Archive for February, 2010

Yes, Tina and I have started to assign booths for IBEX 2010. If you are a 2009 exhibitor who has NOT sent in a 2010 contract then Uh OH! The process is the same as always. Tina and I contact each exhibitor based on earned show points combined with NMMA member points. Everyone has to wait his or her turn. The process is slow going, but worth the effort because each exhibitor is allowed to select their own booth location. This is the perfect method because if an exhibitor picks their own location then two things happen.
1) The exhibitor is in control, and has selected a location that makes them happy.
2) We eliminate any complaints on-site about booth location.
There is nothing worse than an exhibitor who is unhappy with their booth location. Trust me, I know. I’ve been one! Our booth location at METS (our second favorite marine trade show) totally sucked this year! Our friends at METS stuck all the magazines in the new Elysium area, and didn’t think about traffic flow therefore, we had ZERO traffic. During METS we normally give away hundreds of Professional BoatBuilder magazines, but not this year. We had BOXES left all over, all because of this horrid location. We are hopeful that our friends at The RAI will correct this situation. So, be thankful YOU get to pick your location! It’s a nice privilege.

We just returned from another enjoyable trip to Louisville, Kentucky. My flight was only $200. on Southwest airlines. The shorter travel time to and from KY is wonderful. It took twice as long, and cost twice as much for me to get to Miami. Each time I visit Louisville, I like it more, and I am confident you will, too. This visit was for the annual meeting of the IBEX Planning Committee. The committee is made up of exhibitors and boat builders. This year we included the Maats Planning Committee as the shows will now be held at the same time. We had great discussions and many ideas were shared on how to make IBEX and Maats the best possible value and experience for everyone. If YOU have any thought on how to improve your IBEX or Maats experience, please post a comment here, and let us know. If you are going to complain about moving IBEX to Louisville, I suggest you wait until after IBEX 2010. You can’t knock it until you’ve tried it, and I am pretty confident you are going to like it. Anne D.