Hoping to capitalise on the expanding interest in powerboats, a group of young people is organising a boat show on May 24 designed to draw visitors from across the region.
The first-ever BVI Exquisite Boat Show will be held at Scrub Island Resort, where boat owners will compete for more than $8,500 in cash prizes, Meslyn Allen, one of the organisers, said Tuesday.
Organisers hope the event will attract at least 40 boats from Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, the United States and across the Virgin Islands, Ms. Allen said.
In addition to a prize competition, the show will include a section of featured boats with participation from the Puerto Rico Offshore Race Series and a showcase of boats for sale.
“They get an opportunity to showcase their boat: If you really think your boat is really nice, your paint job is really beautiful, your interior is colour-coordinated,” Ms. Allen said.
Anthony George, another organiser, said the show will be preceded by a “boat motorcade” through the streets of Road Town on May 23 to raise the community’s interest in the event.
“For those who don’t know about the boat show, they’ll definitely know about the boat show after the motorcade,” he said.
Ms. Allen added that the event will be marketed across the region through social media and other efforts coordinated with LIME, a major sponsor.
Other events
Ms. Allen is a public relations specialist at the BVI Tourist Board, but she is organising the event privately along with Mr. George, Nadia Demming and Charles Hodge, she said. She added that organisers chose the show’s date to coincide with the BVI Music Festival and the Leverick Bay Poker Run.
“One of the things we had in mind was to package all of the events happening that weekend together and sell it to our international audience,” she said. “To say, ‘You love boats? You own a boat? Come to the BVI to be part of this fantastic package.’”
The show will receive sponsorship from multiple businesses as well as the BVITB, said Rhodni Skelton, the BVITB’s film commissioner, though he declined to say how much.
“As you know, the Tourist Board is funded by the government of the Virgin Islands: The budget has not been passed as yet,” Mr. Skelton said. “There will be cash outlay: We don’t know what it is yet.”
He later clarified that although the budget did pass, the BVITB hasn’t received its funding allotment for the year. He added that despite Ms. Allen’s role in the event and his own side job as organiser of BVI Music Festival, both BVITB employees are able to keep their jobs and private events separate.
“We take our time off: We do all that we need to do, work-wise, to get that out of the way,” he said. “There’s not going to be any conflict of interest. We switch gears and we do what we do.”
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