With boat show season in full swing, here's a compilation of reports from recent shows and updates from upcoming shows.
Channel Blade, a leading provider of online lead generation, lead management and sales education solutions, reported that Quicksteps captured, routed and responded to 6,127 sales leads for its clients at the Miami International Boat Show.
Quicksteps is designed to quickly and automatically capture, route and respond to leads in real time at boat shows and events. The easy-to-use solution enables exhibitors to remotely enter, view and update customer and prospect information.
Despite a drop of 26 percent in show attendance, Carver and Marquis Yachts experienced a lead increase of 16 percent compared to last year, according to Channel Blade.
"Quicksteps was an integral part of every sale," said Dick Nocenti, director of marketing at Genmar Yacht Group, in a statement. "Our salespeople immediately received the leads, which were generated at the Carver and Marquis greeting desks. They were able to locate their customer in the booth and take control of the product presentation in a very timely manner."
Fountain Powerboats and Baja Marine also used Quicksteps in Miami. The companies generated 1,391 leads in five days, Channel Blade reported.
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The Central New York Boat Show, sponsored by the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York, recently wrapped up a five-day run at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., and organizers are reporting a good turnout.
"We've been very pleased with the turnout," said Drew Wickham, show manager, in a statement. "Folks came to look, and many came to buy."
Wickham would not comment on specific attendance figures.
"Our association dealers stepped up, took space, and we had a sold-out show. They all helped with promotions, and most importantly they came in with positive attitudes, worked the show floor hard, and it paid off," he said.
One of the newest additions to this year's show was the Boating Information Center. The area was filled with state, federal and local safety and regulatory agencies. Visitors were able to find all the information they needed concerning watercraft and recreation safety in one place.
Wickham said next year's show is scheduled for Feb. 10-14 in Syracuse.
Everglades Boats is reporting "exceptional" sales of more than $3 million through the Atlanta, Atlantic City and Miami boat shows.
"We have made some very difficult but prudent decisions regarding labor and materials in the past few months to make sure we are prepared to meet retail demand when the market recovers," Everglades president Stephen Dougherty said in a statement.
"Our temporary suspension of production has allowed the retail markets to lower inventories in a few short months and has freed up floorplan dollars, allowing our dealer network to commence a normal flow of product," he added. "We will start a limited production crew beginning March 2 and gradually bring employees back as the retail markets continue to improve."
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The 23rd annual Hot Springs Boat, Tackle and RV Show is set for this weekend in Hot Springs, Ark.
The largest boat and RV show in the state will feature more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space with hundreds of boats and other items on display.
The show runs Friday through Sunday.
