I was afraid of that too. Disappointing, but not at all surprising given the investment they made as a company to do it.
Perhaps they could combine it with a factory direct/dealer supported sale since dealers are there in the previous days as it is.
Well yes and no, Absolutely there is a substantial cost to it, BUT a large part of that will happen regardless of a club event or not. They will still be doing a dealer show, so they will still be spending all the time and effort and money to set it up and rent the facility. Now granted the rental will be for a shorter time frame so money will be saved there, it seems that attendees received some free swag, which is great, but maybe that could be cut down on slightly. Maybe there is the possibility of doing the dealers one day and the club the next, instead of having the extra day in between. One thing that hasn't been measured is the ROI, Return On Investment. Now I realize that is something quite difficult to gauge, but look at how impressed all of us are with the company for doing something for its EXISTING owners, AND WE WEREN'T EVEN THERE!! As well as possible owners that are like I was originally and research the crap out of everything I do. I think one good thing for Bennington to do would be to talk to all the different staff that were there and try to gauge how many people were there INQUIRING about new models because they were looking to purchase a first Bennington, or upgrade from their current Bennington. Something tells me that if I was ever at an event like this when I was CONSIDERING buying a boat, there would be no doubt in my mind which brand I would be buying. A company that is willing to go through all this effort to have people on board to answer questions and explain exactly how things are done is an invaluable sales tool. We always say that Bennington is the "Cadillac" of pontoon companies, well, I feel this event is one of the things that take them to that higher level. Don't get me wrong, with or without the event, there is no doubt in my mind what a stand up company they are, and it makes me feel proud to tell people I own a Bennington. Even though many of the people I'm telling really have no clue just how great they are, I know, and that's what makes me feel proud about it. I do truly hope they sit down and re-evaluate the concept, I know it is still a year away, so lots of time for decisions, but look at the excitement it creates on this board, and how that in turn causes all the members to be more active talking and commenting on new models and packages, options available, and also how it helps inform prospective buyers. If you said to me "we have a hybrid top available. It folds down part way and you can mount it to the rails" I wouldn't have the slightest clue what the heck you are talking about. BUT since Tom and others took pics of it and its operation, you now have an option that people can see and decide if they like, and decide if they will order it. The pics were posted on here of the StanCraft, I ask my fellow members, how many people that are NOT on this site did you show the pictures to? I know I have sent out a few messages with attachments on them!! It's an amazing looking boat. I would have loved to have made it this year, and imagine how much you couldn't shut me up about all the new stuff if I HAD been there!! haha Biggest thing is trying to let everyone know as soon as possible so plans can be changed, tickets can be booked, arrangements can be made. I don't know Bennington's end of it and how/when they decide to announce the date, but the sooner the better as far as attendance goes. Sorry this is all one paragraph, for some reason my 'Enter" button doesn't work on this site, weird I know.
