High tides blocked the entrances. Spouts of rain early on turned into an extreme heatwave. And yet, somehow, attendance at the 2019 Annapolis Sailboat Show was the highest its been in recent years.
Were people drawn in by the novelty of not having to constantly take their shoes on and off? A typical practice and a general nuisance at any boat show, with docks underwater at Annapolis, guests this time around couldnβt even wear shoes, to begin with. But, while a welcome surprise, thatβs actually not the reason for the higher guest turnout.Β
The real reason? Social media influencers. Attendees flocked to step aboard the Outremer that Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu famously travel the world on, documenting the never-ending voyage on their YouTube channel. Other fans could be seen completing Tulaβs Endless Scavenger Hunt, or running around in Sailing SV Delos shirts. Still, more guests were thrilled to meet the adorable Ruby Rose couple and hear their fantastic accents.
Whoever attendees wereΒ there to see, theΒ 2019 Annapolis Sailboat Show was packed with lines of fans waiting to meet influencers. Word aroundΒ the show was that La Vagabond had a waitΒ time of over two hours and that the line for Tulaβs Endless Summer in the Highfield Booth was a photo-worthy spectacle.Β
Whether youβre a lover of all things social media like I am, or you donβt know Instagram from Facebook and like it that way, influencer presence at the boat show does matter and shouldnβt be ignored. If the combined force of every single one of these influencersβ subscribers had shown up in Annapolis this year, they would have numbered 2,913,930 guests.Β
Yeah, itβs a crazy number. Hereβs the breakdown:
Sailing La Vagabonde – 1.15M subscribers
Sailing Yacht Ruby RoseΒ – 86.6K subscribers
Tula’s Endless Summer – 106K subscribers
Sailing SV Delos – 358K subscribers
Sailing Project Atticus – 66.4K subscribers
59 North Podcast – 5.23K subscribers
Monday Never – 31.6K subscribers
Chase a Story – 36.7K subscribers
Sailing Doodles – 169K subscribers
Calico Skies Sailing – 874 subscribers
Mermaid Monster – 11K subscribers
Learning The Lines – 49.4K subscribers
The wordβs in the job title, and the influence of social media extends far beyond that of magazine subscriptions. And if potential attendees are more inclined to come out to meet the people living a life on the water that they aspire to, what lessons can be learned about taking the industryβs marketing into the future?