The 2008 Providence Boat Show will bring together under one roof more than 300 bright, new boats at the R.I. Convention Center. About 25,000 attendees are expected and 1,700 merchants will be drawn to the city.
Faithful attendees to the event, which runs from Jan. 3 to Jan. 6, will notice something different: an absence of large-scale sailboats.
In the past, the Dunkin’ Donuts Center was used to accommodate tall masts of large sailboats. But owners of the largest boats decided that “the venue wasn’t working for them,” said show director Nancy Piffard.
The larger sailboats will still participate in the water-based shows, such as the Newport Spring Boat Show held in May and the Newport International Boat Show in September. “Being on the water is more their natural habitat,” Piffard said.
So the 2008 boat show will concentrate on powerboats “that appeal to the family cruising and fishing audiences, as well as [on] small sailing craft,” she said.
The 15th annual boat show, newly owned by the Newport Harbor Corporation and produced by the Newport Exhibition Group, is being held a week earlier than usual. The reason is to avoid scheduling conflicts with similar shows held in Boston and New York.
“The Boston, New York and Providence Boat Shows all share the same exhibitors,” explained Piffard. “If we didn’t change the Providence dates for an earlier slot, it would have really caused a problem for all three shows.”
Exhibitors move their staff and boats between Boston, Providence and New York – and begin the boating season with a consolidated bang.
“We have a gentleman’s agreement: no boat show will take the other’s dates,” said Piffard. So the Providence Boat Show made the concession, moving up their dates for what is billed as the first winter boat show in New England.
As in the past, the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management are partners with the show. Their involvement allows attendees to apply for registration renewals or memberships, and review new safety and legal regulations, all in one location.
“The perk to these partnerships is a convenience” for attendees, said Piffard.
In addition, the show will offer all kinds of information, equipment and supplies, including fresh water and saltwater boats, poles, lines and lures. Seminars from experts in the field also will be held, as well as the Bassmaster Casting Kids competition, which can provide up to $21,000 in scholarships.
Seminars range from “Ten hints for enjoying a trouble-free day of boating” to “What you need to know about R.I.’s ‘No Discharge Designation.’ ”
The 2008 show will be environmentally conscious as well.
“The increase of ethanol in gasoline is a step in that direction,” said Capt. Manny Perry, of South Hampton, N.H.-based Boatwise Marine Training, who is conducting a seminar on the use of ethanol for boaters. And while the addition of ethanol in gasoline results in more environmentally friendly fuel, “it can have drastic results for boaters who don’t treat their tanks with solvents or replace hoses.”
Show operators are taking steps towards having an eco-friendly event as well, including recycling the thousands of yards of white shrink wrap used to protect the boats during transportation.
“We’re even recycling the plastic name badges,” said Piffard. There will be a bin to collect badges at the show office, which attendees and exhibitors will walk past at the end of each night.
While the Internet has become a great source for boaters’ research, the show still attracts crowds that want to see and touch the products that will be on display.
“Attendees are very smart these days,” said Piffard. “But the boat show is where you capture the imagination of the buyer.”
Heidi Reid, second-generation owner of the 60-year-old Stur-Dee Boat Co., knows that boat shows connect her business to customers. Reid and her daughter, Mackenzie, run the small business out of Tiverton and do all the millwork, wood-working and hand-laid glass for each powerboat and sailboat they sell.
“They might not be able to get to the shop, or even find it,” she said, “but customers go to the Providence Boat Show.”
For large and small marine businesses, boat shows can represent 35 to 50 percent of boat dealers’ and manufacturers’ annual sales.
“We are the only blue-collar industry that has continually grown,” said Ken Kubic, chairman of the board at the RIMTA.
He cited two new major projects underway in Rhode Island: Island Global Yachting is building a new marina at Quonset Point, and across the Bay, O’Neill Properties Group is developing The Newport Club. With 1,500 slips, it will become New England’s largest marina.
“Every time you bring a boat into the state of Rhode Island, you create a couple of jobs,” said Kubic, “and that’s exactly what we need.” •
