The Liverpool Boat Show

[Richard_A]

Originally Posted by buggedboy

In addition to that, the perception of the city nationally still needs a lot of work, so if they come here and are impressed, they will indeed be surprised.

We are nowhere near having a city where we can say, "I can't believe you're surprised, we've had all this for ages".

Maybe by 2020 or so..

Absolutely.

I definitely think a 'tipping point' has been reached whereby the inertia is now overwhelmingly in a positive direction regarding perceptions of the city. However, that takes time to permeate the culture and in the mean time, there is a lot of negativity still out there in other parts of the country. It may be unfair and in most cases its based on casual ignorance, but it is still a fact of life and will be for a while yet.

[Tony Sebo]

I agree. I also think any further improvements have to be built on things of substance, rather than marketing spin.

[Portobello Red]

[Babaloo]

Thanks for digging this out PR.

It demonstrates how to sell 'Liverpool' to a specific audience and how WHS can be used to economic advantage.

[bustcapl]

so can someone clarify, is this actually happening and how big do we think it could be?

[jets9]

Originally Posted by MR KITE

http://www.liverpoolboatshow.co.uk/

I think that website is one of the best professionally put together I have seen in some time. Must have cost a bit and shows real intent and organisation. It is coincidentally (not) just about the best piece of PR spin there's been about the city region in ages. Makes me very hopeful.......omg....that pr stuff is really addictive.

[yoshef]

Originally Posted by jets9

I think that website is one of the best professionally put together I have seen in some time. Must have cost a bit and shows real intent and organisation. It is coincidentally (not) just about the best piece of PR spin there's been about the city region in ages. Makes me very hopeful.......omg....that pr stuff is really addictive.

completely agree with you, a benchmark in how to sell the city.

[jets9]

The more you study this the more you realise what a BIG deal this is. Shanghai 2010 and now the boat show 2011. UK Metro leaders (and government placemen) would kill (and/or die and go to heaven) for similar development and PR opportunities.

I was lucky enough to stand at the Pier Head and watch the first heavy muck moving work on the Albert Dock all those years ago....all before you was industrial dereliction on an epic scale. In some ways its the culmination of 30 years work to kick the city into shape and (without over egging it) really justifies why scousers witter on about the Liverpool X factor. No city north of London or south of Edinburgh has it.

[eyesparky]

This is an incredibly exciting project ... really looking forward to it. I have long thought that Liverpool was the ideal location for this kind of event and over time this could really grow into a world class signature event. I particularly like that they are looking to use foreshore areas drawing people out towards other attractions on the waterfront and have thought enough to include the likes of water taxis to the marina, catering for the target market perfectly. So far seems to be a highly professional campaign and it will be interesting to find out how the exhibitors event goes tomorrow.

[Paul D]

Originally Posted by bustcapl

so can someone clarify, is this actually happening and how big do we think it could be?

Liverpool Boat Show will be best of its kind in Europe

Dec 3 2009
PLANS for Liverpool’s first major international boat festival were unveiled today.

Organisers believe Liverpool Boat Show will become one of the most “important and spectacular” shows of its kind in Europe.

It is hoped the inaugural festival in 2011 will attract 400,000 visitors to the city.

More than 130 boating industry leaders were today due to view plans for the show at the Maritime Museum.

It is hoped the 10-day event, from April 29 to May 8, 2011, will inject millions into the city’s economy.

Luxury yachts, motorboats, dinghies, waterskis and nautical equipment will all be on public display.

Veteran yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of the organising committee, said: “I had the pleasure of experiencing Liverpool’s love of yachts and all things connected to the sea through the Round the World yacht race, Tall Ships and the city’s Year of the Sea.

“The boat show will be staged in the very heart of Liverpool, in the magnificent surroundings of the Albert, Salthouse and Canning docks, the largest collection of Grade 1 listed buildings in Britain and one of the most architecturally stunning waterfronts in the world.

“We will use this unique historical setting to create a boat show unlike any other.”

The show has support from agencies including the city council, Northwest Regional Development Agency, the Mersey Partnership and Liverpool Vision plus cash from the European Regional Development Fund.

Rob Mackenzie, managing director of organisers Marine Industry Events, said: “Our target is to attract 100,000 paying visitors plus 300,000 non-paying visitors, creating a major new event on the boating calendar.”

