The evolution toward digital for the retail market took its largest leap forward yet in 2020, inspired, of course, by the pandemic and subsequent social-distancing requirements. In the boat business, market conditions continue to transform go-to-market strategies, as we enter what, for many, will be the first winter without in-person boat shows.

 

While this reality has befuddled many organizations, innovative thinkers and leading businesses will drop the complaints, protests and excuses and adapt their business models to deliver value for their customers and grow their market share.

 

Examples of that innovation can be found all around the marine industry already, from the immediate adjustments made by Woodard Marine with its online boat show last spring, to MarineMax’s full-featured approach to growing its business online; to one of the most recent, most innovative virtual boat shows we’ve seen at Big Thunder Marine. You can read case studies on these and other organizations in MRAA’s recently released Guide to Boat Show Success, a nearly 60-page publication on how you can adapt your business for the unusual boat show season ahead.

 

At MRAA, we’ve lived this scenario — being forced to adjust a large event in the covid era — and having come out on the backside, I can assure you, there’s a path to success. For show producers, exhibit sales will take a hit. There’s really no way around that. While you can get creative with sponsorship, you just can’t sell “bulk space” when the entire Internet is one giant, free convention center. But for those of you who measure success in sales and exposure to potential customers, the move to a virtual environment provides exponential growth opportunity at a much lower cost.

 

Take our Dealer Week event as an example. The in-person event offers an electric experience, where history shows it’s a great place to shake hands, meet new people, find new products and services, and catch up with old friends. The energy at our 2019 launch of the new Dealer Week brand was palpable, we were thrilled that we attracted nearly 600 dealership personnel to the event, and in our outlook for the 2020 event, we expected significant growth.

 

When covid hit in March, we knew that the likelihood we would host an in-person event had been compromised, but rather than complain or apologize or protest, we looked at it as an opportunity to expand our reach, to attract more dealers and impact a larger percentage of our industry than ever before. We embraced it, and not only did that shine through in the execution of the event, but we realized 77-percent year-over-year growth, and we eclipsed our three-year goal of attracting 1,000 dealers in the first year.

 

The 2020 boat show season will be different for you. There’s no way around it. Going forward, producers will transform the way boat shows will help you go to market. There’s no going back to “normal,” whatever that may have been. This requires you to innovate now.

 

I urge you to transform your thinking, embrace the change, and evolve the way you go to market. Yes, the pandemic has forced your hand, but you get to choose your response. Will you be a victim or a beneficiary of these market conditions? Your choice will set the stage for success or failure, not just in 2021, but long after the pandemic’s impact stops driving people to boating in record numbers.