Boat Show Season - Florida Yacht Brokers Association, Inc.

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BOArd Of dIreCTOrS PreSIdenT Lon McCloskey, The Marine Group VICe PreSIdenT Gary Smith, Sarasota Yacht & Ship TreASUrer Bob Zarchen, Ardell Yacht & Ship Brokers SeCreTAry Paul Flannery, HMY Yacht Sales dIreCTOrS Jonathan Burkard, Allied Marine Bob Denison, Denison Yacht Sales Whit Kirkland, Bradford Marine Yacht Sales Crom Littlejohn, Merle Wood & Associates Bob Saxon, International Yacht Collection Bruce Schattenburg, Y.CO COMMITTee CHAIrMAn Advertising/Publicity: Crom Littlejohn and Frank De Varona Arbitration ethics: Gary Smith, Paul Flannery, Jonathan Burkard & Bob Zarchen Boat Show Liaison: Lon McCloskey, Crom Littlejohn, Gary Smith, Bob Denison & Bob Saxon Charter Professionals Committee: Crom Littlejohn, Bob Saxon, Daphne D’Offay & Jeff Shaffer forms: Paul Flannery & Jonathan Burkard Charter forms: Crom Littlejohn & Bruce Schattenburg Membership: Bob Saxon, Paul Flannery, Frank De Varona & Shay Fortman Seminars, Sponsorship & events: Gary Smith, Bob Saxon, Jon Burkard, Bob Denison & Lon McCloskey Public Affairs: Lon McClosky, Jeff Erdmann, Bruce Schattenburg, Jon Burkard & Crom Littlejohn Marine Organizations & Associations: Crom Littlejohn, Bruce Schattenburg, Whit Kirtland, & Lon McCloskey MLS: Bob Denison, Gary Smith, Whit Kirtland & Lon McCloskey 4 exeCUTIVe dIreCTOr Ann Vernon dIreCTOr Of OPerATIOnS Randi Myers dIreCTOr Of MeMBer SerVICeS Shay Fortman august/september 2012 | florida yacht brokers association | www.fyba.org Boat ShOw tIPS 2012 Fall Boat Show Season Arrives Offering Challenges as Well as Great Opportunity It’s hard to believe, but the fall boat show season is once again upon us. While the U.S. economy remains mired in a slow, but steady growth pattern, many markets in Europe are in recession. Elsewhere, the once hot-growth Asian economies - especially in China and India - are beginning to show signs of slowing down. All this, naturally, is having an impact on worldwide demand for yachts and megayachts. While most FYBA members say the market is better than it was two or three years ago, especially in the charter segment, yacht buyers remain cautious. That means brokers have their work cut out for them as the fall boat show season approaches. As always, advance planning is key. Major boat shows, such as the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), which this year runs from Oct. 25-29, offer huge opportunities to generate sales and meet new customers. But you can’t just show up with a display full of hot offerings and expect prospects to flock to your booth. Now is the time to start reaching out to past clients and current prospects, and engage in some aggressive pre-show marketing and promotions. And, as Bob Saxon, President of IYC Yachts and current FYBA Board Member, suggests in the Q&A that follows, it pays to maintain a positive attitude. In addition to discussing IYC’s plans for the upcoming fall boat show season, Saxon offers some tips that the brokerage community might find helpful. fyBA: For this year’s fall boat show season, do you plan to display as many boats as in previous years, or are you cutting back? Saxon: IYC has exactly the same number of slips and display configuration as we had last year. We’ve not cut back at all. In fact, we have made numerous changes to our display that will enhance the boat show experience for our customers. fyBA: In terms of promotions, are you doing anything special this year to drive sales? Saxon: We’ve reached out to some of the emerging markets with our advertising, and we are running ads in local upscale publications in order to drive the affluent resident sector to our display. We tend to forget that there is a lot of wealth between the Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach regions and expect them to attend without prompts. We’re hoping this strategy will get them excited about attending. fyBA: Are you inviting more prospects to shows, especially FLIBS, this year? Saxon: All of our salespeople are inviting their “A” lists of qualified customers, but that is not a shift in marketing strategy at all. We do it every year.
The Monaco Yacht Show is one of the major events on the fall boat show calendar. fyBA: Overall, how has 2012 looked as compared to last year? Saxon: It’s a down market, according to the market analysis statistics disseminated throughout the industry, but we’ve seen some recent activity, and charter has livened up considerably. Chartering is often the entry portal, and we see this as a good sign. fyBA: Is the ongoing Euro-crisis having a negative impact on business? Saxon: There are so many factors impacting our market presently that I can’t point the finger at the Euro-crisis as the single element having an adverse effect. It’s become a cliché, but it’s all about ‘uncertainty.’ Our stock market has peaked out and well beyond where it was five years ago, yet high-end buying is somewhat drowsy. I feel that once we are past the Presidential election, regardless of the outcome, business will pick up because our clients will have a sense of certainty about where our country is headed, even if it’s a bitter pill they have to swallow. Nobody likes uncertainty. fyBA: What’s the most important advice you’d offer brokers right now heading into the fall shows? Saxon: Maintain a positive attitude and always speak to your clients in terms of their being validated for having the wherewithal to charter, build, or buy. They’ve worked hard to get where they are, and they deserve the incredible rewards that the yachting experience can deliver. Photo by Gary Beckett SPONSOrS platInum SponSorS ALLey, MAASS, rOgerS & LIndSAy, P.A. 17th Annual Yacht Sales & the Law Seminar wILLIS MArIne SUPeryACHT InSUrAnCe 17th Annual Yacht Sales & the Law Seminar MOOre & CO. weSTPOrT 2012 Annual Dinner 2012 Annual Dinner yACHTwOrLd.COM 2012 Events Sponsor SHOw MAnAgeMenT rOBerT ALLen LAw 2012 Golf Scramble 2012 Golf Scramble gold SponSorS SCOTT fInAnCIAL SerVICeS 3rd Thursday Broker Shows yACHT COnTrOLLer 3rd Thursday Broker Shows SIlVEr SponSorS fOwLer wHITe BUrneTT, P.A. 2012 Yacht Sales Summit HOwArd S. reeder, InC., 2012 Yacht Sales Summit BAnk Of AMerICA Annual Dinner Meeting (band) TOTAL dOLLAr InSUrAnCe 2012 West Coast Yacht Sales Summit BronZE SponSorS Igy MArInAS 2012 Charter Seminar BOAT InTernATIOnAL MedIA 2012 Charter Seminar dOUgLAS' yACHT SerVICeS 2012 Charter Seminar CONtACt US FOr SPONSOrShIP INFOrMAtION fLOrIdA yACHT BrOkerS ASSOCIATIOn 1550 S.E. 17th St., #1, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 Tel: 954.522.9270 | Fax: 954.764.0697 www.FYBA.org | e-mail: fyba@fyba.org www.fyba.org | florida yacht brokers association | august/september 2012 5
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