Liverpool city council leader Warren Bradley said the show would capitalise on the city’s maritime heritage.

He added: “Liverpool is one of the top tourist destinations in the country and we will help the organisers deliver what will become one of the most successful events of its kind in Europe.”

[Pietari]

Originally Posted by jets9

I think that website is one of the best professionally put together I have seen in some time. Must have cost a bit and shows real intent and organisation. It is coincidentally (not) just about the best piece of PR spin there's been about the city region in ages. Makes me very hopeful.......omg....that pr stuff is really addictive.

Absolutely Jet,

--------------

For a long time now IPC Marine Media has recognised the strategic importance of the North as its boating communities continue to grow and prosper. The sheer vastness of the catchment area makes Liverpool a valuable location in terms of the potential for marketing to customers who previously have been less well served than their more southerly counterparts.

Simon Owen,
Publishing Director, IPC Marine Media


Liverpool is at the heart of a coastline rich in yachting tradition which is as yet untapped for an event such as this. It is the fastest growing region in terms of new marinas and sailing centres anywhere in the UK.

We will be mobilising the entire yachting and watersports community of the North of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland to ensure their support and engagement with the Liverpool Boat Show.

Liverpool itself has undergone one of the most dramatic and transformational periods of renaissance of any city in post-war Britain and is now the fastest growing economy in the UK outside London.

Retail spend and income are on the rise and the city is surrounded by an affluent stockbroker belt comprising parts of the Wirral peninsular, Cheshire and Lancashire.

Almost 2 million people live within half an hour's drive of the city centre, where investment in Grade A commercial office space has attracted increasing numbers of high value professional services companies.

Liverpool is also the third most important wealth management centre in the UK (Financial Times) and is the economic hub of the Liverpool city region - a £35bn economy, with 2.3m people, 1.1m jobs, 90,000 businesses and a 1.46m workforce.

Thanks in part to the city's phenomenally successful Capital of Culture, as well as its football and music heritage, the city's brand awareness overseas is second only to London's. Overnight visits are estimated to be in the region of 9.1m a year, with day visits running at some 62m.

Just three attractions in the Albert Dock - the Maritime Museum, Tate Liverpool and the International Slavery Museum - between them attract more than 2.5 million visitors every year.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

We knew that already

[Howie_P]

Liverpool Boat Show to be staged annually
Dec 4 2009
by Vicki Kellaway, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL’S boat show will become an annual event, injecting millions into the city’s economy every year, organisers claim.

City officials told 130 boating industry chiefs visiting from across Britain how Liverpool’s Boat Show would be a highlight in their calendar for years to come.

They believe the festival will be the most stylish the industry has ever seen, with more than 400,000 visitors descending on the city’s historic waterfront.

Liverpool council chief executive Colin Hilton said he was convinced the inaugural 10-day festival in 2011 would “generate a momentum we can continue into the next decade”.

The delegates were gathered at the Maritime Museum, where Mr Hilton said: “We believe this is an event that will establish itself very quickly. There is such an appetite for all things nautical in Liverpool.

“It shows just how far the city has come in reclaiming its maritime heritage.

“And we’ve shown in the past year how we get things done.”

Claims the spring 2011 show will set a new “style standard” are already being underpinned with plans to create several VIP islands in the city’s docks.

They will be accessible only by exclusive motorboats which will ferry potential customers to private viewings of the show’s most luxurious yachts.

But there will also be space for 300,000 visitors to enjoy the spectacle for free, with a further 100,000 enthusiasts paying around £15 for wristbands.

Veteran yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chair of the organisation committee, said Liverpool was the perfect place to host such a spectacle.

He said: “The river is in people’s DNA in Liverpool – you just don’t get that anywhere else.”

Visitors will enjoy everything from yachts and motorboats to dinghies, waterskis and nautical equipment. It is hoped workers in the city will also enter into the spirit during the week, with cheaper evening tickets available and stalls potentially open until 9pm.

Continues >>

[Babaloo]

Europe's number one boat show.

Happy Days (to come).

[buggedboy]

I actually think this wouldnt have happened if with hadnt have gone for Capital of Culture. It is the publicity of that event which really drove home that we can hold large scale events of this kind.

It is also bringing in high value individuals who might not have visited the city otherwise. It is these boat owners that run and manage companies. If we can impress them, then they will be more inclined to invest here.

Great news indeed.

