA are encouraging the boating community and all South Africans to be aware of the safety regulations that apply to our waterways. These include, get a skipper’s licence; have your boat/jet-ski licensed; have life jackets on the boat equal to the number of the people on the boat; do not consume alcohol as a skipper while operating a boat/jet-ski.
The National Boat Show and Dive Expo takes place from 12 – 14 August 2011 at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg.
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More info and images on Southern Wind.
