2007 BOAT SHOW

Another London Boat Show has been and gone, the fourth to be hosted at ExCeL, sponsored this year by Collins Stewart. 

As for previous shows RoDMA was responsible for co-ordination and implementing the arrival and departure of many of the vessels on display at the show, some inside the exhibition halls, and again on the impressive marina constructed on Royal Victoria Dock fronting ExCeL. 

A large number of boats allotted space in the exhibition halls arrived before Christmas, with locking-in times programmed over two days, craned out of the water onto massive transporters and manoeuvred into their stands. Vessels manufactured  by Azimut, Sunseeker, Princess, Oyster and Fairline were all in evidence.

The post-Christmas arrival programme opened when we welcomed Commander Mark Newland and HMS St Albans to the Royals. A Type 23 Frigate, HMS St Albans is the sixteenth and final ship in the ‘Duke’ class of frigates, and was involved in the evacuation of civilians from war-torn Beirut last July. She hosted several high profile receptions, lunches and dinners on behalf of the Boat Show organisers, and was open daily to the public, receiving over 15,000 visitors. 

Ten narrow boats and crew from the St Pancras Narrow Boat Club repeated their annual pilgrimage to the show, and had the added experience of locking-out with HMS St Albans. 

Early January and RoDMA locked-in the marina vessels, with large and small sailing craft, yachts and motor cruisers, representing most of major manufacturers.

Sunseeker unveiled their largest ever yacht, a 37 metre luxury super yacht. 

Princess, Simco Yachts and Azimut  were well represented, along with a number of smaller craft, catamarans, a Dufour and other sailing yachts, and a RNLI Lifeboat.

The exit programme after the end of the show was implemented successfully. The frigate left ExCeL before London City Airport opened and then moored in King George V Lock until the time of high water in the River Thames. The marina boats departed en-masse over two days, carefully co-ordinated with London City Airport. The final group were the exhibition hall vessels, taking advantage of the regular closure of the airport to depart over a weekend. 

Early reports point to a successful show, with in excess of 130,000 visitors, exhibitors indicating increased sales, a strong international presence among visitors, and support for the new interactive features on offer this year. 

We now look forward to 2008.