Korea on Show

'Jeongok Marina, Hwaseong City Korea' .

CEO of AIMEX, Mary-Anne Edwards, is in South Korea for the inaugural Korea International Boat Show, along with 14 Australian companies, as she says: 'attracted by the fact that there has been a big push from the Koreans to drive their leisure boating market and of course the extensive marketing undertaken by Kotra'.

'The show organisers offered free accommodation, freight and transfers, which was a great help.'

Emailing from the set-up day prior the Show, Mary-Anne reports that the first year is often a matter of trying things and then ironing out the problems.

'There seems to be little English spoken anywhere and English signage is a rarity. But time will tell. Tomorrow is the opening day for media, trade and business and their Prime Minister is visiting.

'Initial impressions are they are trying hard to ensure they put on a successful event and for those who remember their show for the first year I am sure they will be sympathetic to some things not going as smoothly as a show like Sanctuary Cove after 20 years.'

Even from early contact, Mary-Anne says 'there is plenty of scope for Australian companies'.

'The marina - an opportunity for one of our great marina developers Bellinghams or Superior jetties who are both here - is about 40 minutes by bus from Suwon City so it's a long haul each day for exhibitors and a long trip for visitors.'

Fortunately, the airport welcome and support were second to none. According to Mary-Anne, 'A reception area has been set up to help visitors and ensure they are transported to their hotels with a minimum of fuss.

'It was a good feeling after traveling 10 hours, a friendly face at a foreign airport is always a plus.'

CEO of AIMEX, Mary-Anne Edwards, is confident of success in Korea. - Jeni Bone Click Here to view large photo

The venue for the show was chosen for its coastal location, affluent, educated population, which numbers around 11 million in the catchment region. There are around 24 million people within 150km of the venue.

Boat Show organizers anticipate around 40,000 visitors to the four day event, which coincides with the Korea Match Cup yachting tournament.

More at www.koreaboatshow.org