Bob Johnstone is a well-known name in Newport, R.I., a city that many people consider one of the sailing capitals of the United States, if not the world. He founded J/Boats in 1977, and it became one of the best-known sailboat companies in the business. He’s now a member of the National Sailing Hall of Fame, which also is based in Newport.
When Johnstone and his wife, Mary, decided to start building powerboats at MJM Yachts in 2002, the company quickly developed a following in Newport and at the boat show held there every September. “The boater base is one of the most knowledgeable out there,” says MJM senior advisor Christopher Hughes. Attendees at the show, he adds, “have owned many boats, power and sail, and are discerning in recognizing the higher-value brands.” Those discerning buyers have bought many an MJM model in the last 21 years at the show.
For some boatbuilders and dealers, smaller, more focused shows like Newport or the Annapolis sail and powerboat shows offer a better bang for an exhibitor’s buck. While shows such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale may have more of a wow factor due in part to their massive size, a smaller show can be just as productive when it comes to serious shoppers. “The Annapolis Sailboat Show is the most important event that we have in America for sailboats,” says Eric LeVine, director of Lagoon USA for Groupe Beneteau. “It’s the Super Bowl of sailboat shows, both in terms of the group image and in sales.”
A Targeted Audience
Including shows attended by MJM dealers, the manufacturer exhibits at approximately 10 to 15 shows a year, but “Newport is an absolute must if you’re going to be a premium builder in North America,” Hughes says.
The company is a lower-volume builder, so a typical Newport display consists of three to four boats. MJM doesn’t reveal sales numbers, but Hughes says it sells boats every year at the show.
Because most Newport attendees are experienced boaters, a builder needs to be smart when staffing a booth. In Newport, McMichael Yacht Yards & Brokers, which is MJM’s oldest dealer and has an office in the city, brings a knowledgeable sales force. “The quality of the McMichael sales consultant is the knowledge and experience,” Hughes says. “Combine that with the quality of the boater who attends the Newport boat show, and it’s a win-win situation.”
This year, the 52nd anniversary of the Newport International Boat Show is scheduled for Sept. 14-17. Show director Lisa Knowles says exhibitor numbers are up by 5% to 10% compared with last year. Displays will cover 16 acres along the waterfront, expanding the show footprint by adding displays in the basin south of Hammetts Hotel. There also will be more space on land for smaller boats. An expansion at the historic Perry Mill building is adding close to 65,000 square feet, which Knowles says translates to about 25% more boats on display than in 2022. Exhibitor count is also up by about 10%.
“We have much-needed room for trailerable boats,” she says. “Our attendee studies last year showed people wanted to see more sailboats and more smaller boats.”
The show has a $26.1 million economic impact on Newport County, according to a study conducted by Performance Research last November. More than 40,000 visitors attended in 2022, and boats on display had a combined value of $175 million, with sales totaling nearly $40 million, not including products, services, clothing and accessories. Hotels sold $5.3 million in rooms, and restaurants, transportation and retail goods were close to $1 million. The show brought in $4 million in state and county taxes, and there were 218 jobs created in the county.
One thing that Newport management doesn’t have to worry about is recruiting exhibitors. Knowles says the show has a 90% renewal rate, and she has turned away companies that aren’t relevant to boating. “What we have now, we try to keep it as clean and as focused as possible,” Knowles says. “If you’re not a marine company, product or service, we may call you if something pops up.”
Additionally, in-water space can get tricky because the show is held in a marina that services slip customers. “We try to make them happy, and many of them are seasonals, and they’ve been taking a slip for decades, so they know what happens,” Knowles says.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is the increased demand for electricity and Wi-Fi that come with modern boats and all their high-tech gadgets. “A 24-foot center console requires so much more electricity than it did 10 years ago with lights and electronics,” Knowles says. “If we had an unlimited budget, we might be able to improve Wi-Fi. Every year, we make a big investment in Wi-Fi.”
Looking at attendance, she says, the 2021 show had the biggest turnout in recent memory with a 10% increase over 2019. The 2022 edition matched 2021, and Knowles called that “an absolute win.”
Coming into 2023, she says the economy isn’t slowing sales. Like much of the Northeast, the biggest headwind to boating in the first half of the summer was the weather.
For educational offerings, the Newport show will have “Take the Helm” seminars presented by Cruising World magazine at the Marriott hotel downtown. “We also have the Newport for New Products debut program, but one thing we’re finding this year is that production is still tricky,” Knowles says. “Many boats are coming from Europe, and they need to be able to schedule shipping.”
For visitors who follow social-media influencers, the YouTube channel newportboatshow.com/youtube-stars-on-site/ highlights 13 boating enthusiasts who will be at Newport and posting daily.
