Sail America Announces Plans for the 2011 Strictly Sail Pacific Show
Sail America announced that the 2011 Strictly Sail Pacific Show will be held at Jack London Square, Oakland, from April 14 – 17, 2011. Building on the success of the 2010 show, the 2011 all-sail format will run four days and feature expanded exhibit areas, many new special events, a new “demo-ride” area, and the added benefit of a longer, more extensive marketing and PR campaign.
“The Strictly Sail Pacific Show Team and the Sail America Board of Directors are dedicated to making Strictly Sail Pacific the premier sailing event on the West Coast,” said Sail America Executive Director Jonathan Banks. “Strictly Sail Pacific provides exhibitors with a unique opportunity to market their products to a well-qualified audience of over 12,000 attendees. With signs that the sailing market is starting to improve, this is a ‘must-attend’ event for any company that is interested in reaching potential buyers on the West Coast.”
Based on feedback from exhibitors and attendees alike, Banks noted that the upcoming show will focus on the following areas:
- More Boat, More Boats, More Boats: Goal is to work closely with boat dealers and builders to have more new boats on display, along with a few select brokerage boats.
- Bring More Youth To The Show: Producers plan to reach out to youth-sailing organizations and collegiate programs as well as expand the “Fun Zone” and “demo rides” for kids.
- Have More Fun: In order to create an active and engaged audience, the show will feature hands-on events and on-the-water demonstrations. The belief is that the more people on the water and into sailboats, the more fun everyone will have … and fun SELLS boats!
- Four-Day Format: The four-day format that was introduced for the 2010 show helped to reduce costs for out-of-town exhibitors and helped to save money to produce the show. Attendance to the 4-day 2010 show was identical to the 5-day 2009 show, proving that the same number of attendees come to a 4-day show as a 5-day show, with the advantage of greater traffic density for each day of the show. The consensus is that a four-day show in the current market conditions works to everyone’s benefit.
- V.I.P. Preview Night: A V.I.P. Preview Night will be held from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Wednesday, April 14. This will give boat dealers and manufacturers the opportunity to entertain their most important customers and prospects in a relaxed environment, away from the crowds.
- All-Sail Format: An appealing sail-only atmosphere has proven to attract a better quality audience than a combined sail and power show.
- Improved Seminar Program & Special Events: The local show committee will help identify and plan an even stronger seminar program and a series of special events for the show. The stalwarts and crowd pleasers will anchor the seminar series, along with fresh and innovative speakers and programs.
- New Marketing Initiatives: With more time to plan the show, producers hope to develop an entirely new marketing campaign that will combine the best of traditional media (e.g. radio and TV) with the latest social media and interactive tools. Marketing tools for exhibitors will also be expanded to maximize the marketing effort.
Contracts and a revised site plan will be distributed shortly. Show producers encourage members to send in your space application and deposit by the deadline to guarantee the best space at the show. As in previous years, Sail America members will receive discount space rates and preferential space allocation.
If you haven’t already renewed your Sail America membership please Click Here to sign up online or email Kimberly Tuchon at Kimberly@sailamerica.com to request an invoice.
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