Marine Fabricator January/February 2023 - 46

Shop Talk Business
Marketing old and new
Finding new ways to market your business post-COVID.
by Krisha Plauché
I
majored in marketing in college. I
thought I was great at " packaging
an idea " and running with it. Now
that I have owned Onboard Interiors
LLC in Marblehead, Mass., for almost
20 years, I understand that marketing
changes with the world, and the marine
world is a unique market for sure.
Are boat shows still a mainstay?
Our business has had a booth at our
regional boat show for almost 20
years. We operate under the idea that
our business is a resource for boaters.
This show has been a mainstay of our
marketing plan, but right now, I'm
not sure about the value of in-person
boat shows. I have always been a big
proponent of boat shows, especially
at the local level. Show attendees
whom we wouldn't normally get
introduced to have been able to fi nd
us at this show, and these leads have
transferred into jobs year after year.
It has also been an important venue
for networking with the trade. Over
the years we've developed relationships
with local dealers and brokers
to " style " decor packages for the
showboats-all paid for by dealers.
COVID culture intrudes
And then COVID hit, and boat shows
were canceled. In the spring of 2022,
after two years off, our regional boat
show organizers brought the show
back, and I'm not convinced it was
a good idea. This show regularly
brags about the 55,000 people
walking through the door. But in
the aftermath of COVID, the entire
46 Marine Fabricator | January/February 2023
experience felt uncomfortable given
the masking, reduced footprint,
expense and general unease. I
came away feeling that attendees
had a bad taste in their mouths
and that maybe the show should
have been canceled and brought
back with a bang in the future.
Change is in the air
But will there be a " bang " in the
future? Given all the post-COVID
disruption and the effects of climate
change (IBEX 2022 was cancelled
due to hurricane Ian!), I'm not certain
the recovery of in-person boat shows
is guaranteed. Perhaps the future
will look more like what's happening
to retail outfi ts like West Marine,
which was sold to a private equity
fi rm in 2021. Many of its small stores
closed and have been replaced by
fewer, larger regional fl agship stores.
Will this happen to boat shows? Will
the regional shows be combined, or
will they break up into even smaller
events? Nobody knows the future, but
change is in the air and our marketing
strategies need to change too.
Think smaller and local
Our regional territory is New England.
For years I told customers that all we
needed was to measure the boat, and
then we could fabricate everything inhouse
and ship the items to wherever
our customers landed. However, postCOVID,
our circle has become smaller.
We are dialing down the distance we
travel and are servicing a wider range of
items to the customers we already have.
Marine Fabricator January/February 2023

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