FLIBS Ticket Prices...

The cost of attending FLIBS is continuing to go up while attendance continues to go down. This consumer shake down is only serving to hurt marine vendors who display at the show.

• Wednesday Preview Ticket — $70 per person.
• Adult 2-Day Preview + General Admission Ticket — $100 per person, valid for two days Wednesday through Sunday.
• Adult 2-Day General Admission Ticket — $77 per person, valid for two days Thursday through Sunday.
• Adult 1-Day General Admission Ticket — $46 per person, valid for one day Thursday through Sunday.

It costs vendors more money to attend these shows then the cost of the actual display space, which is VERY expensive. There's the cost of shipping show displays, airline tickets, car rentals, hotel rooms, etc. And your hotel room isn't just for the 5 days of FLIBS, you need to be there for a few days before the show and a couple of days following the show for move in / move out. Now you have to man (or woman) that booth every day for 5 days. These shows are a lot of work for vendors and thanks to Informa, our marine industry friends are getting far less exposure to interested consumers, both current and future.

There's a much, much bigger boat show going on every day at various boating websites but our industry is so steep in tradition that it can't see past the pages of a magazine. The automotive and aviation sectors figured this out years ago but the yachting industry is still stuck at 13 knots.

Be careful what you suggest, it might get you a one-way ticket to the exit door.

To further reduce exposure for marine industry vendors, FLIBS is not accepting applications for Influencers. Informa knows the internet is killing attendance but it's too late now, most of the pretend-to-be media kids with a YT channel already learned that covering the show doesn't produce enough revenue to cover the cost of admission.

We figured this out 15 years ago so I stopped doing live show coverage. The "view" meter runs during the show and stops immediately following the show. There is no long term value for the content. Instead, we compose news pieces on PRs being generated leading up to the show and publish them prior to show opening to help drive traffic to boat builder booths.

The only reason I go to FLIBS or PIBS is in sympathy of industry friends who have to work the show.

You make a good point, Ralph. Everyone has a smart phone. I don't think the Informa Police will be using ICE tactics but chasing away people that could give marine vendors more exposure for their dollar is going in the wrong direction. This show is for the marine industry to display their wares to people who have an interest, no matter if that interest is past, present or future. In person or virtual.

Instead, Informa is sending the message "if you can't afford the admission, you can't afford the product". Short of weeding out the credit questionable, they are undermining the very thing the show is intended for... to give boat builders and marine manufactures as much exposure as possible.

Let's face it, attendance has been down for years, now add in economic and political uncertainty, logistics of multiple venues, FTL traffic, pricey parking, waiting on shuttles, etc, and it's easy to see why online resources have exploded.

I should have more carefully worded that statement. Interest rates are more likely the reason for uncertainty but to that effect, the cost of new boats is also a contributing factor in reduced show attendance.