PROGRESSIONS …

Groupe Beneteau Announces Major Product Renewal and Expansion Plan

While most other manufacturers are scaling down operations and R&D activity, Groupe Beneteau recently announced major corporate expansion plans including the launch of 29 new models during the 2009-2010 boat season. According to a recent company press announcement, this aggressive initiative includes eight extended ranges and will upgrade nearly one-third of the various brands’ product offerings.

Groupe Beneteau’s collective brands include Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, Monte Carlo, Prestige and CNB, with more than 100 models ranging from 20’ to 60’.

Harken Launches New Sporting Wear Website

Harken recently launched a brand new website – www.harkensport.com – to house its new sailing and sporting wear.

According to Olaf Harken, the new website features a wealth of product offerings and detailed product information, coupled with a free, no-hassle return and exchange policy, optional registration and confidential customer information guarantee.

Cruising World Celebrates 35th Anniversary

Cruising World magazine has kicked off its 35th Anniversary with a bang, announcing a year-long celebration beginning with its October 2009 issue, which hits the newsstands late this month.

According to Publisher Sally Helme, the special commemorative anniversary edition includes numerous articles by longtime friends and readers that span sailing from the first issue back in 1974 through today, offering a mix of regular features along with plenty of nostalgia.

“We’re excited about it,” said Helme. “Next up for our 35th is a great web promotion and sweepstakes, called ’35 Days of Celebration.’ We’ll be giving away a cool prize – gear, clothing, etc. from our advertisers – every day for 35 days starting the week after the Annapolis Sailboat Show, culminating on the final day of Thanksgiving week with our grand prize – a week’s charter with Sunsail. Our friends at Sunsail are also celebrating their 35th anniversary, so the timing was perfect.”

Helme added that the anniversary campaign’s main theme is, “There’s Never Been a Better Time to Live the Dream.” In addition, she said other promotions and special themed issues are planned over the coming year.

Lats & Atts Claims Largest Online Issue Slated for October Release

Lattitudes & Attitudes Publisher Bob Bitchin started the online magazine viewer system for his magazine about a year ago and firmly believes it was one of the smartest moves he ever made.

“We’ve gone from 55,000 readers to an audited 162,000 online readers and 50,000 print readers,” he said. In August, 198,103 viewers visited the magazine site, with a new record of 8,894,408 hits resulting in 3,380,037 page reads. Bitchin reports the forthcoming November issue, due out October 15, will be his largest edition of the year, thanks to the increased advertising revenue generated as a result of the enhanced circulation.

The publisher is also conducting an exciting promotion as part of an online survey, the first the company had conducted in 14 years. Survey participant names will be entered in a drawing to win either a week-long Caribbean charter aboard a Sunsail yacht, or a brand new Catalina 12.5 Expo sailboat, along with a dozen other prizes.

Kenton Smith Wins St. Pete Show PR Account

Show Management Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President Dane Graziano recently announced the appointment of Kenton Smith Marketing to handle PR duties for the St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show.

According to Graziano, this is the show’s second contract with Kenton Smith. The agency’s previous performance last year resulted in a 35% increase in attendance, coupled with outstanding press coverage both within the industry and in the regional market.

“I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to work on St. Pete again with a powerhouse producer like Show Management,” said Kenton Smith. “Once again, we have a great deal to talk about and promote for the show, as there are many exciting components to share.”

EdgeWater Boats Manufactures New Dual Concept Sailboat

Florida-based EdgeWater Boats recently completed manufacturing of its first sailboat, the new Summit 35 Racer/Cruiser, which made its U.S. debut at the Newport International Boat Show.

According to Edgewater President Peter Truslow, the opportunity to build the new model resulted from its collaboration with Marine Concepts of Cape Coral, FL in cooperation with company owner Barry Carroll. The dual-purpose concept boat was created by Mills Design of County Wicklow, Ireland.

Edgewater was selected from numerous prospective manufacturing suppliers due to its proprietary Single Piece Infusion (SPI) construction process and its ability to handle manufacturing capacity requirements.

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