If you plan to go to a boat show, here is a list of things to keep in mind to make the event more pleasant and productive.
DO: Order and print your tickets online ahead of time if possible. Could save you lots of time at the ticket windows at the show's entrance and there may be discounts available for online purchasers.
DO: Call your local dealer see if they have tickets available (this assumes you are seriously considering a new boat, either now or in the near future). Most dealers do. The price is that you will have to go to their exhibit and listen to a sales pitch, but that's the right thing to do; and you are in the market right?
Tom TrippIt's lunchtime. What will it be today? Some Cuban fare? Some alligator? The choices are wide and wild.DO: Bring cash for that $4 bottle of water and $9 plate of Cuban pork with beans and rice. Most shows don't let you bring your own food and, frankly, some of these shows have great ethnic-food booths. Enjoy it. Its probably the least expensive part of buying a boat.
DO: Remember the sunglasses, hats and caps and sunscreen. Even a sunny autumn day in the Northeast can make you wish you hadn't put all the summer stuff away so quickly. At a show like Fort Lauderdale you never don't need these things.
DO: Bring along a light backpack or canvas bag if you're a brochure-collector. The flimsy plastic bags passed out at the booths are only good for a couple of brochures. Heck, even the DuPont Registry publication, which advertises all those beautiful mega-yachts, ripped through its own bag before I was done with the show.
DO: Bring a small notebook and pen to write down questions, model numbers, names, phone numbers, email addresses and web sites. You are going to gather a lot of information in a hurry, so you want someplace to record it. Bringing your own business cards can also be helpful.
DON'T: Forget to pick up a show directory or map, or arrive without spending a few minutes planning a strategy. If you're a dawdler who stops everywhere, you might never make it to the one boat you really came to see. At a large show, you can miss whole areas that you did not happen upon. Plan. It helps.
DON'T: Pack the kitchen sink to bring with you. Even that poncho and the camera are going to weigh several hundred pounds by the end of a long day at the boat show. Ladies should leave the big purses at home and guys, stop asking them to carry all your junk.
DON'T: Wear bad shoes, or boots that are tough to get on and off. If you want to board the boats, odds are you'll be asked to take them off, so if you're not comfortable in your bare feet, wear socks. Also, while they ARE the coolest and most fashion-appropriate for a boat show, boat shoes may not be the best for a whole day or walking and standing. Think about what you wear.
DON'T: Lose track of your kids. Big shows can literally cover square miles. Establish a communication plan and rendezvous strategy if you separate and make sure your kids know how to behave around expensive boats and equipment.
DON'T: Be hesitant to fill out a customer contact card in order to board a boat that appeals to you. If you're worried about e-mail spam or phone calls, say so and ask about their policy. Consider writing on the form itself that you don't want to be contacted and don't want your information transferred to anyone else. But also realize that the boat salespeople are in business, and often need to demonstrate to their management that they talked to a certain number of customers. These contact cards are one way to prove that.
DON'T: Carry your checkbook with you. You will see some great "show prices" but unless you're at the end of your own personal buying process, a show is rarely the place to conclude a deal. You can almost always get that "show price" on a boat after the show, and you need time to think about what you just saw. Yes, there are some show deals that won't happen after the show, but we're not talking about buying a $500 refrigerator here. Buyer's regret on this scale will really hurt.
DON'T: Get too serious about seeing every single thing. Boating is supposed to be fun!
