USA Pavilion to debut at Sydney show

The debut of the USA Pavilion at the Sydney International Boat Show (SIBS) is a sellout, with 13 exhibitors, companies and industry stakeholders, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), which organised the trade mission.

“We always measure the success of our events based on the success that our exhibitors have there,” NMMA’s Senior Trade Director for Export Development, Julie Balzano, told IBI. “So, if it’s a productive show for them and it provides a good ROI, then we consider it a success. Simply selling out a pavilion for us isn’t a success.”

To help ensure that success, NMMA and its partners and exhibitors have been doing extensive outreach marketing to ensure some high visibility for the first-time effort. Balzano and NMMA have been working with the Boating Industry Association of Australia (BIA), the Australian export group AIMEX, and the US Commercial Service to help promote the US presence.

“The majority of companies in the pavilion are based in the state of Florida, and the state of Florida’s International Trade Division is doing their own marketing and outreach,” Balzano explained.

With US exports to Australia up 9% from last year, and the current political uncertainty between the US and its major trading partners, Balzano said the time was right for a USA Pavilion.

“Australia is the number three marine export market for the US and it has been for some time. It has a very similar boating culture, we have a Free Trade Agreement with Australia, there are no retaliatory tariffs in place, we’re not engaged in a trade war with Australia, and it only makes sense to have a USA presence there.”

NMMA will host a reception at the USA Pavilion to entice people to the pavilion, Balzano explained, to learn more about the companies exhibiting “and let the natural connections happen organically from there.”

The Sydney International Boat Show runs from August 1-5.