Sail America Close to Making a Decision on Venue for Strictly Sail Pacific
As reported in previous issues of Sail America News, the Sail America show team has been busy looking for an alternative venue for the Strictly Sail Pacific show in the event that the show cannot be held at the Jack London Square show site, which is currently under construction. A number of alternative venues have been explored in the Bay area and a potential show site in Sausalito looks promising.
“Although it is too early to make a formal announcement, we believe there is a possibility that the proposed show site in Sausalito may be available for the spring 2008 Strictly Sail Pacific show,” said Sail America Show Manager Kevin Murphy. “Jack London Square is still an option, and we expect to see the proposed floorplan from the Port of Oakland shortly.”
As a bit of background, Sausalito is a great destination location and each year hosts one of the largest art festivals in the country. The city does a great job supporting this event, providing volunteers for parking, cleanup crews, greeters etc. Sausalito is the most welcoming of the many locations visited and is eager to host the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show.
The proposed venue is adjacent to the Bay Model, which also hosts the art festival. There is over 90,000 square feet of available land space for tents, plenty of parking, a working boat yard nearby, and a variety of hotels, motels and restaurants for every budget. There is a 500-foot-long pier that is located directly in front of the Bay Model, to which temporary docks will be attached for the show.
“We have made great progress with the proposed Sausalito site over the past few weeks, but a great deal of work still needs to be done IF we are to pull it off in time,” said Murphy.
Some of the key actions necessary to have the show become a reality include:
Approval of the permit that has been filed with the City of Sausalito. A response is expected the week of October 29.
Approval from the Army Corp of Engineers, which is expected by Oct 26.
File the proposed floorplan with the City of Sausalito (week of Oct 26).
Finalize pricing for the docks and anchoring system.
Kevin Murphy to visit California the week of Nov 12.
Present the business plan to the Sail America Board the week of Nov 19. The Board will evaluate both options (Sausalito and Jack London Square) and make a decision on the venue.
Send out show contracts to exhibitors the week of Nov 26.
“We appreciate that the timing is tight and that exhibitors expected a decision and an announcement by now,” said Sail America Executive Director Jonathan Banks. “We are doing our best to find the best solution and long-term home for Strictly Sail Pacific. We believe that Sausalito is a great option and we are working hard to get the necessary approvals in place. In the event we cannot pull it off in time, we may still have the option to hold the show at Jack London Square for another year. Sail America is committed to the West Coast market and to building Strictly Sail Pacific into a bigger and more successful show.”
For more information please email Kevin Murphy at kevin@sailamerica.com or Jonathan Banks at jbanks@sailamerica.com.
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