2014 Gold Coast International Marine Expo- Another outstanding success

by Emma Milne on 21 Oct 2014 The Australian marine industry is singing the praises of the fourth annual Gold Coast International Marine Expo, reporting strong sales and even greater prospects in the lead-up to summer.

Expo Marketing and Event Manager Emma Milne says feedback from exhibitors was extremely positive, indicating the event had achieved its objectives of boosting the marine industry, raising money for charity and providing visitors with a timely and memorable opportunity to get everything they need to have fun on the water this summer.

'Based on exhibitor feedback, the total sales at the Expo alone would certainly be in the order of tens of millions of dollars,' she said.

'We are very happy with this year’s event and we are justifiably excited about its future – we are now in our fourth year and our massive showcase of all things aquatic keeps getting better and better.

'This year we had over 220 exhibitors which is up 10 per cent from last year, and over 60 new boat and product releases.

'Also this year we laid an orange line to guide people through the 3km display circuit and a lot of people were saying how helpful that is to make sure they don’t miss a thing.'

Ms Milne said the massive array of live entertainment and demonstrations every 15 minutes also proved popular across the 3km display circuit, including the McDonald’s Extreme High Diving Show and the Jetovator and Hoverboard demonstrations.

'Visitor numbers at this stage are almost on a par with last year – and that’s very encouraging given that this year we decide to introduce a ticket price to help raise funds for the from our chosen charities which provide an army of volunteers to make the event the success that it is.

'The fact is we could not hold the Expo without those volunteers so it’s great to be able to give back and most of the people I spoke to understand. The Expo is still the most affordable boat show in Australia and also one of the largest and I think our focus of family fun works a treat because the marine leisure industry is all about families and memories to treasure for a lifetime.'

The 2014 Gold Coast International Marine Expo beneficiary charities are the Rotary Club of Coomera River, Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation, Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Rescue Service and Sailability Gold Coast.

Peter Dyer from RIB Force said there was phenomenal interest in the powered snorkeling and diving propulsion unit, the Sea-Doo SeaScooter.

'One nice gentleman came in and bought three,' he said. 'He’s in for a great summer,' he said. 'Expo was a great chance for us to reinforce to a huge number of people that we don’t just sell tenders and motors, we sell a lifestyle and enjoyment of boating. The fact is most people spend 97 per cent of their time at anchor so our focus is on making that time as enjoyable as we can.

'We had terrific interest from the public because the SeaScooter is so affordable and that 'Finding Nemo' underwater experience is now within everyone’s reach, but even more encouraging is the fact we are now talking to boat syndication companies about putting the SeaScooter on their fleets.'

Greg Hill from Cape Marine reported strong international interest in his tough custom-built shallow draft Semac vessels, with approaches from pearl farmers in Tahiti, oil and gas companies in Burma and even mining and security companies from Papua New Guinea.

'I’m genuinely impressed,' he said. 'I’ve reached ‘general arrangements’ to sell five of these boats, some of which will be flown in to remote regions by helicopter,' he said.

'I’m probably the only commercial boat exhibitor from 599 boat displays here at Expo and I had a fantastic result for my first time as an exhibitor.

'I’ve also really enjoyed the opportunity to network with my suppliers – it’s far better than talking with them over the phone and they’ve been able to share product information with me that will really help my customers to customise their boats.'

Iconic Australian boat-builder Riviera confirmed the sale of two boats – a 5000 Sport Yacht to be delivered by Christmas and a 50 Enclosed Flybridge and we have several sea trials booked this week for the new 6000 Sport Yacht, which made her Queensland premiere at the Expo.

'We’ve already had seven forward orders for the 6000 Sport Yacht which made her world premiere only two months ago,' said Riviera’s Stephen Milne. 'She makes her United States premiere at Fort Lauderdale in two weeks and we are confident the 6000 will be just as popular there.