I wonder, are we still getting it's non-commerical brethen, the river festival, or has that fallen by the wayside?

[Rock Savage]

Originally Posted by jets9

The more you study this the more you realise what a BIG deal this is. Shanghai 2010 and now the boat show 2011. UK Metro leaders (and government placemen) would kill (and/or die and go to heaven) for similar development and PR opportunities.

I was lucky enough to stand at the Pier Head and watch the first heavy muck moving work on the Albert Dock all those years ago....all before you was industrial dereliction on an epic scale. In some ways its the culmination of 30 years work to kick the city into shape and (without over egging it) really justifies why scousers witter on about the Liverpool X factor. No city north of London or south of Edinburgh has it.

Yes it is a big deal, and you are right that no other city aside London and Edinburgh has 'it' so to speak.

Originally Posted by eyesparky

This is an incredibly exciting project ... really looking forward to it. I have long thought that Liverpool was the ideal location for this kind of event and over time this could really grow into a world class signature event. I particularly like that they are looking to use foreshore areas drawing people out towards other attractions on the waterfront and have thought enough to include the likes of water taxis to the marina, catering for the target market perfectly. So far seems to be a highly professional campaign and it will be interesting to find out how the exhibitors event goes tomorrow.

It is ideal in many ways, not least because it is the only historic maritime port that is midway between the 3 main capitals of London, Dublin and Edinburgh and can be easily reached by all three.

The website and the vision is top class. It is no surprise that when we set out to excel, we often surpass expectations.

Our problems are created when we compromise and fall short. Everything we do needs to be that much better than the rest.

And is it a surprise that most of the ‘feel good’ projects seem to have happened at the same time we have fallen in love with the river / sea again?

[Rock Savage]

Originally Posted by buggedboy

I actually think this wouldnt have happened if with hadnt have gone for Capital of Culture. It is the publicity of that event which really drove home that we can hold large scale events of this kind.

It is also bringing in high value individuals who might not have visited the city otherwise. It is these boat owners that run and manage companies. If we can impress them, then they will be more inclined to invest here.

Great news indeed.

I wonder, are we still getting it's non-commerical brethen, the river festival, or has that fallen by the wayside?

Probably true about CoC. It is undoubtedly because we now have the infrastructure to go with the waterfront / docks which have been ever present.

The fact that we now have a world class conference centre, the arena also on site to cater for those requiring covers, and hotels such as the Hilton make such shows much more possible.

[Howie_P]

Thousands will get free entry to Liverpool Boat Show
Dec 4 2009
by Vicki Kellaway, Liverpool Echo



THOUSANDS of people will enjoy the glamour of the world’s boating scene for free at Liverpool’s first Boat Show.

Organisers are promising more than 300,000 people will be able to view the show’s attractions for free with a further 100,000 paying around £15 for wristbands to access the pontoons.

It is hoped the 10-day inaugural show will seize on the city’s increasing thirst for all things nautical.

Everything from luxury yachts to the latest boating equipment will be on display at the festival in spring 2011.

It is hoped office workers will also flock to the city’s waterfront after hours with cheap evening tickets and displays potentially open until 9pm.

City leaders and organisers met more than 130 boating industry chiefs yesterday to persuade them to bring their wares to Liverpool.

Council leader Warren Bradley told them the city had already shown its fondness for the sea with the Tall Ships, Clipper race and Queen Mary II.

Liverpool Boat Show 2011 will run from April 29 to May 8 and it is hoped it will generate enough momentum to make it an annual event – injecting millions into the city’s economy.

Veteran yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of the organising committee, said he was surprised the idea of holding a boat show in Liverpool had not arisen before.

He added: “This incredible waterfront is here, it’s just a case of telling the world about it. There will be something for everyone at Liverpool Boat Show and it will be spectacular.

“The river is in people’s DNA in Liverpool – you just don’t get that anywhere else.”

The boat show will use Albert, Salthouse and Canning docks with organisers promising a “show marina” built specifically for the event.

Source: Liverpool Echo

[Howie_P]

Back Liverpool Boat Show: says RKJ
Fri, 4 Dec 2009 | Richard Durham

Robin Knox-Johnston urges 130 leading figures



Sir Robin Knox-Johnston has urged more than 130 leading figures from the UK's boating community to back the new Liverpool Boat Show.

