2007 Seattle Boat Show - What’s the Plan?

Now that the 2006 Seattle Boat Show is over, the biggest question around here is “What’s the plan for next year?” What everyone really is asking is… “What about the Seahawks and the playoffs?”

Last month, the Boat Show Committee and the Board of Trustees looked at the “Seahawks Issue” from every conceivable angle and came up with a plan. But before I share that with you, I’d like to back up and do a scene set.

The Seattle Boat Show has shared a venue with the Seattle Seahawks since the completion of the Kingdome back in 1976. The long-timers know that there was only one year, back in 1984 where there was a near collision, but it was avoided at the last minute.

When the Kingdome was torn down and we entered into a five-year lease agreement with the new facility (now known as Qwest Field Event Center) the NMTA leadership at the time requested show dates that were essentially in the middle of January. I am told reasons included: a desire to have the show earlier rather than later in the month, maintaining what were considered the “traditional” Seattle Boat Show dates and what was perceived as a minimal risk of a conflict with the Seahawk playoffs.

Given that decision, the staff at Qwest Field went ahead and booked other events in and around the Boat Show dates.

After the 2004 Seattle Boat Show, we signed another five-year agreement with the building keeping our traditional dates. At that point we had no other options because the building was now fully booked during the winter months and still no direct conflict with the Seahawks.

But later that year, during the 2004 NFL season it became apparent that our 2005 Seattle Boat Show could be impacted if the team had a winning season. At the last minute, the team ended up making the playoffs, losing in the first round. We dodged a bullet but the handwriting was on the wall.

Last fall, with no other options and a signed contract for dates through the 2009 Seattle Boat Show, all of us watched the Seahawks have their best season in franchise history knowing that too many wins could wreak havoc with plans for our 2006 Boat Show.

The rest is history. We all know what happened. We had to change our dates on three weeks notice and plan for either an eight or nine day show compared to our normal 10 day show. We opened the show without even knowing how long the show would run. On day three of the show, when Tampa Bay lost to the Redskins, we knew that we would end up with an eight day show.

Looking in the rear-view mirror I think all of us (exhibitors, friends, families, media, staff and attendees) did the best we could with the hand we were dealt. Attendance was just shy of 55,000 people compared to the 70,000 + we have been getting with our 10 day shows in the past few years. Many exhibitors did well. Some did great. Some missed their sales goals. Some were happy we had an eight day show. Some were disappointed we had an eight day show without the closing weekend.

Once the show was over (regardless of how it turned out for individual exhibitors) the association’s volunteer leadership knew they had to answer this question: “What should we do in the future to maximize the success of the show?”

As it turns out, we had some scheduling options that were not on the table three years ago when we signed the extension to our lease agreement. We learned that we could move the show one week later starting in 2007; we also learned we could move the show two weeks later. We also had the option of sticking with our traditional mid-January dates in our existing lease agreement. Each of the choices had pluses and minuses.

After a great deal of discussion and debate, the Boat Show Committee made a recommendation to the Board, which was adopted unanimously at the February Board of Trustees Meeting. The result: we are going to move the show two weeks later starting in 2007. The show will open on Friday, January 26… which means there is no way that the Seahawk season can impact the dates of our show over the remaining years on our current lease. This gives us “date certainty” which the Board of Trustees felt was necessary now that we have lived through a football season of uncertainty.

By moving the show two weeks later, we come up against another challenge. We have to move out the show faster than ever before because the RV Show starts right after our new dates. That means we will have to change how we layout the show (especially in the West Hall) how we move-in, and how individual booth layouts are done and how boats are placed on the floor so we can move out before the RV Show moves in.

The length of the show will be determined by how creative we can be in planning the show move-out. If we can come up with new systems and programs over the next few months, then the 2007 show will run the full 10 days ending on February 4. Otherwise, the show will end a day earlier. We learned this year that we can move out the North Hall, the East Hall and the Concourse in a shorter time that we did in the past. The real question is our ability to move the West Hall out significantly faster than ever before.

We have a lot of work to do between now and June when applications are sent to the membership for the 2007 Seattle Boat Show. The length of the show will be finalized before then.

I am confident that the Board of Trustees made the best possible decision by moving the show two weeks later. I think that the public and our exhibitors were willing to give us the benefit of the doubt this year with the great Seahawks season, but I think they would expect us to avoid taking the same risk every year.

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to read this lengthy explanation. The Seattle Boat Show is vital to more than 500 of our members who exhibit in the show each year. It is also the economic engine for the association. Taking care of the Seattle Boat Show and our “brand” is one of the most important things we can do in our goal to grow recreational boating in the Pacific Northwest.

With warm regards,

Michael Campbell
President
michael@nmta.net