Strong Sales, Strong Attendance at Pacific SAIL EXPO®

 

For Immediate Release

STRONG SALES, STRONG ATTENDANCE MARK 9TH PACIFIC SAIL EXPO --- Consumers and Exhibitors Tout Benefits of Buying and Selling at Large Regional Show

April 21, 2004 -- Strong sales and strong attendance marked the 9th annual Pacific SAIL EXPO (PSE), the largest sailboat show on the West Coast that concluded Sunday, April 18 at Oakland`s Jack London Square. Some 13,000 people attended the five-day event, which represents a 7% increase over last year`s attendance. This crowd also proved to be a buying public: several exhibitors left the show with sales that set a new company record.

"There was a much stronger buying climate this year," said Pat Garfield, owner of Farallone Yachts in Alameda (Calif.) "For us, this show was the best we`ve ever had, in terms of sales." As a dealer for Catalina, Farallone Yachts closed on 15 new-boat orders at the show with customers in their northern California region. Garfield`s assessment of the buying climate is based on two key things: her end-of-show sales figures, and what she sensed as a mood swing: "There seemed to be a sense of urgency, a sense that people wanted to fulfill their dreams now--not wait until they retire."

According to Scot West, executive director of Sail America, exhibitors and consumers alike classed this year`s show as a homerun.

"PSE 2004 was everything the industry and sailing public expects from a SAIL
EXPO: an activity-filled, five-day festival of sailing," said West. "This was a great show. We had increased attendance, strong sales reports from boats and accessories, an improved show layout--and lots of fun for everyone involved."

Bruce Brown of Bruce Brown & Associates, a Costa Mesa company that represented 11 manufacturer lines at the show, met what he described as a "very knowledgeable buying public" whose purchases well exceeded his forecasts for the show.

"This was the second-best SAIL EXPO we`ve ever done," said Brown, whose company handles marine hardware and safety accessory product lines. But for Brown, second-best is "phenomenal," for the only show to top that record was a Pacific SAIL EXPO held at the height of the dot-com era.

PSE 2004 drew an international group of over 300 exhibitors. Comments from consumers and exhibitors touted the strong benefits of buying and selling at a large regional show.

Consumers appreciated the chance to meet product experts from factories and boat yards, as well as the opportunity to do valuable comparison shopping.