Charter Yacht Shows allow brokers to get to know the potential crew and vessels they will be marketing to their clients, hence your potential charter guests.
Inviting Brokers onboard to tour the yacht and meet you and the team provides the intimate knowledge they need to market the vessel. They can enthusiastically sell what they know and admire.
These shows are an excellent opportunity to create a strong connection with brokers by showcasing what the crew and vessel are all about, giving them a good idea of what type of clients would love to charter the vessel.
A successful charter program is not busy with new clients; it has return guests. All the boats are the same; what makes them unique is the crew creating unique experiences for them. If you nail that, they will return to you no matter what.
Here are my top tips for rocking a Yacht Charter Show:
1. Showcase your personality and skills
If you are a Chief Stew, you are likely the first person they will meet and greet when coming onboard. Ensure you are always smiling and speaking about the special skills your crew bring to the program (knowing your team members’ skills and their background is vital). All staff should do/act the same way, showcasing each other's skills. For example: if the engineer is passionate about spearfishing, you can say he teaches guests to catch their lunch while enjoying XY destination. If you have a masseuse onboard, you can say how your guests can relax and restore during their stay with the masseuse onboard. If someone speaks a different language, that is always a plus to mention. I think you get my point. If the program has previously been chartered, share stories of happy guests onboard.
2. Set the vessel for a photoshoot
When brokers and potential charter guests come onboard, they want to a) get a feel for what a possible week could be on that boat and b) get to know the crew. When you get the boat ready, you want to ensure they get a glimpse of the details you will create during their stay.
Here is what I recommend:
Have a tray on the Master/VIP with a Champagne bottle, two glasses, or a tea set.
Set up a table for dinner (use the one they will mainly use, more than likely one on deck, display the interior team table decor skills, go for it!)
Have flower arrangements throughout the boat, ideally made by the interior, to highlight that skill.
Do turndown in one room- curtains down, open bed, quote/weather/chocolate, lighting, and an ambiance that invites them to have a good night's sleep.
If there is a bathtub, set up candles/scrub/bubbles bath set. Make it look inviting (you don’t need to fill up the tub to display what’s possible).
Serve only water + wines (red/white/rose), and avoid open bars. Please keep it simple but top-notch with quality wine and water, and of course, show off your cocktail skills with a drink of the day.
The chef should serve 3-4 canopies showing his/her skills and always have vegan/GF/Allergy friendly. You can have them set up at the bar with one stew serving food and drinks or call attention to the interior service skills by having a stew walk around with drink trays and another with canapés.
Have a decorative bowl/tray for charter brokers to leave their business cards next to your charter management company's promotional material. They will send you loads; place them around the boat as part of the decór. Get creative!
3. Bring on the Theme Nights!
If you are participating in a small broker show such as the one in Bahia Mar, Fort Lauderdale, this will not apply. But if you are going to be part of a bigger show, such as the Antigua/Newport/ BCN Charter Shows, pay attention. During these more significant events, you will receive a day to go all out and show how you and the team can get creative and entertain guests via a theme night. When I mean go all out, I mean it. This turns into a bit of a competition among vessels, too, so think outside the box. On one of the shows I did, we created a Vintage Circus theme; we hired a photo booth so people could start their journey with a photo to remember us by, then they would meet one of the stews who was a silk expert, and if they were adventurous enough they could give it a go. We had the crane holding the silk on the boat's side so they were not too far from the dock when checking off one of their childhood dreams. As soon as they stepped onboard, they were welcome by a slushy machine, yummy food, crew/characters from a 19th-century circus, and a woman doing palm readings. The line was crazy for the palm reader. We got a person that was so good; people even cried during their readings.
4. Be in it to win it.
One of the cool things about this big show is that the chef and the interior team get a chance to compete in the table setting and food competition. Again think outside the box, and get creative but stick to the rules and guidelines. When you don't follow the brief, you highlight that your team has no attention to detail and will not deliver to the client's wants/needs. Make it personal; knowing the judge's names is key to adding personal touches to the table, like name settings.
5. Extra touches
Get name tags for the crew; it makes it easier for the clients and brokers to remember your name. Some brokers’ management companies will set this up for the team. Ask!
Turn all TV's on and set them to play the welcome slide show, meaning the boat's photo slides. Please keep the same music around the yacht and the volume low enough not to interfere with conversations.
If you have a lunch/dinner planned for brokers/managers onboard, go all out. Create a table setting to remember and ensure your service team is on their A-game; this is where you and the team showcase what their clients will get when chartering the vessel. This is the impression they will remember when talking about the boat to potential charter guest clients.
As they say, Brokers can enthusiastically sell what they know and admire, create a memorable one, and they will make it rain $$$.
To be a successful Charter Chief Stew, you need a management system to help you and your team deliver unforgettable Top- Notch experiences to the guests. And that is what the Mermaids Kick-Starter Bible will do for you; download it here.
