EVERETT – Attendance at this year’s Everett Boat Show rose 34 percent, helping to guarantee it will be back in the community next year.
The Northwest Marine Trades Association is already making plans for a fourth show in March 2007, said show director George Harris.
“Not only were there a lot of deals made during the show, but a lot of contacts were made where boats will be sold in the coming weeks,” Harris said.
He estimated that $3 million worth of boats were sold at the show, held at the Everett Events Center. That amounts to nearly 100 vessels, Harris said.
About 7,160 people attended the show earlier this month. Last year, attendance was 5,353 people, significantly fewer than at the inaugural show in 2004.
Promoters for this year’s show focused on family-friendly events such as duck races, kids activities and free weekend day care to try to promote boating as a family activity. The average value of the boats sold during the event was around $30,000, Harris said.
He expects sales to continue based on contacts during the show.
Bob Hawley of Boat Country in Everett agreed.
“The contacts we make during the Everett Boat Show continue to drive sales throughout the summer,” Hawley said. “Sometimes people aren’t willing to buy at the show. But later in the year … we see them again.”
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