Dallas boat show posts big increase
DALLAS, TX — The six-day Dallas Summer Boat Show and Sale, which ended July 26, experienced a substantial increase in attendance, and excellent product sales, according to organizers.
The first weekend of the show, which ran over two separate weekend (July 17-19 and 24-26), attendance was up more than 20 percent and the second weekend saw an increase of just under 20 percent compared to the 2008 summer event, organizers reported.
“The Discover Boating Texas campaign and the cooperative efforts with the NMMA Discover Boating campaign were extremely successful,” said Franklin Pillsbury IV, Dallas Boat Show Director of Marketing. “Launched earlier this year, the campaign, including the Web site www/discoverboatingtexas.com and special targeted television segments, was designed to encourage new younger families and sports enthusiasts to join the sport of boating. As a result, dealers reported seeing mostly new faces among the shoppers and report very few trades or “fall out” — both indicators that the attendees were new, qualified buyers.”
The show’s executive director, Bron Beal, agreed: “We had strong exhibitors and more traffic than in previous summer show events. Dealers were extremely pleased with the number of sales that ranging from power, fishing and pontoon boats under $20,000 to yachts priced at more than $700,000. Our dealers are optimistic that there will be additional sales as a result of the show.”
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