|
Vancouver Island |
Victoria | News
Floating Boat Show - Feb. 05-2004
Sidney's loss is
Victoria's gain
Boat Show April 22 - 25, 2004
The 2004 Victoria boat
show will move to the inner harbour this year. Despite efforts by the
marina manager to find room this year, it was not possible to stage it
in Sidney again, Harvey said from Ladysmith.
Port Sidney representatives could not be reached Friday.
Sidney business people are sorry to lose one of the town's largest
annual events, which attracted about 8,000 visitors last year.
"We are disappointed it has left us for this
year," said Sidney
Business Association president Cliff McNeil-Smith. "We would love to
see it come back, and we have not given up."
Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce executive director Tom Walker
said the show packed local hotel rooms, filled restaurants, and
brought shoppers to Sidney stores.
It was a cornerstone event in the community, Walker said. "This was
one of the things that was helping us become a destination." He thinks
it is unlikely the show will return.
Jean-Paul Cardinal, Yacht Brokers Association president, said the new
Inner Harbour location is fabulous. "It is everything we wanted and
more."
The new site is easily accessible and has top-notch amenities and
services, he said from Vancouver. "It is a springboard to bigger and
better things for the boat show."
Nanaimo officials were eager to see the boat show move to that city
but a survey of yacht brokers put Victoria ahead, Harvey said.
Factors in Victoria's favour included advertising partnerships, a
five-year agreement, and the ability to draw from a nearby larger
population, she said.
The exhibitor list is not complete, but Harvey expects to see about
200 boats on display from Island, mainland and Washington state
brokers. New and pre-owned, power and sail will be featured. "It's a
good variety."
More on-shore display space below Wharf Street is part of the show.
"This will be nice because if we want to grow, we can grow."
Michael Cormier, manager of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority,
said when word came that Sidney was no longer the association's show
venue, "We were on the phone to them within minutes. . . . We
indicated in very strong terms that we were interested in it."
The April boat show is a great opportunity for downtown during a
tourism shoulder season, he said. The Provincial Capital Commission
and the harbour authority are working together to arrange on-shore
space.
Boats will be moored along the foot of Wharf Street, Ship Point, and
in front of The Empress hotel. Existing tenants will be relocated and
there is room for visitors, he said.
Tourism Victoria is marketing the event on the Lower Mainland and in
Alberta, hoping to lure visitors to stay a few nights and enjoy other
attractions as well.
Lorne Whyte, Tourism Victoria's chief executive officer, expects the
show to attract a lot of overnight visitors.
"I think it will be a smash hit. . . . I'm quite sure we will see
large groups of people up from Seattle and possibly from Oregon."
© Copyright 2004 Times
Colonist (Victoria)
reprinted
with permission
Story Credit: Carla Wilson
|
|
Get Listed on VictoriaTravelGuide.com |
|
|
FREE Listing
given for
any non-profit and
community web sites |
|
|
PAID Listings |
 |
WEB SITE DESIGN
Look good and be
found! Search Engine
Optimized Design
and spam-free Hosting |
|
Victoria Floating Boat Show
Kathy
Harvey, Show Organizer
Phone/Fax: (250) 245-8910
Email: kl.harvey@shaw.ca
www.floatingboatshows.com
Along
with new and brokerage (pre-owned) boats that will be on
display, several new exhibitors have joined this very exciting
event. Having moved to Victoria's Inner Harbour we have
increased our land based exhibitors by 100%
Visit over 150 boats on display as well as many booth exhibits
with marine related products ranging from: electronics,
sounders, radios, insurance companies, financial institutions,
clothing gear, diving gear, dinghy's and much, much more!
|