'The fact is that luxury yacht owners do a lot of research before they purchase so Expo is a great opportunity for us to showcase our range of beautiful yachts to genuine buyers, the general public and also the families of our passionate 430 master craftsmen and team members.'

Jeff McNiven from JSW Powersports said it would take several weeks to establish just how successful his Expo display had been, but there were over 15 new Sea-Doo personal water craft owners after the Expo.

'I have to sit down with my team tomorrow to get the final numbers but we also have a boat display and it will take us a couple of weeks to get through the sea trials and for our customers to sign on the bottom line,' he said. 'We’ve got a busy few weeks ahead of us but it’s been well worth it and we will certainly be back next year.'

Keith Hanson from Whitehaven Motor Yachts also vowed to return next year after strong interest in his world-release 6000 Flybridge.

'Expo is where we came to exhibit and we selected it because of its growing success. We have some sea trials lined up so I’m really happy overall there’s been a lot of interest,' he said.

Stuart Smith from United Motor Yachts at Hope Island said he was very happy to have sold a Fairway 37 Flybridge at Expo, and encouraged to be talking to existing faithful owners who are now back in the market for a new boat.

'Some of our prospects have been quiet for a few years and now they are back, so that’s very encouraging,' he said. 'We have several sea trials of our new Fairway 43 this week and I’m very confident she will be snapped up as a result of us showing here at Expo.'

Rex Scott from VMR Southport said the Expo was a terrific opportunity to raise funds, and also encourage new volunteers to join.

'Membership is a big thing for us too because we rely so heavily on fund-raising and volunteers,' he said. 'We do it for the love of it – we haven’t had a pay rise in years!'

Jason Lee from Noble Boats International said his range of inflatable stand-up paddleboards were a huge hit with visitors, who loved the idea of being able to go from backpack to beach within minutes.

'We have some strong leads and we expect to sell quite a few more after the Expo,' he said. 'The media exposure we got certainly helped – we’ve had enquiries from right across Australia.'

John Moyle from Jet Ski World, which premiered the fastest production Jet Ski ever built at Expo, the Kawasaki 310R, said he had sold several jet skis to people who had inspected the new release and came back to inspect it again before deciding to buy.

'I guess we will know exactly how well we went next week – a lot of people will see the jet ski here and then go home and think about it, talk it over and then come into the shop to buy it.'

Brett Flanagan from Integrity Motor Yachts – which, at the Expo, had its biggest ever display – said there was strong interest in the 320 Express, which made her world premiere at this year’s event.

'We have sea trials of our 320 Express and our 380 Flybridge lined up and we sold a 340 Sedan,' he said. 'I’m really happy – our customers are baby boomers who like to make well-considered decisions and I feel we have many genuine prospects come out of this year’s event.'

And that’s just a sample of the positive feedback from exhibitors.

Huge crowds gathered around the McDonald’s Extreme High Diving Show, which saw former world champion Steve Black perform his triple somersault from the dizzying height of 25 metres, and also each time the Jetovator and Hoverboard took to the water.

Bart Beek’s celebrity chef cooking demonstrations were also very popular at the Club Marine stand, while the gourmet food court was packed with people enjoying all the fine fare and live entertainment the event had to offer.

The Waterlife Restaurant and Riviera Yacht Club were also well-patronised, while the Yamaha Super Tank fishing demonstrations drew crowds of avid angler.

As for the factory tours, demand was so strong for the Riviera factory tours that two mini-buses were hired to supplement The Riviera Express train ride, with a total of almost 1800 people taking the fully narrated tour of the largest luxury yacht-building facility in the Southern Hemisphere, with all proceeds being donated to the Expo’s main beneficiary charities.

The tours of aluminium boat-builder Quintrex on Friday and Saturday, and of TAFE’s Gold Coast Marine Training Centre also proved very popular throughout the Expo, with scores taking the opportunity to learn how a Quintrex is crafted, and how TAFE is supporting the next generation of boat-builders.

Dates for the 2015 Gold Coast International Marine Expo will be announced shortly.