No combined show on Gold Coast

The General Manager of the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show has issued a statement which, in part, repudiates the statement from organisers of the Gold Coast International Marine Expo last week.

In its statement, Expo said that it had moved its dates to align with two other big marine events on the Gold Coast, namely the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show and the Riviera Festival.

Expo chairman Patrick Gay said the concept draws on the collaborative efforts of successful events with established track records of attracting tens of thousands of visitors from interstate and overseas.

"The Expo is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when a competitive industry is prepared to work together toward a common goal," said Mr Gay.

"Now, as we move into 2015, we are presented with a very exciting opportunity – aligning the major boat show dates will enable Queensland to host a fantastic and truly international event that has far-reaching and long-lasting positive impacts for the state and for the wider boating industry."

Mr Gay said that Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show has been respectfully invited to join the industry-led initiative and the door is open for Mulpha to participate.

However, in its statement, SCIBS said that they were not correctly consulted and that the concept was not viable.

"The Gold Coast International Marine Expo’s announcement to stage its event on the same weekend as the 27th annual Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (SCIBS) is surprising, but will have no effect on plans already well underway," said Johan Hasser, General Manager for SCIBS.

"New dates for the Gold Coast International Marine Expo were presented to SCIBS late last week and we were told the new dates would go ahead, with or without us."

Mr Hasser added there will not be a ‘combined boat show’ as stated by the Gold Coast Marine International Expo in a misleading statement provided to their exhibitors yesterday.

"Logistically, there is no way possible for 40,000 loyal visitors from SCIBS to be transported, by land or water, to the Gold Coast International Marine Expo, but we do understand why event organisers would want to leverage off the success of SCIBS.

"Time is extremely valuable to the thousands of loyal visitors who come to our Show and they do make plans to stay for the entire day to enjoy the vibrant lifestyle, restaurants, bars and entertainment program that The Marine Village offers.|

"What is disappointing is that the Gold Coast International Marine Expo’s decision will force both exhibitors and visitors to choose which event they will go to for reasons of both time and money.

"This is a knee-jerk decision by the Gold Coast International Marine Expo and the ambiguous statement provided to their exhibitors yesterday presents a false perception that there will be a combination of shows, which is not true.

"The Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show is a premier marine event on the Australian and international boat show calendar. The Show is where the marine industries do business.

"It is business as usual and applications from exhibitors have been coming in strong since we opened registrations for SCIBS 2015 on November 6. We are already ahead of our expectations in terms of commitments from the expected 300 plus exhibitors in 2015," said Mr Hasser.

Mr Hasser said since the inception of SCIBS in 1989, the marine industry, Sanctuary Cove and Mulpha Australia Ltd have continued to invest and develop the Show and would continue to do so.

"Last year, the economic impact generated by SCIBS for the local Gold Coast economy and community was an estimated $148 million according to research conducted by the Gold Coast City Council," said Mr Hasser.