Council looks to salvage something from Boat Show wreckage

THE prestigious new Boat Show planned for Liverpool has been called off just two months before it was due to launch.

The show’s organiser, Marine Industry Events, announced the 10-day show’s cancellation, blaming poor market conditions in the leisure marine sector for a slow take-up in exhibitor space at the event.

Rob MacKenzie, managing director of Marine Industry Events, said: “The failure and the financial loss and its consequences is MIE’s to bear alone, but it is better to cancel the show to protect Liverpool’s reputation rather than to allow exhibitors who booked in good faith and visitors who would have travelled from all over the country in expectation of the participation of brands who’d made late decisions not to take part.”

The decision will be a blow to tourism chiefs at The Mersey Partnership, which only two weeks ago pledged £200,000 towards a joint marketing initiative for the show.

TMP’s chief executive, Lorraine Rogers, said the amount being committed was the largest it had ever contributed to a single event campaign, as it sought to capitalise on an event that was due to bring in around 400,000 wealthy visitors.

The publicity drive was due to start later this month with an advertising campaign in the national media.

Liverpool City Council leader Cllr Joe Anderson has called a summit meeting for next Monday (21st) to be attended by tourism and maritime chiefs. The council said that it has already been approached by several organisations offering to run maritime events during the same period, and is currently considering running a number of these during the period from April 29 when the Boat Show was originally due to run.

Cllr Anderson said: “It is important that we pull out all the stops to minimise the economic impact of the boat show being cancelled. It was only one of a number of maritime events being planned and we need to look how we can work with other organisations to expand these to boost our tourism economy.”

Liverpool Vision chief executive Max Steinberg said: “A quick response is needed because we want to mitigate the economic impact on the city’s hotels and shops.

“We are receiving widespread support from the maritime industry and other related businesses and there is a real will to ensure the waterfront is vibrant and fun during this period.

Frank McKenna, chairman of Downtown Liverpool in Business said the cancellation was bad noews for the city’s leisure sector.

“However, we do have two other major Maritime events to look forward to this year, and I know Liverpool Vision is exploring alternative activities to replace the Boat Show.

“The other positive is that the organisers have acknowledged that it is simply the existing economic climate that has forced them to abandon the Liverpool event this year.

“They have indicated that the city will be used as a venue in future years, and I am sure the relationships and work that has been done in preparation for the 2011 project will stand us in good stead when the Boat Show does launch in Liverpool in the future.”