According to exhibitors, the 2013 Sydney International Boat Show was a resounding success. The event was marked by positive sales results as well as a continuation of buyer interest, following a very successful 2013 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (SCIBS) in May.
SCIBS sales, events and sponsorship manager Johan Hasser
The Sydney boat show marks the half-way point in the 2013 Australian boating event calendar and follows on from successful shows also held in Melbourne and Adelaide in June.
The Boating Industry Association of NSW recorded 58,901 people through the gates during its five days from August 1 to 5, with exhibitors finding almost 40 per cent of visitors were serious shoppers.
As buyer confidence in the marine industry continues to improve, some exhibitors also reported people from previous shows including Sanctuary Cove, Melbourne and last year’s Sydney show, were coming back for another look.
Gold Coast based manufacturer Maritimo had a total of seven vessels on display at this year’s Sydney International Boat Show, with sales and marketing manager Greg Haines saying the company was very happy with the response.
He said Maritimo’s forward order book was now full until well into 2014 and the company was quietly confident of having a solid 2013/2014 with the market in the USA and Europe also picking up.
“We have had the best Sydney show since before the GFC with multiple sales and the response from the boat buying public was very positive,” said Mr Haines.
“It is not boom times obviously, but we are well and truly up and running again after being through a difficult period since the GFC.”
Mooloolaba based luxury catamaran dealer Multihull Solutions experienced a record sales result at this year’s SCIBS with more than $5 million in vessels sold.
Marketing manager Kim McKee said while they didn’t sell as much at this year’s Sydney show, there were lots of serious buyers around and the fine weather saw a great turn-out at Darling Harbour.
“The Aussie dollar shifting has meant our boats are becoming less affordable for some, however that does mean that some people have more money to spend,” said Ms McKee.
“We didn’t sell as many as we did at Sanctuary Cove, but overall it was a great weekend in Sydney and we’re feeling good about next year.”
CEO of Anchor Right Australia, Rex Francis said sales at this year’s Sydney Show were strong following an influx of bulk buyers at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show.
“It was one of the best Sydney Boat Show’s we’ve done because we’ve built a reputation for ourselves and visitors came to the show looking for us,” Mr Francis said.
“We’ve had several sales across both the boat shows that have been in bulk and we’ve picked up more business and with the market looking strong we expect things to continue to pick up,” he said.
SCIBS sales, events and sponsorship manager Johan Hasser said the continued improvement in the marine industry pointed towards a positive outlook for the Sanctuary Cove show in 2014.
“There’s definitely a more positive vibe among those in the industry this year, we saw that both during and post-SCIBS,” said Mr Hasser.
“We’re hoping that confidence continues into next year and we can look forward to a fantastic show that supports the marine industry and provides visitors with the best of boating, entertainment and the marine lifestyle.”
Mr Hasser said the SCIBS team was already putting plans in place for next year’s show, scheduled to run from Thursday, May 22 to Sunday, May 25 2014.
Visitor numbers to this year’s SCIBS were slightly up on last year’s overall figures, with a total of 37, 571 visitors attending the four-day event.
SCIBS 2013 was sponsored by Club Marine, Bentley Brisbane and Maserati Brisbane.
