Traffic and Trends 70% of people research online before a boat show, so your online presence is becoming more important than ever. We examined how unique visitor traffic changes around key boat shows across the globe to help you understand the best time to invest your marketing dollars to get the most out of boat show season. What shows we studied:
Cannes Boat Show / September 8-13, 2015 Boot Düsseldorf / January 23–31, 2015 London Boat Show / January 06–15, 2016 Annapolis Sail & Power Boat Show / October 08–12, 2015 & October 15–18, 2015 Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show / November 05–09, 2015 Seattle Boat Show / January 29–February 06, 2016 Yachts Miami Beach / February 11–15, 2016 Los Angeles Boat Show / February 25–29, 2016 On average, Google searches around boat shows begin four months prior to the beginning of a show, and those searches lead consumers to show sponsors, participating brokerages, and boats on YachtWorld. Our research also indicates that there are significant traffic increases around YachtWorld traffic in the weeks before and after a show – but every show is different. Read on to our show-by-show analysis to find out more.
Cannes Boat Show / September 8-13, 2015 • 50,000 attendees
In a typical week, traffic in this region is high on Sunday and slowly declines throughout the week. During the show, this pattern is reversed, and traffic grows each day. This growth continues long after the show, propelled by the Monaco and Genoa boat shows. Online advertising is best spent starting two months before the show, when Google searches begin to grow, and ends in November after the secondary shows.
/ Worldwide • Jun–Oct 2015 • Trend Searched: Yachting Festival
Google Trends indicate to begin advertising in July, two months before the show.
Düsseldorf Boat Show / January 23–31, 2015 • 90,328 attendees
Normal traffic trends would yield around 600 daily visitors in the Dusseldorf region. During the show season, traffic increases nearly 60% with 977 average visitors each day. Due to the holidays preceding the show, Google trends don’t start to rise until the new year and then carry on through February.
/ Worldwide • Oct 2014–Feb 2015 • Trend Searched: boot Düsseldorf
Google Trends indicate to begin advertising in October, three months before the show.
London Boat Show / January 06–15, 2016 • 247,000 attendees
London Boat Show search trends pick up immediately after the Christmas holiday, and continue until February. YachtWorld traffic increases 33% above normal during the actual days of the show, from 374 to 498 average daily unique visitors. While the London show is only separated from Dusseldorf by less than two weeks, the traffic shared between the two shows tends to be largely unduplicated, suggesting different show audiences.
/ Worldwide • Oct 2015–Jan 2016 • Trend Searched: London Boat Show
Google Trends indicate to begin advertising in October, three months before the show.
Annapolis Boat Shows / Oct. 08–12, 2015 (Sail) & Oct. 15–18, 2015 (Power) • 90,000 attendees
For both the sail and power shows, Fridays are the biggest days for online advertising. On YachtWorld, visitors increased by 10% during the sail show and 22% during the power show, with the majority of the growth seen only during the month of October. However the longevity of the Google trends shows consumers start shopping in late August, and continue through to the end of October.
/ Worldwide • Aug–Oct 2015 • Trend Searched: Annapolis Boat Show
Google Trends indicate to begin advertising in August, two months before the shows.
Fort Lauderdale Boat Show / November 05–09, 2015 • 100,000 attendees
Traffic in the Fort Lauderdale and Miami regions remain extremely high year round and skyrocket during the days of the Fort Lauderdale show. During the event, unique visitors online grow to nearly 50% higher levels than on non-show days. While the Fort Lauderdale and Miami areas remain consistently high during all months, global search trends for Fort Lauderdale Show related terms begin at the end of September and carry through to the end of November, leaving over 2 months of prime time to advertise online.
/ Worldwide • Aug–Nov 2015 • Trend Searched: Fort Lauderdale Boat Show
Google Trends indicate to begin advertising in August, three months before the show.
Seattle Boat Show / January 29–February 06, 2016 • 52,427 attendees
Online traffic surrounding the Seattle Boat Show is propelled early by the Portland and Vancouver shows that occur at the beginning of January. While the Seattle show generates a 27% increase online traffic, unique visitors begin to grow at the beginning of December and carry through to the end of February 2016. More so than the other shows we studied, Seattle generated continued growth for long after the show, showing higher than normal traffic trends through to the end of February.
/ Worldwide • November 2015–February 2016 • Trend Searched: Seattle Boat Show
Google Trends indicate to begin advertising in November, three months before the show.
Yachts Miami Beach / February 11–15, 2016 • 100,279 attendees
In 2015, Yachts Miami Beach generated nearly 4,000 more daily unique visitors from the surrounding areas than the Fort Lauderdale show. While the average show-time increase in YachtWorld traffic sits at 53%, we see Google trends begin to climb in December and then drop flat at the end of February. While day-over-day traffic during the show continues to climb, the last two days of the event show the highest increase in online shopping. This could be driven by the high attendance at the beginning of the show that then performs online research after they leave.
/ Worldwide • November 2015–February 2016 • Trend Searched: Miami Boat Show
Google Trends indicate to begin advertising in November, three months before the show.
What Now? The YachtWorld team is here to help you create a strategic plan for your show advertising. Adopting some or all of these best practices can earn tangible results:
Email Campaigns / Inbox Boat Show - Host a third party email campaign. YachtWorld offers custom email campaigns promoting your inventory to targeted lists. We can help you find thousands of consumers actively searching for brands you carry, helping you get ahead of the boat show rush.
Banner Campaigns - 75% of YachtWorld buyers shop online for more than 3 months prior to buying a boat. Supporting your show display with an online advertising campaign can help drive brand recognition when customers arrive on the docks.
Invest In Your Listings - Review your listings on YachtWorld at least two months prior to a show. Consumers are looking for updated listings with high quality photos. YachtWorld’s “Top Tips for Converting Your Leads with Your Listings” is available online.
Turn On Your Paid Google Search - On average, we found that Google searches for boat shows start to rise 4 months ahead of the show opening. By setting up paid google advertisements (otherwise known as search engine marketing, or SEM) for boat show searches in your local area or in your area of expertise, you can steal a share of the online boat show traffic. One of our YachtWorld account managers can help you find more information about our paid SEM service if you are interested. Give us a call to discuss your marketing mix with our team of industry advertising experts.
877-336-9527 ext.2
Gaining The Advantage Before Your Next Boat Show
