It stated that “Since hitting a peak in February 2002, the dollar is down about 28%, according to an inflation-adjusted index from the Federal Reserve based on the values of a wide variety of other currencies.” (If you look at the previous peak in 1985 today’s dollar is down over 50% compared to then).

At least one European boatbuilder is taking advantage of the currency realignment. Soundings Trade Only reports in its July edition that “Holland, Michigan based S2 Yachts, the builder of Tiara and Pursuit powerboats, is going to be the builder for Netherlands-based Zeelander Yachts. S2 will build the Zeelander 44, a U$1.2m pod-driven luxury dayboat, for Zeelander’s international and domestic markets.”

A weaker dollar is good news for US manufacturing companies. The NMMA’s 2010 Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract shows that total exports of engines and boats increased from U$ 932m in 2002 to $2,164m in 2010.

Engines increased from U$ 332.4m to U$ 425.7m while boats increased from U$ 600.5m to U$ 1,738.8m.

A weaker U$ can also be an advantage to exporters to the US if they rethought their current distribution strategies. A good percentage of a product’s retail selling price in the US is distribution cost – primarily dealer and distributor mark-ups.

The combination of the internet, 3rd party fulfilment services and rapid delivery provides a viable option to this classic distribution chain. A company that utilised this option would keep their retail prices down in today’s market environment thus maintaining or increasing current sales.

They will make a killing if and when the dollar strengthens.

Located halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., Anacortes is the “homeport” to the San Juan Islands, which makes it a great venue for the show. Anacortes is the largest TrawlerFest in terms of exhibitors, with over 140 in 2011, including 67 boats, 34 new and 33 pre-owned. This year it also set a record for the number people attending TrawlerFest University. Subjects covered included:

• Purchasing a Trawler
• Diesel Engine Questions
• Alaska 24/7
• Enjoying Your Trawler: Tips and Techniques to Enhance Life Aboard
• Building Cruising Confidence as a Couple
• Women’s Only Navigation courses (aboard a Krogen 48, Krogen 44, Grand Banks Europa 52, and Grand Banks 42)

Most of these seminars sold out, and many were standing room only.

There were plenty of interesting trawlers to see. Among the larger models were the Blount Marine 89, Scorpius, and the Delta 70. Both are retrofits. Scorpius was built by Blount Marine Corp. in 1966. In 1977-78, Asset Inc. redesigned her for a complete rebuild to U.S. Coast Guard specifications for certification as a small passenger vessel. Scorpius is being offered at US $975,000.

The Delta 70 was originally built by Delta as one of five in a series designed after its commercial fishing vessels. Delta purchased the yacht back in February of 2009 and has spent the last fifteen months retrofitting the yacht to today’s standards. Capable of worldwide cruising, the Delta 70 is being offered at $3,950,000.

The trawlers in the show ranged from 21 feet to 89 feet, with the majority in the 40- to 60-foot range. One of the stand-outs was the new American Tug 395.  The wide beam, hard chine hull, and long waterline length (37 feet) make for a very comfortable ride. Belowdecks the AT395 features 2 cabins with a single head and signature full-sized shower. The saloon is large and open, and the pilothouse has the same expansive feel as other American Tug models. Aft is a nice-sized cockpit with a full hardtop overhead – perfect for staying dry in the summer-like weather of the Northwest! Depending on where delivery is taken and the level of options, the American Tug will cost around $540,000.

Reading them gives the big company perspective on what’s currently happening and what will happen in 2011.

The Brunswick Boat Group is a key component of the company and includes 16 brands. This segment reported net sales of $283.6m for the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 16% compared with $243.6m in the first quarter of 2010.

International sales, which represented 37% of total segment sales in the quarter, increased by 18% during the period.

For the first quarter of 2011, the Boat segment reported an operating loss of $3.8m, compared with an operating loss of $26.7m in the first quarter of 2010.

Brunswick reported a shift in its boat sales product mix towards aluminium and smaller boats – its sales of aluminium wholesale boat units in the first quarter have gone from 42% in 2008 to 58% in 2011, while exports of boats increased by 18%.

West Marine Products reported a first quarter 2011 net revenues of $113.8m and a loss of $12.3m compared to a net revenue of 109.6m and net a loss of $9.5m in the same period 2010.

Contributing factors to the decrease in gross profits were an increase in sales of higher price, but lower margin products – such as electronics – and lower sales of high margin products maintenance related products. West believes that the poor weather across most of the country in the first quarter had a negative impact on its earnings.

Both companies believe second quarter 2011 will be better than the first with Brunswick planning for a flat year in 2011 while West believe its sales will increase $5m or so during 2011.

The first was the Boating Writers International panel discussion on the “Future of Marine Journalism”.  While advertising revenue is way off for print publications the panelists thought print would still be part of the mix but albeit in a different format and different delivery options.  The marine media is concentrating on how to use social media and take advantage of the mobile platforms.  The take away conclusions from the discussion were “what works for print simply does not work on the web” and “an urgent unmet need is how to package longer works into two- to three-minute videos to tell the compressed story or drive readers to a longer format.”

The second presentation organized by the Marine Marketers of America was “The Secrets behind What YouTube Can Do for You”.  The biggest surprise for most people was the U.S viewer demographics.  Viewership is almost evenly split by gender – 53 percent male, 47 percent female, who have a median age of 33 and are evenly distributed throughout the United States. Median income is $74,000, 71 percent are employed and 47 percent are married.

