With at least 15 yacht and boat shows postponed or cancelled around the country and the world, Denison Yachting launches a virtual solution for clients who intended to shop for a boat. A safe option in a time of social distancing. Denison has long been a leader in the yachting industry with a rich family history dating back to 1948. On March 27 from 9am to 5pm, visitors to Denison’s Virtual Boat Show will be able to access hundreds of Walkthrough Videos, Virtual Tours, and Live Chats with experts, brokers, captains and personalities from all corners of the yachting industry.
5 questions to Bob Denison
1) Why did you decide to introduce this solution at the beginning of this emergency, especially in your region (U.S.). Is it not too early, I mean, can you have the attention of your clients in this period of time?
The Palm Beach Boat Show was scheduled to start next weekend. After talking to a number of clients, we got the sense there was a group of people that were going to miss that weekend. Our team when to work and tried to figure out a way to provide a Virtual Boat Show our clients could view from their couch. And that’s also how we came up with the name for The Event.
2) Is this a solution you have already tested before?
This is the first time we’ve ever tried this. We haven’t tested it yet, and don’t think we’ll be able to until next week. We’re hoping to have a working model to test a few days before The Show. We’ll be developing this down to the wire.
3) What can we expect from a virtual experience?
Our Virtual Boat Show will have 3 Experiences: Video Walkthroughs, Virtual Tours and Livestreaming Chats. Over the last 3-4 years we’ve produced 250+ full length walkthrough videos and virtual tours. We’ll be featuring new and used yachts for sale that have at least one of these assets. We’ll also be hosting 15-20 Live Chat Experienced with experts, brokers, and a few personalities from the industries, including journalists.
4) How many clients are now ready to change so suddenly the way the can attend a boat show, from an experience along the docks to virtual rooms?
We’ll find out on Friday. We might be early We’re keeping expectations low, and frankly, this entire effort might be a flop. There’s just no telling. At the very least, we want our clients to know we’re not sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. We want our Buyers to have an easy and safe Buying experience, and we want our Sellers, who trust us to market their yachts, to know that organizationally we’re fighting like hell to get their yachts attention in the midst of the Corona Virus.
5) For which kind of clients is this digital tool suitable?
Any client that has access to the Internet can join in. All they have to do visit our web site. There’s not a need to download special software, etc.
