From the Editor: March 2006
My feet hurt, I've almost lost my voice and sunlight really hurts my eyes. It could be a mystery illness, but I think it's just the effects of 10 days at the London Boat Show.
Inside this issue you'll find 15 pages of show report, covering everything from the best boats to the most interesting gear. There was plenty to report on - and yet the doom-mongers are focusing on falling attendances and a lack of 'buzz' about the show.
Don't get me wrong - I can see their point. I may not have seen the prime years of Earls Court, when the crowds couldn't get enough of the Boat Show and the aisles were paved with gold, but I can see that this year's show was quiet. Attendances were down by 20,000 on last year, so something's wrong.
It seems to me, though, that the Boat Show is in transition. Exhibitors complain that the show doesn't attract a wide enough audience, but they don't do anything to entertain or encourage the crowds. The message is: if you're not buying, leave us alone - and that's exactly what the 'day trippers' are doing.
On the other hand, if Fairline can do £18.5m of business in 10 days, the show can't be quite the lame duck some people would like to make out. If the product is right, people will buy it.
Then again, who needs the boat show when you've got MBM's report? Buy the March issue to see what we thought of the exhibits - and save your feet the bother!
Simon Collis, 17 February 2006
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