Stay in touch with the coast.
Sign up for our newsletter »

Show Newsletter 5


Contact Information:

EXHIBIT SPACE RESERVATION
john@maineboats.com dave@maineboats.com mary@maineboats.com

EXHIBITOR PAPERWORK
Show Contract & Deposit Liability Insurance
VIP Ticket Program
mary@maineboats.com kathrina@maineboats.com Advertising Space: john@maineboats.com dave@maineboats.com Advertising Materials: julie@maineboats.com

ONLINE COASTAL DIRECTORY—
Directory Materials: jennifer@maineboats.com

The Fifth Annual Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show | August 10-12, 2007 Harbor & Buoy Parks, Rockland, Maine Email newsletter #5, July 2007 BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! That’s not a fire warning, it’s the “Less Than Two Weeks to Show Time” alarm going off. Not surprisingly, the MBH&H crew is working at full throttle, and the show is shaping up really well this year. The booths are full, the docks are full, and we’ve got land exhibitors tucked here, there, and everywhere. There will be great stuff to see from one end of the show to the other. Thanks so much for all your support! With the show so close, we’re cranking out exhibitor packs, credentials, VIP tickets, and all the other myriad details that help smooth out the check-in and setup process. Word on the street is that the MBH&H Show is set to be the event of the summer--our show PR machine is running in high gear, our phones are jangling off the hook, and our revamped MaineBoats.com website traffic is off the charts (more on this exciting new development in a minute).

Several exhibitors have yet to return their contracts. Time and tide wait for no man, and neither can we. RETURN YOUR PAPERWORK AND DEPOSIT NOW or we cannot guarantee that we will have a space for you. Of course, there’s lots still to do. Show exhibitors, here’s some important info on how you can help smooth the hectic pre-show period and minimize loose ends come show time: INSURANCE FORMS: Most exhibitors have submitted theirs, but there are still a bunch of slowpokes. Without a current Certificate of Additional Liability, it’s “no show for you!” These certs are easy to obtain, just call your agent, tell them the show dates and add Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors, Inc. as Additional Insured, and they’ll fax one to us. Questions? Call Kathrina at 207-236-8622. CREDENTIALS: Save craziness on move-in day—submit your crew credentials requests NOW if you haven’t already done so. If you do, you’ll get nice printed name tags (with first name in BIG letters to reduce the dreaded “name tag squint”) instead of hand-written names on generic tags. NO DOGS POLICY-- EXPLAINED: Our event insurance expressly PROHIBITS all animals from being on show grounds, except for pre-selected contestants in the Boatyard Dog Trials® Sunday morning. This applies to attendees and exhibitors alike. This has been an issue every year, mostly because the high profile of the Boatyard Dog Trials leads people to believe that all dogs are welcome. Let's just put it this way; you wouldn't expect to bring your own dog to watch the Westminster Dog Show, right? Any dogs found on show grounds will be removed from the show. Period. We appreciate your cooperation. MEDIA CENTER AND PR MATERIALS: New this year will be the MBH&H Media Center, where visiting journalists will pick up credentials, connect their laptops, work on stories, and pick up PR materials from exhibitors. We need your printed brochures, catalogs, press releases, and CDs. To arrange your participation in the Media Center and delivery of your materials, contact Jamie Bloomquist at 207-236-8622 or jamie@maineboats.com. MAINEBOATS.COM COASTAL DIRECTORY LISTINGS: Have you checked out the all-new www.maineboats.com yet? If not, get surfing! Monthly site traffic has more than doubled since the redesign. We’ve beefed up the site with a hard-working, fully searchable Coastal Directory designed to connect our viewers with your business. Listings cost just $24 a month for a 1-year term (6 online issues). Swing by the Media Center at the show to get a full online tour and all the details from our webmaster Jamie Bloomquist. WI-FI ACCESS ON SITE: If you need wi-fi on site for charge-card transactions, access to your own website, to view your Coastal Directory listing on MaineBoats.com, or just to check up on Red Sox scores, it’s easy to arrange. Contact the Rockland-based high-speed Internet provider RedZone Wireless (www.redzonewireless.com or 207-596-5700) for details. Programs run $5 per day or $15/week for the whole show. DRESS FOR SUCCESS: A big part of having a successful show display is to make sure everything in your booth or on your boat looks sharp and shipshape. We call it “dressing ship” and it’s crucial afloat and ashore. Have your crew dress in matching team shirts. Fly your banners, burgees, and logo flags. Place fresh flowers on the tables, and hand out soft drinks on hot days or tea/coffee if it’s chilly and wet. Detail your boat to within an inch of its life—as Donny Ellis says, “It’s never, ever too clean!” One more little item will make a huge difference—an attractive cover for your display table. Table covers are NOT provided, you need to bring your own. Standard show tabletops are 2.5 x 8 feet. SHOW PR AND PRESS COVERAGE: Our show advertising campaign is aimed at one thing: bringing in as many qualified attendees as possible. This year, we decided to forego messenger pigeon service and stick to more established channels!
  • TV: ads on WCSH-TV, Portland, with editorial coverage on the “207” program
  • RADIO: Ads on Maine Public Radio (Car Talk), WBACH, and WERU-FM.
  • MAGAZINES: MBH&H (of course!), Soundings, Down East, Points East, the Camden and Rockland annual Chamber of Commerce magazines, even the Hamilton Marine catalog.
  • NEWSPAPERS: Weeklies from Kittery to Calais, The Free Press, North Haven News, Working Waterfront and Downeast Dog News.
  • ONLINE: the all-new MaineBoats.com and VillageSoup.com
    •
SPREAD THE WORD: And finally, there's also a whole lot YOU can do to help bring more folks to the show. Put up the posters we sent you, mail out the postcards, tell all your friends, shanghai your family, and do an email reminder to your best customers. You get the idea. Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors: In Print. Online. In Person. Photos: Jeff Scher

Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors PO Box 758, Camden ME 04843 207-236-8622

Stay in touch with the coast! Sign up for our newsletter: