Palm Beach Boat Show 2010: Signs For Optimism?
The 2010 Palm Beach International Boat show hasn’t even officially started yet, but already local media, in the form of the Palm Beach Post, is reporting that insiders at the show feel the industry is rebounding. Anyone tangentially involved in the marine business is looking to any kind of positive sign that the industry is [...]
An overhead view of the Palm Beach International Boat Show
The 2010 Palm Beach International Boat show hasn’t even officially started yet, but already local media, in the form of the Palm Beach Post, is reporting that insiders at the show feel the industry is rebounding.
Anyone tangentially involved in the marine business is looking to any kind of positive sign that the industry is on its way back. Is it? Who really knows?
The National Marine Manufacturer’s Association is expecting flat sales this year, on the heals of a near 50 percent drop since 2007. But in this economic state, flat is a positive. People in the industry feel that it’s hit bottom and there’s nowhere to go but up. And those that have survived are being much smarter in how they go about business.
One clear differential I noticed at the 2010 Miami Boat Show, the real industry bellwether, compared to the 2009 Show, is that industry people actually had optimism. And, though total attendance was down, a few people who showed up actually bought boats.
Then again, if you scroll down and read the comments on the above linked Palm Beach Post article, you may get a different picture.
