WANTED: Those interested in Vintage Boats and Classic Boating!
The winter Sports & Recreation / Boat Shows are great for marketing our organization because the audience that attends already likes boats and boating. Having a few – or many – vintage boats there is a big attraction which affords the opportunity to relay the message that:
- Owning a classic boat is no more expensive than owning and maintaining a modern boat.
- Today’s products for preserving a vintage boat have built in endurance and reliability.
- Working on a classic boat at any stage of the game is satisfying and rewarding.
- Sporting a vintage boat marks you as someone not satisfied with the ordinary.
- Belonging to ACBS is the best way to:
- Learn
- Share
- Enjoy
- Benefits of ACBS membership especially include a sense of community, as well as:
- a quarterly magazine The Rudder
- access to how-to videos and reference photo galleries
- 10% discount on Hagerty Marine Insurance
Why talk about this now at the end of the winter Exhibition Season?
Chapters can start planning ahead for next winter. If not already doing so, get your foot in the door with the exhibition organizers. Find out who to contact. Present them with a plan that has options for the number of boats, pictures for them to use as part of their promotion, even plans for “family participation” such as “build-a-boat” on-site projects.
Some chapters are actually paid to bring an exhibit because it is such a crowd pleaser. The Show Organizers use the presence of the Vintage Boats Display as part of their advertising to draw a bigger crowd.
The North Coast Ohio Chapter participated in two large exhibitions this past winter. Their volunteers brought in 25 boats, great signage, and MEMBERS who visited with people, answered questions, and actively signed up names and contact information. The membership chair of the chapter includes this information in their chapter newsletter:
Our shows are good sources of prospects and referrals from active members help as well. Our two biggest sources of potential members are the Mid-America Boat Show at the IX center in January and the Piston Power Show in March. We were able to sign up 25 from the IX Center Show and 12 from the Piston Power Show this year. We are working on this combined list of 37 candidates to convert them to members. Several of the NCO Board members have volunteered their time to help with the follow up calls and explain the benefits of belonging to ACBS and our chapter.
Don Heckerman sent more pictures from the Piston Power Show held St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Cleveland. In three days, 46,000 visitors saw 25 boats from their chapter. The signage is so informative and a good example of what can be used at such an exhibition or even at your boating events and shows year round.
Cost of Ownership is Less Than You Think from woody boater (This poster may be downloaded and reproduced)