Since NMMA research statistics 3 out of 4 boat owners have a household income below $100,000 it will not be a surprise to see boat builders, dealers and brokers making a much bigger investment in their video capabilities especially for YouTube.

Imports declined by 21% in 2010 to 190 units, a drop of 50 compared to 2009.  Imports of small cruisers under 36ft increased by 9% but accounted for only 1 in 8 boats imported in 2010.  Imports of larger cruisers declined by 24% versus a year ago and Multihulls declined significantly in 2010, off by 45% or 50 units.

Total North American sailboat production was down 8% or 584 units from 7,076 in 2009 to 6,492 in 2010.  Small sailboats less than 20ft were down 726 units while sailboats over 20 ft saw an increase of 142 units.  The 20ft to 29ft segment saw a gain of 83 units for a total of 521 units in 2010.  The 30 to 35ft segment gained 4  for a total of 193 units.  The 36ft to 45ft segment increased  from 303 units in 2009 to 360 in 2010 while the 46ft and above dropped 2 units to 89.

At the end 2009 and one of the deepest drops in history builders were optimistic  about 2010 expecting an  increase of 1,225 units over 2009.  Despite being so wrong about 2010 builders are even more optimistic about 2011 and are forecasting an increase of 26% or 1,654 boats over 2010..  Are they  overly optimistic?.  Currently the three key indicators – home purchases, auto sales and consumer confidence levels – that help forecast boat sales are giving mixed signals, home purchases dare own but consumer confidence and auto sales are up.

Dominion Marine Media’s management team is experienced in the marine industry and has a wealth of knowledge about how online technology impacts dealers, brokers and consumers. Main was selected as a speaker because he is identified as an expert in the field of search marketing with knowledge and experience of multi-regional and multilingual sites.

“David’s expertise in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a vital and important asset for the brokers and dealers who partner with us,” said Courtney Chalmers, Director of Marketing, Dominion Marine Media. “They can be confident they have access to David’s talent and knowledge, thus keeping their businesses highly competitive in these fields.”

Main is a speaker in the Search and Display track where he will speak specifically at the “Mobile Marketing through Search” session.  The topic of this session focuses on mobile’s position as the next “BIG” channel when it comes to marketing – how it is being used and what we can expect in the near future.” Dominion Marine Media has experienced explosive growth in mobile traffic over the past year, and the company has plans to launch additional mobile platforms for both consumers and customers.

Details on the Reykjavik Internet Marketing Conference and Expo can be found at http://www.rimc.is/en/FAQ/

A key feature was the report on new boat sales.  For the 22 year period of 1969 – 1991 an average of 400,000 new boats were sold a year.  From 1192 to 2004 that average dropped to 311,000.  Since 2004 the industry has experienced a steady decline in annual sales from 306,000 in 2005, 267,000 in 2007,154,000 in 2009 to an estimated 137,300 in 2010.  One interesting fact that emerged was that the past two years saw a significant jump in pre-owned boat sales as a proportion of total boat sales. Typically pre-owned sales account for 72% of boats changing hands.  That jumped to 77% in 2008 and 82% in 2009.

Dammrich said that 2011 retail sales could be up 10 to 15% and gave a number of relevant reasons why he thought this would be the case.  He said that dealer inventories are at one of the lowest levels ever.  Used boat inventory is drying up and that their prices are rising making new boats more attractive.  Late model used boats won’t be available in the pre-owned market because so few of them were built in 2008 and 2009.  The most compelling reason he gave was that “boat builders are introducing new models with new features and accessories and these are not available in the pre-owned market”.

Dominion Marine Media’s management team is experienced in the marine industry and has a wealth of knowledge about how online technology impacts dealers, brokers and consumers. Burnham’s long-time experience with Dominion Marine Media websites, as well as with magazines and their websites, positions him well to speak about how writing and producing stories for marine publishers is rapidly changing and will continue to do so.

“We are fortunate to have John Burnham on our management team as Editorial Director.” said Courtney Chalmers, director of marketing, Dominion Marine Media. “John is well-versed on the changes that have impacted print media within the marine industry and has extensive experience in leveraging online media to not only reach consumers, but provide relevant information to guide them through the sales channel.”

Boating Writers International will present “The Future of Marine Journalism” during its bi-annual meeting beginning at 8:30 am on Friday, February 18, at the Convention Center, Room B-115.

“A Scientific Journey” will take guests on a gastronomic adventure under the Miami city lights, featuring cuisine by the most exquisite restaurants in the city.  There will be a VIP Reception at the Epic Residence 54^th floor Penthouse, followed by tours of the 219-foot research yacht Golden Shadow and food tastings along the Miami River at the Epic Marina.

Tours of the 219-foot Golden Shadow will include access to the divers’ recompression chamber, the amphibious sea plane lift, and an expo of the yacht’s scientific equipment, including the SeaKeepers 1000™ unit.  The SeaKeepers 1000 ™ is a fully automated, modular data-acquisition system, designed to monitor weather and surface ocean parameters continuously, transmitting data by satellite or other wireless communications.  Once aboard, guests will experience a part of the scientific journey the Golden Shadow will undertake in April to monitor the world’s coral reefs.

