A growing trend, https://www.speedonthewater.com/foun...ami-boat-show/

Didn't Donzi say they were going last year then just no show? At least they are up front this time that they aren't. They went from logical boat models for marketing to whatever it is now. 22 classic overpriced and i hear the new pad bottom sucks, 38ZRC overpriced and they didnt even get the quad step or epoxy, one center console, and a luxury line of plumb bow open bow boats which is just a stupid design choice because plumb bows are designed to go through waves not stay on top so it puts passengers at risk.

I thought Craig's new version of the ZRC in smaller outboard form might get things going in the right direction but they never tried it. They did try that open concept cruiser outboard and a cat but those are now gone from the website. It's like they try to see what sticks but nothing really does because they are committed to nothing. And it's really hard to buy a boat where parts might not be available in just a couple years because they only built 1 or 2 total boats of the model.

I honestly don't know of another boat builder that has ever been this scatterbrained. Iconic just seems stretched too thin over all their brands

Lots of trade and consumer shows are dying a slow death. 20 years ago if you were in the market these shows were critical in order to educate yourself. Today, the internet, numerous boating events, and great dealers have changed that. You can find out everything you need to know quickly and efficiently. Narrow it down and then travel to the dealers to check them out.

As dealers, it has to be getting harder and harder to justify the investment. Instead of the "shotgun" approach of attending trade shows, they may be better of spending marketing dollars on attending events, having their own events, or inviting prospective customers to their dealership for personal showings. In other industries, I have seen manufacturers schedule parties in the evening of shows to show clients new products. This can be way, way less expensive while giving prospective customers more focus. If you are buying a $500k+ boat, you deserve the personal touch that does not seem attainable at the shows.

After the show you hear some say "we sold xxx number of boats at the show!" My bet is that most of those would have been sold anyway. If you allocate the cost of the show on the boats that you would not have sold anyway, I am better the cost per boat is staggering. Understanding that there is value in top of mind awareness when marketing, along with brand building, at some point it just cannot be worth the expense and allocation of assets (including labor).

I could be absolutely wrong, but that's my opinion anyway!!! BTW, I will be attending the Miami show this year for the 3rd time, so as a consumer I enjoy it, but it will not impact my buying.

Even auto manufacturers are dropping auto shows. Why show the new model on a rotating platform when you can produce a video that can be watched millions of times: