Providence show attendance increases 10 percent
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Total attendance at the 2009 Providence Boat Show saw a close to 10 percent increase in attendance over 2009, according to show organizers.
“Saturday attendance is up by about 30 percent, while Thursday and Friday totaled just about the same as 2008. Sunday attendance saw a up-tick as well but, with Saturday always being the biggest day of the show, overall attendance is likely to be up at least 10 percent once all the ticket sales are counted,” Show Director Nancy Piffard said in a release.
The show “exceeded expectations both in attendance and sales,” the release quotes Steve Arnold as saying. Arnold is the Rhode Island Sales Manager of Bassett Boat Company
Sam Stiness of Bayside Navigation in Bristol noted in the release that the show offered a new program of providing free tickets to exhibitors to give to their customers, so he saw “many of our present customers come in and indicate that they wanted to upgrade their electronics systems based on what the saw at the show.”
The Providence Boat Show exhibits powerboats as well as small sailing craft, personal water craft and inflatables along with gear, technology, engines and electronics. The Show filled nearly 140,000 sq. feet of space at the Rhode Island Convention Center with more than 200 exhibitors. At the show, the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association also gave a presentation on the importance of the marine industry to the Rhode Island economy and offered career guidance in marine industry jobs.
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