“YachtWorld Foundation is honored to support The International SeaKeepers Society and this extraordinary event,” said Jessica Muffett, publisher emeritus, YachtWorld.com.  “Concerned boaters can learn about ocean research and give back to the essential habitat we all love and share while partying under the stars.”

The beneficiaries of the YachtWorld Foundation are non-profits and individuals who support the mission of promoting awareness and protection of the world’s oceans.  The International SeaKeepers was founded in 1998 by a small group of yacht owners who were horrified by the deteriorating conditions of the seas.  Their initial mission was to develop a compact, automated and cost-effective ocean and atmospheric monitoring system for their yachts, providing data to scientists on the health of the world’s oceans.  The result of that mission, the innovative SeaKeeper 1000 ™, is now deployed in more than 90 locations around the world, including yachts, cruise ships, ferry boats, buoys and piers.

To get a flavor of the evening click here or visit www.boats.com/blog/2011/02miami-superyacht

Tickets to the event may be purchased at www.showclix.com/event/17186

The University included a lunch presentation from sales expert Mark Duley, a partner at Sales Concepts, Inc. The presentation taught brokers how to better identify buying signals from clients while making sure all questions posed to a prospect move the sale forward. Feedback from attendees made it clear that they benefited from the discussion. “I feel this was the best YWU that I’ve attended.  Some very relevant topics and a great presentation from Sales Concepts made the day very worthwhile,” said Gary C. Smith, CPYB, Sarasota Yacht & Ship. “I’m sure everyone present took away something that made the day very productive and worthwhile.  Thank you to everyone at YachtWorld for a great day!”

Jeff Erdman of Bollman Yachts added, “I was impressed by the range of topics and knowledge covered during the day and thoroughly enjoyed Mark Duley, the lunchtime presenter.”  The range of topics to which Erdman refers included two panels that featured industry experts and fellow brokers who shared best practices for success in 2011.  Each panel was moderated by a respected industry leader and included open forum discussions that encouraged audience participation.  “The panel discussions were a great opportunity for all of us brokers to hear from one another and share ideas for next year,” said Jeff Stanley, Gillman Yachts.

Courtney Chalmers, director of marketing, Dominion Marine Media, managed the University.  The syllabus included:

• “The New Luxury Buyer” keynote address by Ian Atkins, vice president and general manager, YachtWorld.com.  The presentation discussed new trends and predictions about luxury buyers and 2010 highlights from the brokerage industry.
• “Marketing in the Social Environment” by John Stewart, brand manager, YachtWorld.com.  The presentation focused on recent changes in online marketing as well as the need for a business purpose for social media campaigns.
• “YachtWorld Foundation and SeaKeepers International” by Jessica Muffett, publisher emeritus, YachtWorld.com, and Michael T. Moore, chairman, The International SeaKeepers Society.  They spoke about YachtWorld.com’s new non-profit foundation that will fund scientific research to protect the world’s oceans.  They announced SeaKeepers is the foundation’s 2011 beneficiary.

The YachtWorld University program, now in its 16^th year, has delivered education and advice on Internet marketing to over 4,500 brokers in that timeframe. “It is important to continue providing educational content, but this year we wanted to expand the sessions to allow for more audience interaction and idea sharing,” said Chalmers.  “Based on the outpouring of positive feedback we’ve received, I believe we delivered informative topics that are relevant to today’s successful brokers.”

The 2010 Ft. Lauderdale Yacht Brokerage University, the first to be co-presented by YachtWorld.com and FYBA, had record-breaking attendance. Each attendee received a resource packet via email; registered YachtWorld members can obtain copies of the presentations through BoatWizard.

The 2011 Yacht Brokerage University schedule will be finalized in the coming weeks.  Details will be found at http://www.yachtworld.com/university/.

It is becoming increasingly clear that there is unlikely to be a significant turnaround in our industry until 2013 or even later.  Those businesses that want to be around when things improve are having to take action now.  Take boat dealers for example.  In the “good old days” of 2006/7 there were around 4,300 full service stocking boat dealers around the country.  Today, according to Phil Keeter, president, Marine Retailers Association of America (MRAA), there are some 3,100 still in business.  Keeter says that these dealers have taken all actions necessary to rid themselves of inventory and its negative cash flow implications.  He says “2011 will be a recovery year for the recreational boating industry.  We have taken the necessary action to keep our inventory levels down and control our costs.  What we need now are more customers in our showrooms.”

That might be easier said than done.  We are in the winter season when retail demand for boat sales is down anyway.  In other consumer market segments when sales are down prices get reduced to generate demand.  When asked about the retail prices of boats Keeter says that they remain high but that he expects to see plainer models with fewer accessories and electronics, for example, being displayed and sold in an effort to keep the price down.

Both Carson, 9, and Carter, 6, are avid anglers and came up with the video idea while “pretend fishing,” something they enjoy. They picked up their Triton 16 Storm at the Brunswick aluminum boat manufacturing facility in Lebanon, MO where they received a VIP tour.

“The viral marketing impact of video is an increasingly important marketing element, and Carson and Carter’s video is a great example,” said Kim Rocco, brand manager, Boats.com and BoatTrader.com, in making the announcement. “Their creativity and enthusiasm for fishing is evident – they are the next generation of boaters!”

More information on Carson and Carter McBride’s exciting trip to the Brunswick facility, along with additional videos including their first adventure with the new boat, can be found on the Boats.com blog. The winning video featuring Carson and Carter can be seen at http://tapintosummer.com/.

Adams said that home purchases tend to lead the economy out of recession, usually stimulated by interest rates, but this is not the case in this cycle due to the large increase in purchases during the 2002-2007 time period. She went on to note that boat sales follow automobile sales (selective spending segments) and consumer confidence levels. Today’s automobile and boat sales numbers do not look good.  When indexed to 100 in January 2008 light vehicle sales are down 29% and boat sales are down 45%.

In the October consumer confidence report (the October index is 50.2 (1985=100)) Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center said: “Consumer confidence, while slightly improved from September levels, is still hovering at historically low levels. Consumers’ assessment of the current state of the economy is relatively unchanged, primarily because labor market conditions have yet to significantly improve. And, despite the uptick in Expectations, consumers continue to be quite concerned about the short-term outlook. Both present and future indicators point toward more of the same in the coming months.”

Adams presentation showed that in the late 1980’s the consumer confidence index was around 110 and new boat sales peaked at just over 500,000 new boats a year while today’s index of 50.2 suggests sales of around 130,000.  Watching 3 key indicators- home purchases, automobile sales and consumer confidence levels – will provide a good sense of where this market is heading.

“The way boat buyers gather information is changing, which has a significant impact on the sales funnel,” said Kim Rocco, brand manager, Boat Trader.com. “Research, learning and comparison shopping are all done online, so having a good online reputation is vital today.  This seminar will provide guidance on how to achieve that.  Social Media is another important aspect of information gathering, and this seminar will provide valuable insight on how our industry is using it.”

In this Webinar, the second in a series, Liz Walz, editor-in-chief at Boating Industry, will discuss her article “The New Word of Mouth” and will share an exclusive survey on social networking in the marine industry. Lauren Woodard-Splatt, general manager, Woodard Marine, will discuss her dealership’s successes with social media networking. Michael Sos, product manager, AutoRevenue, a company that assists dealerships with managing their online reputations, will present tips to help dealers reduce risks of damage to their reputations online.

Registration is required. To register, visit https://affinitygroup.webex.com. Click on the Webinar title “Social Media/Reputation Management” and follow the steps to complete registration.

Each registered attendee will receive an eWhite paper providing further insight into the presentation topics.

SEATTLE – Dec, 9, 2010 – YachtWorld.com, the world’s largest Internet yacht brokerage portal and a division of Dominion Enterprises, is setting up a foundation to further the knowledge and protection of the world’s oceans.

“When I founded YachtWorld and BoatWizard in the mid 90’s, we added a personal hidden tagline we would see every morning when we logged in, reminding us of our responsibility to boaters and yacht brokers who came to rely on our services; it read “Use your powers to do good,” said Jessica Muffett, publisher emeritus, YachtWorld.com. “I did not dream we would develop the powerful global services we offer today, but I did dream I could someday start a non-profit foundation for YachtWorld, promoting social responsibility for protecting the essential habitat we all love and share, the world’s oceans.”

The beneficiaries of the YachtWorld Foundation are non-profits and individuals who support the mission of promoting awareness and protection of the world’s oceans.  The 2011 beneficiary is the International SeaKeepers Society.  The International SeaKeepers was founded in 1998 by a small group of yacht owners who were horrified by the deteriorating conditions of the seas. Their initial mission was to develop a compact, automated and cost-effective ocean and atmospheric monitoring system for their yachts, providing data to scientists on the health of the world’s oceans.  The result of that mission, the innovative SeaKeeper 1000™, is now deployed in more than 90 locations around the world, including yachts, cruise ships, ferry boats, buoys and piers.

“SeaKeepers is pleased and honored to be the 2011 beneficiary of the YachtWorld Foundation,” said Michael T. Moore, chairman of the board, The International SeaKeepers Society. “SeaKeepers, like YachtWorld Foundation, has a special relationship to the world’s oceans and seeks to use our collective power “to do good.” SeaKeepers and YachtWorld seek to contribute meaningfully to the global discourse on climate change. We do this through effective science funded by the generosity of our members and friends. It is so wonderful that our new friend – YachtWorld Foundation – has selected SeaKeepers to be its beneficiary in the first year of its operation. On behalf of SeaKeepers everywhere, we thank Jessica Muffett and the rest of the YachtWorld Foundation team for its generosity.”

“The YachtWorld Brokers Village has created a successful marketplace for used boats at international boat shows,” said Sue Milne, General Manager Europe, YachtWorld.com International, when making the announcement. “The sale of existing boats is an essential component of a vibrant boating market which the Broker Village facilitates in a perfect manner.”

The participating brokers include:  AYC Yachtbroker, Ancasta, Ankarea Yachts, Atlantique Brokerage, Aventure Oceane, Baies des Anges Yachting, Bernard Gallay, Boat Diffusion – Cap3, Dufour Yachts, Fine Yachts, Fleming Yachts, MGM Boats, Moby Dick, Nordwest, Premier Yacht Sales, Power to Sail, S&D Yachts, Sunsail Brokerage, Sunseeker France, Tenor Yachts, X-Boat, Moody France and X-Yachts France.

The YachtWorld Brokers Village will be located in Hall 1, Stand K97. The participating brokers will showcase over 500 boats in the Village, along with all of their searchable database entries for more than 3,000 boats for sale.

The YachtWorld Brokers Village will be manned by knowledgeable, multilingual YachtWorld staff who are on hand to help visitors find the boat they are looking for from the wide selection on display and available online.  The resultant inquiries are then sent straight to the broker in question.  If the broker is present at the Salon Nautique de Paris, YachtWorld will make every effort to introduce the broker to the potential buyer.  In addition, over 5,000 copies of the YachtWorld Brokers Village magazine will be distributed.  The editorial and advertising content will be relevant to the French market and translated into French while the digital copy remains in English.

The Salon Nautique de Paris takes place December 4-12 at Porte de Versailles. Full details can be found at www.salonnautiqueparis.com

The YachtWorld Brokers Village will also be a feature at the forthcoming Tullet Prebon London Boat Show and Boot Dusseldorf.  For further details, visit www.yachtbrokersvillage.com

About YachtWorld.com - YachtWorld.com is the single most powerful and effective global marketing solution for the boating industry. With over 116,000 brokerage boats worldwide, offered by over 2,400 yacht brokerage houses and 10,000 individual yacht brokers in 143 countries, YachtWorld.com receives nearly 2.5 million global visits by boating enthusiasts each month. YachtWorld.com provides a complete suite of online marketing services for its yacht broker members through BoatWizard and SoldBoats, their proprietary back-end tools. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, YachtWorld.com has European headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales and customer service representation in France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Turkey and Estonia. YachtWorld.com is a division of Dominion Enterprises, based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

The seminar, entitled “Getting Online Leads Faster,” will be presented by Courtney Chalmers, director of marketing, Dominion Marine Media.  Chalmers will share a variety of marketing tactics to help dealers improve their website performance, including tips related to site structure, search engine optimization, relevant content, link building and social media integration.

“Many dealers think having a website is enough,” said Chalmers,” but the more successful dealers quickly realize the importance of promoting it as aggressively as their brick & mortar dealership.”  Chalmers said that every dealer who attends the seminar will receive a website scorecard at the end of the seminar to help them evaluate their own websites.

Dealers who take their scorecards to the Dominion Marine Media booth will be entered into a drawing for a free iPad.  Dealers also have the opportunity to talk with members of Dominion Marine Media’s Business Consulting Group about ideas and products designed to achieve superior website performance.  Information on advertising, lead generation programs and web services solutions across any or all of the company’s three principal online brands – YachtWorld.com, BoatTrader.com and Boats.com — will also be discussed.

About Dominion Marine Media – Dominion Marine Media is the recreational marine industry division of Dominion Enterprises – a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, marine, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, and employment industries.  Dominion Enterprises’ businesses provide a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, CRM, Web site design and hosting, and data management services.  Dominion Enterprises has more than 40 market-leading Web sites reaching more than 17.6 million unique visitors, and more than 280 magazines with a weekly circulation of 2.4 million.  Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the company has 4,900 employees in more than 186 offices.

The promotion was open to all visitors who submitted inquiries to YachtWorldCharters.com charter members while visiting the YachtWorldCharters.com display at the boat shows.  Two prizes were awarded.  The winner of the first prize, an Apple iPad, is Nancy Saylor of Worthington, OH.  The winner of the Grand Prize, a one-week bareboat charter in the Bahamas by 360 Yachting, is Lyla Roos of West Chester, PA.

“Congratulations to our winners! It’s exciting to see people planning their next charter vacation with the help of YachtWorldCharters.com,” said John Stewart, brand manager, YachtWorld.com. “What sets us apart, in addition to our extensive online charter database, are the insight and information we provide, helping people find a charter company to make that dream vacation a reality.”

The United States Sailboat Show was the debut of YachtWorldCharters.com’s new service that provides charter companies the opportunity to promote their brand and boats in the booth at a major boat show.  “The display showcased 12 large, high-resolution listings from a select handful of our charter members,” said Drew Jones, national sales manager, YachtWorldCharters.com. “Each listing prominently displayed the charter company name, logo and contact information, along with boat photos, charter specifications and any special offers available.  All charter inquiries collected at the show were passed directly to the participating companies.”

Benefits for the charterer using YachtWorldCharters.com include a choice of nearly 4,000 vessels in more than 300 destinations worldwide, together with stories and reviews on both boats and destinations. The site also offers online pricing, availability, reservations, and access to special offers the moment they become available.

Benefits for the charter industry include visitor traffic, the ability to manage inventory on a day to day basis, display detailed descriptions of each vessel with multiple photographs, provide real-time availability and information about special offers, late availability and cruising areas.

About Dominion Marine Media - Dominion Marine Media is the recreational marine industry division of Dominion Enterprises – a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, marine, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, and employment industries.  Dominion Enterprises’ businesses provide a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, CRM, Web site design and hosting, and data management services.  Dominion Enterprises has more than 40 market-leading Web sites reaching more than 17.6 million unique visitors, and more than 280 magazines with a weekly circulation of 2.4 million.  Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the company has 4,900 employees in more than 186 offices.

“The YachtWorld University program is now in its 16^th year and has delivered education and advice on Internet marketing to over 4,500 brokers in this time.” said Ian Atkins, vice president and general manager, YachtWorld.com. “We always regard the Ft. Lauderdale University as our keynote event of the year, so we are particularly pleased to be partnering with FYBA in this year’s sessions. Our curriculum has undergone substantial change this time around. We will have a moderated panel featuring brokers who are successfully putting today’s best practices into action, as well as an open forum with industry leaders to discuss the state of the industry now and moving forward. We are very grateful to the FYBA board for contributing to the new program.”

The Yacht Brokerage University will be held at the Hyatt Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The one-day event will feature hosted panel discussions led by industry experts and will include presentations on:

• State of the Industry – New Trends & What’s to Come in 2011
• Successful Internet Marketing Techniques for Brokers – Social Media, Video Listings and Web 3.0
• Boat Wizard 2.0 – Live tour and demonstration
• Best Practices Panel – Brokers Who are Putting Today’s Best Practices Into Action
• New Sales Techniques

The afternoon session will also include a moderated panel and open forum.

There is no cost for brokers wishing to attend, but space is limited and pre-registration is required. Current YachtWorld.com members may sign up via BoatWizard.

About YachtWorld.com - YachtWorld.com is the single most powerful and effective global marketing solution for the boating industry. With over 116,000 brokerage boats worldwide offered by over 2,400 yacht brokerage houses and 10,000 individual yacht brokers in 143 countries, YachtWorld.com receives nearly 2.5 million global visits by boating enthusiasts each month. YachtWorld.com provides a complete suite of online marketing services for its yacht broker members through BoatWizard and SoldBoats, their proprietary back-end tools. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, YachtWorld.com has European headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales and customer service representation in France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Turkey and Estonia. YachtWorld.com is a division of Dominion Enterprises, based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

“We understand that marketing funds may not be as readily available as they used to be,” said Kim Rocco, brand manager, Boat Trader.com. “But we want our dealers to know there are still creative ways to market your online dealership effectively – even with limited resources and budgets.  We’re excited to host this Webinar and share insider tips with our dealers to help them maximize their ROI by capitalizing on their online traffic.”

Dealers have been forced to slash marketing budgets because of the poor economy, but there are ways to drive traffic with a minimal investment.  In this Webinar, the first in a series, David Main, head of search for Dominion Marine Media; Kevin Zoodsma, head of online marketing at Action Water Sports; and Mike Davin, online editor for Boating Industry, will talk about ways to market boat dealerships online without breaking the bank.

More specifically, dealers will learn how effective content and relevant links help generate more traffic and leads to their dealership, as well as tips for successfully integrating blogs to improve search engine rankings. Kevin Zoodsma will share best practices for leveraging social networking tools.

Registration is required. To register, visit https://affinitygroup.webex.com. Click on the Webinar title “Driving Traffic to Your Dealership with a Minimal Budget” and follow the steps to complete registration.

Each registered attendee will receive an eWhite paper providing further insight into the presentation topics.

About Boat Trader - Boat Trader is the undisputed leader in the marine classified advertising segment for boat buyers, sellers and dealers.  Based in Norfolk, Va., with field sales operations across the country, Boat Trader boasted 23.2 million visitors to its Website in 2009.  The company is dedicated to providing its dealers and end-users with results.  That commitment is reinforced in the leads and sales that Boat Trader generates to dealers, as well as the aggressive development of new products that help consumers more easily find and purchase inventory.  Owned by Dominion Enterprises, Boat Trader is part of the Dominion Marine family of classified advertising sites and web services solutions.

During a special meeting at IBEX in late September, the Grow Boating Board voted to support a new Discover Boating marketing strategy and, subject to a review by the Grow Boating Funding Task Force, gave preliminary approval to reinstate the full Grow Boating assessment funding model effective January 1, 2011. More information will be provided following the Funding Task Force review later this year.

The task force is reviewing the current revenue model to see if it’s still optimal in the current economic environment.  The current model is an engine assessment where a levy based on the horsepower range is collected up to a maximum of U$72 per engine.  The board did, however, give its nod of approval for the new strategy which focuses on enlisting the help of current boaters and making them evangelists to help draw in potential new boaters.  The plan also calls for improvements in technology.  A prime example of this is to become mobile friendly to reflect   the fact that 15% of consumers are visiting Discover Boating.com via their mobile devices. A greater use of social media will be part of the marketing mix and, if the budget allows, the program will to continue to leverage traditional forms of media including print and television.

One point that should be noted is that Discover Boating has comparatively little funding today.  January 2011 will see the start of the new funding model and it is going to take time to gather momentum.  Because of this the full mix and force of the new marketing strategy will not be implemented until 2012.

Luce is responsible for global business product development and marketing strategies for a new unit of Dominion Marine Media – the Business Consulting Group.  The Business Consulting Group’s mission is to provide boat builders, equipment & accessory manufacturers and large dealer groups with custom advertising and lead generation programs.  It offers opportunities across any or all of the company’s 4 principal online brands – YachtWorld.com, BoatTrader.com, Boats.com and MarineWebServices.com.

“We consider ourselves fortunate to have been able to attract an individual of Wade’s calibre to our online business,” said Ian Atkins, vice president and general manager of Dominion Marine Media. “His extensive advertising experience, together with his many and varied marine industry connections, adds a whole new dimension to our expanding sales efforts.”

Luce brings 23 years of publishing, sales management and marine industry experience to Dominion Marine Media.  Most recently, Luce served as group publisher of BowTie, Inc. in Irvine, CA.  Luce’s marine background includes over 15 years at Hachette Filipacchi Media where as vice president and publisher of BOATING Magazine he led the publication to record heights.  Prior to BOATING Magazine, Luce managed major accounts for Bear Advertising in Hollywood, CA, where he directed advertising efforts for flagship marine accounts such as Furuno, Suzuki and Penn Reels.  Luce was previously director of advertising for ICOM America in the late 1980s.  Luce is a graduate of the Edward R. Murrow School of Journalism at Washington State University.

“I’m very excited to return to the marine industry with Dominion Marine Media,” said Luce. ”Their brands are on the forefront of technology and deliver the most efficient and effective web tools for reaching the entire boating and yachting spectrum.  They are clearly the future of the marine industry.”  Luce added, “Dominion Marine Media has assembled a fantastic team of expert editors and sales staff and I look forward to leading our market expansion.”

Dominion Marine Media is the recreational marine industry division of Dominion Enterprises – a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, marine, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, and employment industries.  Dominion Enterprises’ businesses provide a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, CRM, Web site design and hosting, and data management services.  Dominion Enterprises has more than 40 market-leading Web sites reaching more than 17.6 million unique visitors, and more than 280 magazines with a weekly circulation of 2.4 million.  Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the company has 4,900 employees in more than 186 offices.

Now there’s a new element in those efforts – the prizes are getting bigger!  Two examples stand out.

Discover Boating, the recreational boating industry’s national awareness campaign, developed a ‘Making Waves’ game and sweepstake on Facebook.  To drive traffic, players can register to win U$25,000 towards the purchase of a new NMMA Certified boat.  Cassidi Welch and her family have just picked out their new Tracker fishing boat.  To date the game has generated over 30,000 sweepstakes entries, 8,353 DVD requests and over 38,500 and counting Facebook fans.  Play the game yourself at discoverboating.com

Boats.com and BoatTrader.com, two major boating web portals, along with Brunswick’s Aluminum Division, have a ‘Tap into Summer – Show us what you do in your aluminum boat!’ video contest underway.

The contest is open to anyone who submits a short video showing how they use their aluminum boats, including pontoon boats, Jon boats, bass boats, etc. Three finalists will be selected by a panel of judges from Boat Trader, Boats.com and the Brunswick Corporation.

The videos from the three finalists will be posted on YouTube, so the public can cast their votes on a ‘winner takes all’ basis.   Voting will start on October 6 with the winner being announced on or around October 19, 2010.  The winner will receive a Triton 16 Storm aluminum bass fishing boat complete with engine and trailer.

Prizes may not be the only incentive to get bigger.  The 2011 boat show season is now underway.  If sales do not materialize incentives to ‘buy now’ will also increase.

“Many of today’s boat buyers know exactly what boat they want right down to the make and model, but they may not be able to find it on BoatTrader.com.” said Kim Rocco, brand manager, Boat Trader, in making the announcement. “BoatTrader.com provides them with the ability to communicate their precise requirements via a web request form which is then shared directly with boat dealers, resulting in a highly qualified lead for the dealer who responds.”

With Locator Leads 2.0, subscribing dealers can filter their leads in two ways: by location where leads are either national (anywhere in the U.S) or local (150 to 250 miles radius from a specific zip code); and/or by make and model.

“The results are pretty impressive.” added Rocco, “Our research shows that nearly 40% of boat buyers using Locator Leads plan to purchase a boat immediately, and that 20% of Locator Leads users bought a boat from the dealer who contacted them.”

Boat dealers who wish to learn more about Locator Leads 2.0 should contact the Boat Trader Customer Service team at 877.354.4069 or by email at dealersupport@boattraderonline.com.

About Boat Trader - Boat Trader is the undisputed leader in the marine classified advertising segment for boat buyers, sellers and dealers.  Based in Norfolk, Va., with field sales operations across the country, Boat Trader boasted 23.2 million visitors to its Website in 2009.  The company is dedicated to providing its dealers and end-users with results.  That commitment is reinforced in the leads and sales that Boat Trader generates to dealers, as well as the aggressive development of new products that help consumers more easily find and purchase inventory.  Owned by Dominion Enterprises, Boat Trader is part of the Dominion Marine family of classified advertising sites and web services solutions.

SEATTLE – Sept.3, 2010 – YachtWorld.com, the world’s largest Internet yacht brokerage portal and a division of Dominion Enterprises, today announced their “Believe It Or Knot” nautical mobile game is now underway.  The game has a true or false format in which the player must answer all six questions correctly to be eligible to win a IPod Touch.  The questions are a mix of nautical history, Seattle highlights plus a question about YachtWorld.com. 

 “We wanted a game that could be played at the Seattle Boats Afloat show as well as at home.” said John Stewart, brand manager, YachtWorld.com. “We designed it to be played on a mobile device, IPhone, Droid and IPad for example, as well as a laptop or desktop computer.”

For those attending the show, the URL to the game will be featured on bags they can pick up throughout the event.  Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sept. 30, 2010 with the winner being drawn on Oct. 6, 2010.

The Seattle Boats Afloat Show takes place at Chandlers Cover, South Lake Union from Sept. 15-19.  Full details can be found at http://www.boatsafloatshow.com/

About YachtWorld.com - YachtWorld.com is the single most powerful and effective global marketing solution for the boating industry. With over 116,000 brokerage boats worldwide offered by over 2,400 yacht brokerage houses and 10,000 individual yacht brokers in 143 countries, YachtWorld.com receives nearly 2.5 million global visits by boating enthusiasts each month. YachtWorld.com provides a complete suite of online marketing services for its yacht broker members through BoatWizard and SoldBoats, their proprietary back-end tools. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, YachtWorld.com has European headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales and customer service representation in France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Turkey and Estonia. YachtWorld.com is a division of Dominion Enterprises, based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

About Dominion Enterprises – Dominion Enterprises is a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, and employment industries.  The company’s businesses provide a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, CRM, Web site design and hosting, and data management services.  The company has more than 40 market-leading Web sites reaching more than 17.6 million unique visitors, and more than 280 magazines with a weekly circulation of 2.4 million.  Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the company has 4,900 employees in more than 186 offices nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.DominionEnterprises.com.

In his prepared opening statement Dusty McCoy, Chairman and CEO, Brunswick Corporation noted that overall marine retail demand continued to decrease during the first six months and remained at historically low levels.  Reviewing preliminary second-quarter US marine industry data he said “Fiberglass stern drive and inboard unit retail demand fell by 29%. This compares to declines of 23% in the first quarter of 2010 and 33% in the second quarter of 2009.  Outboard fiberglass boat retail unit demand fell 16% in the second quarter. This compares to declines of 22% in the first quarter of 2010 and 29% in the second quarter of 2009. Aluminum product demand increased by 4% in the quarter. This compares to declines of 15% in the first quarter of 2010 and 26% in the second quarter of 2009.”  He went on to say that “For the first six months of 2010 total industry demand declined by 13%.” When asked later in the conversation whether he thought that rate of decline would continue in the second half of the year he said “yes.”

Perhaps the most telling statement came at the end of his opening remarks when commenting on cost reduction he said “For example, including the announcements made this month; by the end of 2010 we’ll have reduced our boat manufacturing footprint from 28 facilities at the end of 2007 down to 11.” Brunswick announced the sale of their Triton brand the same day as the conference call.

Norfolk, VA – Aug.9, 2010 – BoatTrader.com and Boats.com, both divisions of Dominion Enterprises, along with Brunswick’s Aluminum Division, announced their “Tap into Summer – Show us what you do in your aluminum boat!” Video Contest is now underway. The contest is open to anyone who submits a short video showing how they use their aluminum boats, including pontoon boats, Jon boats, bass boats, etc. The winner will receive a Triton 16 Storm complete with engine and trailer.

“Aluminum boats are a popular market segment, and we want to see what people do in their aluminum boats to encourage others to try them.” said Kim Rocco, brand manager, Boat Trader.com, in making the announcement.  “Fishing, skiing and tubing are some of the popular activities that families enjoy on their aluminum boats, but there are lots of others as well.  We want to see and share some of these fun activities.”

Entries will be accepted between August 5 and September 30, 2010.  Contestants must create a short video, between 30 and 45 seconds in length, showing what they like to do in their aluminum boat. Full details of the format and eligibility information will be found at http://www.tapintosummer.com/. 

Three finalists will be selected by a panel of judges from Boat Trader, Boats.com and Brunswick Corporation.  The videos from the three finalists will be posted on YouTube so the public can cast their votes on a ‘winner takes all’ basis.   Voting will start on October 6 and end on October 15, 2010 at 11:59 a.m (EST), with the winner being announced on or around October 19, 2010.

“Videos have a very powerful impact on viral marketing, especially when they demonstrate positive and fun activities,” said Sam Christy, brand manager, Boats.com. “Showing that boating is fun and affordable for the whole family is a perfect example of how and why this medium works so well.”

Haven’t purchased your aluminum boat yet? Check out these popular brands from the Brunswick Aluminum Division: Lowe, Crestliner, Triton, Lund, Princecraft, Cypress Cay, Harris Flotebote, Suncruiser.

About Dominion Enterprises – Dominion Enterprises, parent company of Boats.com and Boat Trader, is a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, and employment industries.  The company’s businesses provide a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, CRM, Web site design and hosting, and data management services.  The company has more than 40 market-leading Web sites reaching more than 17.6 million unique visitors, and more than 280 magazines with a weekly circulation of 2.4 million.  Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the company has 4,900 employees in more than 186 offices nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.DominionEnterprises.com.

About Brunswick
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation endeavors to instill “Genuine Ingenuity”(TM) in all its leading consumer brands, including Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Attwood marine parts and accessories; Land ‘N’ Sea, Kellogg Marine, Diversified Marine and Benrock parts and accessories distributors; Arvor, Bayliner, Bermuda, Boston Whaler, Cabo Yachts, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris FloteBote, Hatteras, Lowe, Lund, Meridian, Ornvik, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Sealine, Suncruiser, Triton Aluminum, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Life Fitness and Hammer Strength fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; Brunswick billiards tables and foosball tables. For more information, visit http://www.brunswick.com.

Contacts:

James Nolan- James Nolan Associates Inc. 

+1 410 336 2240

 jnolan@jamesnolanassociates.com                                          

Kim Rocco- Boat Trader

+1 757 351 7067              

kim.rocco@dominionenterprises.com