Following its arrival via email last week, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show consumer-satisfaction survey went from my InBox to my Trash in one swift click. I didn’t even open it. Much as I appreciated the effort by the event organizers, no matter how short the questionnaire, I didn’t have time to fill it out.
So I get no say in what happens next year. That’s only fair, right?
Plus, I am not the core boat-show customer. I am not in the market to buy a boat. Plus, I get to experience a slew of new ones all year, every year. So whatever novelty exists in seeing boats in a show environment doesn’t exist for me.
And though surprises do happen, I know what’s coming. It’s my job to know what’s coming, which is why Speedonthewater.com and Powerboatnation.com publish advance stories in the weeks leading up to the Fort Lauderdale and Miami affair. Whether that constitutes yet another occupational benefit or hazard, it takes the luster off the boat-show experience.
But you are the core audience. You go to boat shows to check out the displays and socialize with your like-minded friends and fellow visitors.
So what do expect from a boat show? What do you like about them as they currently exist? What elements could you do without? What improvements do you, as a boat-show customer, believe need to be made?
My opinion is well-established and no secret. I don’t enjoy boat shows. I do enjoy bumping into industry friends and readers. But for me, the fun ends there.
But I am one voice and definitely not the most important one when it comes to the boat-show experience. Far from it. But your opinion and suggestions matter.
And I’m eager to hear them.