International Boat Industry - June-July 2018

46 JUNE–JULY 2018 | International Boat Industry http://www.ibi-plus.com

Markets & Regions

BOATBUILDERS | AUSTRALIA

WHILE AUSTRALIA HAS boat
shows in all states – and some more
than one – the most significant
on the calendar are probably the
Sanctuary Cove International Boat
Show (SCIBS), Sydney International
Boat Show and Melbourne Boat
Show. These three events attract
an international clientele, both in
exhibitors and show patrons, and
are reliable indicators as to the
current state of the marine market.
However, the importance of smaller
state shows such as Adelaide,
Brisbane and Perth cannot be
discounted and in recent years have

seen growth in both exhibitors and

show visitors.

SCIBS 30TH ANNIVERSARY

Gold Coast-based SCIBS celebrated

its 30th-anniversary this year when

it returned to Marine Village in May.

One of the southern hemisphere’s

premier marine events, SCIBS is

endorsed by Tourism and Events

Queensland and is also a member

of the International Federation of

Boat Show Organisers (IFBSO).

“Over three decades, SCIBS

has proudly played host to

more than 10,000 exhibitors

and welcomed more than 1.4

million visitors through the gates,

resulting in an economic impact

of more than A$3bn to the region

in accommodation, spend and

investment,” says SCIBS general

manager Johan Hasser.

SCIBS 2018 was one of the

biggest shows yet, with 180 boats

on water, 275 boats on land and

more than 300 individual exhibitors.

Visitors reached 45,866 compared

with 42,000 last year.

Renowned for being the

show where ‘the marine business

does business’, SCIBS delivers a

comprehensive marine trade display

that showcases the latest in industry

innovation, attracting international,

national and local boating brands

and businesses.

In the days before SCIBS, the

Australian Superyacht, Marine

Export and Commercial Marine

Industry Conference (ASMEX)

welcomed international speakers

and delegates to Sanctuary Cove.

SCIBS benefits from this influx of

senior industry figures with the

added exposure for Australian

manufacturers’ ingenuity and export

opportunities.

36 boat shows we attend every year,” says Longhurst.

“We have never tried to make Riviera the biggest, we

just strive to make it the best, not only in terms of build

quality but also our dealer network, back-up, service

and customer satisfaction.”

With orders for some models well into 2019, the

future is looking healthy for Riviera.

MARITIMO – SEMI CUSTOM

According to sales and marketing director Greg

Haines, Maritimo has been doing exceptionally well

in both Australia and New Zealand, as well as the

US. Emerging markets such as Singapore have also

seen growth for the brand. With a good dealer base in

Europe, Haines says he is confident of ongoing sales.

When asked how many boats they build a year, Haines

simply says “enough”. However, he does admit that year

on year they are doing more boats annually. “We’ve

seen growth in our bigger boats, with the 64 and 70 in

both motoryacht and sedan versions very popular. And

although the 61 has taken some time to get traction,

it is now our most popular boat in both the sedan

and motoryacht variants,” says Haines. “In the past 12

months things have picked up and along with Australia

and New Zealand our international sales have been

solid and bode well for the future.

“We released the first of our exciting new X-Series

in the form of the X60 at the Sanctuary Cove show and

BOAT SHOWS BOOMING

SSome of Australia’s smaller state shows, such as Adeleine, Brisbane and Perth (pictured above), are
growing in importance and have registered strong growth in recent years

SThe Sydney International Boat Show (top)

and SCIBS – two of Australia’s biggest shows