Providence show adds consignment section

Posted on 24 October 2011

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For the first time, the lower level of the Rhode Island Convention Center will be a place for Providence Boat Show attendees to search for bargains and for the trade to add to its immediate bottom line.

On Jan. 14 and 15, the space will be available exclusively to boat dealers, boat and fishing equipment retailers, boatyards, marinas and others in the trade to sell new marked-down items and after-holiday specials or used boat gear.

As an anchor to the space, Rhode Island’s Clean the Bay will be offering hundreds of boating products donated by others in the trade, with proceeds from their booth sales going to further the group’s work of keeping coastal waters free of shoreline debris, organizers said.

Exhibit space on the ground level of the convention center will be available in 10-foot-by-10-foot blocks for $200, or $100 for each space if the vendor also has a booth on the main floor of the show.

The show is traditionally New England’s first of the year. It features more than 300 boats and more than 100 booths with electronics, engines, accessories and services. The show generally attracts more than 20,000 visitors.

The 19th annual Providence Boat Show runs Jan.12-15.

Comments

2 Monday, 24 October 2011 19:03

By Clay Hansen

It seems that this will cause any normal retailer to run away from this show. It seems that when a show has to come to this level it is time to re-think having the show.

1 Monday, 24 October 2011 16:59

By WestBayBoater

It's a sad day when the calendar year's first boat show becomes its first flea market. What was once a vibrant show is now a barren four-day wasteland.
This show is a mere 25% of what it used to be in terms of exhibitors, floor space, and attendance, yet the booth pricing and admission fee remains the same.
Regardless of what the show organizers publish for the press and industry, I've been there each and every year and can attest to the actual numbers and demoralizing atmosphere.
This show needs to take a year off and truly reinvent itself, not throw terrible ideas and temporary fixes at something that is clearly broken.

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