Free entry attracts the multitudes to Rosehill Boat Show

by Bob Wonders on 16 Mar 2009 No one would have predicted it, but the 2009 Rosehill Gardens Boat Show staged over the weekend of March 14-15 has attracted almost double the attendance figure of the 2008 edition.

And the reason?

For the first time in more than 10-years (when it was staged at and known as The Great Silverwater Boat Show) organisers the Boating Industry Association of NSW scrapped the entry charge.

Final attendance was 10,173 visitors through the gates, with 4667 attending on the Saturday and 5506 on Sunday.

Association marketing and event manager, Domenic Genua, said the 2009 show faced 'unusual circumstances.'

'The financial crisis is such that we did not know what to expect during our organisation of the Rosehill show, so we decided to try something different rather than simply sit back and hope for the best,' he explained.

'Our board approved the idea of free admission and it has proven an unqualified success,' he added.

So successful, in fact, that at 10am on the Sunday morning, one hour after the gates had opened, visitor attendance had equaled that of the entire ’08 show.

I have attended every show staged at Rosehill and there’s no doubt in my mind that it was the busiest ever staged; at times, one was hard-pressed to negotiate the walkways within the Rosehill Gardens Convention Centre. Shoulder to shoulder was the only suitable description.

Importantly for the Boating Industry Association, exhibitors were delighted and as Genua pointed out, a primary aim of the association is meeting its members’ expectations.

"The feedback I’ve received has been positive in every case,' he said. 'Apart from the excellent attendance, the volume of recorded sales has been a most pleasant surprise. Sales were made across all market segments in all market categories, from fishing tackle to boating accessories, tinnies to larger powerboats, it was a case of enthusiasm all round."

I spoke with several exhibitors and all presented a positive approach to the show and the market generally.

Ian Tricker, of TR Marine, admitted things were 'tough', but added, 'we’re surviving, we’re selling boats and we will be there when the market turns around as it definitely will.'

Jonathon Hunt, who bravely headed the Hunts Marine exhibition only five days after the tragic loss of his mother Barbara (Mrs Barbara Hunt, wife of industry identity and BIA Life Member Peter Hunt, passed away after a four-month battled with cancer), was another to see a bright future.

"We’re probably working harder than previously, but that’s not a bad thing," he explained.

"At the end of the day, we are making sales and that’s what it’s all about," he added.

Genua said the success of the show had 'spurred the motivation' of the association.

"Our general confidence has improved markedly and we now believe there’s evidence on tap that the Sydney International Boat Show may well give the industry the king-size shot in the arm it deserves," he added.