Playbook
Growth6 min read
Boat Shows
How we approach Palm Beach, FLIBS, and Miami — the prep, the activations, the appointment strategy, and what's expected of every broker on the dock.
Boat shows are the single highest-density opportunity to meet buyers, find off-market boats, and put HSY in front of the industry. Sales rarely close during the show — they close in the weeks after, and only for brokers who actually showed up.
Pre-show checklist
- Submit your availability via the Runner form as soon as it drops — the display can never be unmanned.
- Tell us what your clients are shopping so we can pre-book manufacturer booth tours and skip lines.
- Push the show on social and to your book starting two weeks out. Use the provided email template.
- Know every boat on our display — specs, hours, asking, story. A mass email goes out with specs ahead of the show; read it.
On the dock
Do
- Be early. Setup days matter as much as show days.
- Walk the show in your downtime — find off-market boats and new product (Seakeepers, gyros, electronics) you can talk about with clients.
- Cover for teammates. If Brett is mid-tour and a buyer walks up, you handle that buyer with the same intensity.
- Attend the parties. The conversations that happen at 9 PM at the after-party are the ones that close deals in October.
Don't
- Don't disappear from the booth mid-shift.
- Don't bluff on specs you don't know — pull in whoever does.
- Don't leave display boats unlocked or unattended at any moment.
Activations we run
- Private financing event with our New Coast partners.
- Chef Dave dock cooking demo Friday afternoon.
- Open invite Saturday-night party with liquor sponsors.
- Rosé Sunday with live music — closing the show on a high.