The lights have gone on at Earls Court for the Whyte and Mackay for the Earls Court Boat Show, which runs from December 1 to 9.
The organisers hope this picture is going to fill us with nostalgia for the “good old days” at Earls Court. They say the boats have started arriving and the excitement is building. But just what will the new show have to offer?
It is becoming clear that as far as much of the marine industry is concerned, the London Boat Show is sponsored by Collins Stewart and happens at Excel, from January 11 to 20.
Earls Court clashes with the Paris international boat show, and that is where most of the production builders and major equipment suppliers will be focusing their attention in early December.
So Excel remains where most new products and new models are going to be launched for the 2008 season.
But the organisers of the Earls Court Boat Show are promising to “put the show back into the boat show” at its “spiritual home.” And doubtless there are lots of people who can't wait to be back on the balcony, looking down on the pool, or meeting their mates for a drink in the Guinness bar (or a dram of Whyte and Mackay).
Can the marine trade support two apparently competing events so close together, both costing millions to stage, and potentially splitting the audience?
The Earls Court event is promising a great day out for boating enthusiasts, with plenty of interaction and spectacle, and a chance to do some festive season shopping. But people more interested in new boats than poolside fashion shows may find Excel more to their liking.
The really interesting question is how many people will want to go to both.