Sir Robin, who is chairman of the steering committee for the show, said the event would be held in the surroundings of the historic Albert Dock in 2011 and would attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Organisations backing the Liverpool Boat Show include Liverpool City Council, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Liverpool Vision, British Waterways, Albert Dock Liverpool, The Mersey Partnership and the new Liverpool Waterfront Partnership.

The show has secured major funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the support of key industry exhibitors.

More than 130 prospective marine industry exhibitors visited Liverpool to learn more about the show and its unique venue at a launch event.

Sir Robin said: "I have had the pleasure of experiencing Liverpool's sheer love of yachts and all things connected to the sea through my association with the Clipper Round the World yacht race, the Tall Ships event, and Liverpool's Year of the Sea.

"The Liverpool Boat Show will be staged in the very heart of Liverpool, in the magnificent surroundings of the Albert, Salthouse and Canning Docks - the largest collection of Grade 1 listed buildings in Britain - and on one of the most architecturally stunning waterfronts in the world.

"We will use this unique historical setting to create a boat show unlike any other, with the potential to become one of the most important and spectacular events of its kind in Europe."

The boat show will take place from April 29 to May 8 2011 and is being organised by Marine Industry Events Ltd, whose group portfolio includes the British International Motor Show.

The company's managing director, Rob Mackenzie, said: "We have already secured major interest and a commitment from some of the main players in the industry.

"Our target is to attract some 100,000 paying visitors plus a further audience of upwards of 300,000 non-paying visitors, creating a major new event on the international boating calendar."

Richard Hewett, Director at Clipper Marine, distributors for brands such as Azimut Motor Yachts, Benetti Motor Yachts, Bavaria Sailing Yachts, Bavaria Motor Boats, Bryant Sports Boat and the Clipper Storm 22 Trailer Sailer, added: "My recent trip to Liverpool shows what a great venue this will be. This is not just another boat show but provides access to a new market and new clients. We are delighted to be a founder exhibitor."

Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley said: "Liverpool is now one of the top tourist destinations in the UK and we and our partners have pledged our firm commitment to the show's organisers to help them deliver what will become one of the most successful events of its kind in Europe.

"Our experience as a spectacularly successful European Capital of Culture, combined with the city's compelling proposition as a commercial and tourist hub, means we are uniquely placed to deliver an event like this, capitalising on the city's unique maritime heritage and assets."

Lorraine Rogers, chief executive of The Mersey Partnership tourist board, said: "Liverpool can provide a spectacular setting for this ambitious event. It is sure to attract significant numbers of visitors to the city and our world-famous World Heritage Site waterfront. As the City Region's official tourist board and investment agency, The Mersey Partnership welcomes the opportunities the Liverpool Boat Show 2011 can create for the region."

Jim Gill, chief executive of economic development agency Liverpool Vision, added: "Liverpool has the proven ability to deliver major visitor projects. Our year as Capital of Culture saw the city's partners work together to manage global events such as the MTV Europe music awards and the Tall Ships, creating massive local excitement and delivering mass audiences and worldwide exposure."

Julie Sharman, Head of Regeneration North for British Waterways, added: "The South Docks is the perfect setting to hold this world class exhibition. British Waterways are delighted to be working with our partners to bring this event to Liverpool's world -class heritage waterfront which will see the docks animated with boats from all over the world showcasing Liverpool as a first class destination."

Sue Grindrod, chairman of Albert Dock Liverpool, added: "The Albert Dock is the most visited multi-user attraction in the UK outside of London with high profile attractions such as Tate Liverpool, Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum as well as The Beatles Story. With its mix of bars and restaurants, large and small attractions, the Albert Dock offers something for everyone and is the ideal location for an event of this calibre. We look forward to welcoming exhibitors, their clients and visitors to Liverpool."

Source: Yachting Monthly

[Paul D]

I'm really pleased we're adding another massive event to our cultural callender,this is exactly what was needed.

[Babaloo]

It would be good to have more water based competitive sports activities - sailing competitions (not just competitions between local sailing clubs), barge sailing, power boat stuff, wind surfing. There used to be a seaplane station between Rock Ferry and New Ferry - obviously the Tranmere terminal might create a few health & safety issues today but I wouldn't say no to a bit of seaplane action off Egremont. It's gagging for it.

There should be an annual Mersey swim. I would love to swim across the Mersey as part of a large group that was protected from river traffic and led by people who know how to avoid the main currents.