Steve Conlon, preparing for the Allianz Boat Show
The marine industry puts its wares on display at the Dublin Boat Show at the RDS next week. The show is hosted by the Irish Marine Federation, and its research and development officer, Steve Conlon, is putting some finishing touches to the event.
Conlon expects up to 25,000 visitors; they'll be coming to see 150 exhibitors in areas such as diving, angling and extreme sports, as well as seminars on water safety. But boats are the star attraction. "People have a romantic attraction to boats, and they look particularly beautiful when out of the water. We have a huge range: everything from large power boats - some up to 40ft-plus [ 12m-plus] - to some very fine sailing boats. They say every time a boat moves, 80 people are watching, and that will certainly be the case this week."
So what are the last-minute tasks? "We have to organise press conferences for visiting journalists and co-ordinate meetings with travel agents, plus we would expect a Minister or two to show up. There are also the logistics of setting up the stallholders. The next few days will be hectic."
The most onerous task is getting 84 boats - some worth as much as €500,000 - in and out of the RDS. "We have been planning it for weeks, but it starts in earnest today. Transporting them to Ballsbridge by road has to be planned in minute detail. The boats come from all over - the Netherlands, France, the US and Germany - and, as space is limited, they have to arrive in a carefully organised schedule. We have a lifting company from Athlone doing the work, and two of the largest mobile cranes in Ireland."
Do people buy boats at these events? "Absolutely. Quite often you get people putting a deposit down. At the last event, someone who arrived half an hour before the show ended picked a boat and towed it out that evening. It happens. Boat sales are worth about €50 million per annum in Ireland, so it's a huge market."
The Allianz Boat Show runs from Wednesday until Sunday. See www.dublinboatshow.com or www.allianzdirect.ie