Back-to-Back on the Bay
Annapolis Boat Shows hosts a total of four events. The two larger ones are the separate powerboat (Oct. 5-8) and sailboat (Oct. 12-15) shows at City Dock. This year, sailors are celebrating 54 years, and powerboaters are gathering for the 52nd time. Attendance every year is approximately 50,000 visitors for the two shows.
Sheila Jones, general manager for both shows, expects 550 exhibitors in sail and 475 for the powerboats. “Sail is a different animal,” she says. “We are the only all-sailboat show.” For 2023, Jones says, the sailboat show has 52 catamarans on the exhibitor list. She expects overall attendance to be up by 20% to 25% over last year.
Jones says she has a 90% exhibitor renewal rate for sail and about 85% for power, with no targeted initiatives to attract new exhibitors. “I’m lucky to not have had to,” she says. “We just use our status as an established show. People come to the sailboat show from all over the world.” Going as far back as 2014, the shows are estimated to have an economic impact of more than $110 million on the city.
Groupe Beneteau has one of the largest exhibitor presences at the sailboat show. Last year, there were six boats from the Beneteau brand, along with boats from the parent company’s other brands: five Jeanneaus, two Excess catamarans and four Lagoons. LeVine, the Lagoon USA director, says he’s expecting similar numbers but doesn’t have exact figures for the sister companies now that he’s taken over at Lagoon. Because the companies within the group are based in Europe, many new models make their international debuts at Cannes or Düsseldorf and then are unveiled to the North American market at Annapolis or Miami.
The approach works. When LeVine ran Beneteau at last year’s Annapolis Sailboat Show, the company sold more than 20 boats. He says Jeanneau, Lagoon and Excess had good outings, as well. “It’s an opportunity that lets us present the strength of the lineup in an environment that helps people think in specific terms about the way they’re going to purchase their new boats,” he says of Annapolis. “Over the past few years, Groupe Beneteau brands have made an effort to work in a much more collaborative fashion because we’re stronger together.”
LeVine says Groupe Beneteau plans its production so there are always boats for all the shows. The group has caught up somewhat with inventory, but supply-chain challenges linger. “It has stabilized, and we’re starting to see signs of improvement, but we feel like the downward spiral is finished,” LeVine says.
For the sailboat show, Jones expects about 15 social-media influencers, including Cruisers Creating Content. “It’s been interesting to watch how many people come to meet them,” Jones says. “It’s a whole new thing. When I first started, it was put out the magazines, do a little radio and do a little TV.”
For educational opportunities, the BoatUS Foundation does classes at the powerboat show, and Chesapeake Bay magazine has an instructional program. “We started something totally different, which is Cruisers University that goes on between the shows,” Jones says. “It’s a whole curriculum for people who want to go off cruising. We do a ‘Take the Wheel’ program.” It has four catamarans and two or three monohulls with individual workshops.
LeVine welcomes all guests any day of the show, but he recommends watching the breakdown at the end. “It’s a marvel of logistics, and it’s a great show,” he says.
Jones says the fall shows transform downtown Annapolis. “What we do that no other show does, we start on Friday before the first show and build our own marina with more than 400 floating docks,” she says. After the earlier shows wrap up, the other boats come in for the next event. “We have a great operations crew, and for 27 years, it’s always been ready.”
The powerboat show has a demo dock for boats, engines and products that have included stabilizer systems like Seakeeper and its RIDE pitch and roll system. One local dealer that reserves a large space at the powerboat show is Pocket Yacht Co. of Grasonville, Md. Owner and managing director Mark Schulstad grew up in the Annapolis boating community and says it’s important to show loyalty. “People want to know that you’re part of the community,” he says. “They want support. They need to learn how to use the boat. They need to know you’re going to be there for service.”
Pocket Yacht carries only Fluid Motion brands: Ranger, Cutwater and Solara. At the Annapolis Powerboat Show, Pocket Yacht has about 13 boats from 24 to 43 feet. “It’s a great place to meet clients and introduce yourself and your products,” Schulstad says.
Typically, he says, the dealership sells 15 to 18 boats at the show. He used to estimate that 50% of his annual sales came from boat shows, but now with social media and online research, it’s harder to track how much prepurchase research customers are doing. “When people come in and they did all the research online, that’s great, they’ve checked you out, they’ve looked at reviews,” Schulstad says. “But when you have an opportunity with someone who’s done some of that, you invest some time back and forth, and they meet your crew and sales force at the boat show.”
In addition to bringing salespeople to the show, he brings a technician or office personnel because he wants them to interact with potential customers, too. “I’m an old-school guy, and I still enjoy being at the show myself,” Schulstad says. “I think companies like Annapolis Boat Shows who are local to the community are important. I live in Annapolis, and I want to be part of the boating life in Annapolis.”
Knowles has the same feeling about Newport. “There is something about Newport and being a boater,” she says. “Whether you’re an exhibitor or attendee, when you walk through those gates, it’s your happy place because when you’re out on your boat, you’re in your happy place.”
This article was originally published in the September 2023 issue.
