Welcome
to the first edition of the MarineLiens.com News
Notes
Boat Shows
Boaters are Buying! Boat show attendance reportedly
has remained consistent with, or slightly down from,
last year. However, what has changed dramatically
is the rise in quality of attendance. People are buying.
Attendance at the New England Boat Show, held at the
Bayside Exposition Center in Boston from February
16�24 and put on by the Massachusetts Marine Trades
Association, was strong through to closing time on
the last day of the show. Many exhibitors took boat
and products orders at the show, and were promised
future orders over the coming months.
The Miami, Florida shows, which boast to be the Western
Hemisphere�s best among the series of springtime shows,
have reported similar attendance patterns. The Miami
shows, hosted at the Miami Beach Convention Center,
Sealine Marina and Yachting Center, and Miamarina
at Bayside, were well organized and effectively coordinated.
There were fun activities for the entire family, which
contributed to an upbeat atmosphere. The quality of
attendance was reported to be up, creating positive
attitudes among exhibitors�many of whom feel the real
work will be filling the orders they received!
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida hosted the International BoatBuilders�
Exhibition & Conference (IBEX), produced by the Professional
BoatBuilder magazine, and featuring products, services,
and new technology for the marine trade. This year
the show increased in size by 25 percent, and drew
attendees from all over the world. The educational
seminars offered at the show are extremely popular
among attendees and exhibitors. For details visit
www.ibexshow.com.
The January shows, New York and Toronto, fit the same
reported pattern of attendance, with the same positive
results of buyers. The New York show at the Javitts
Center is situated in mid Manhattan and across the
street from the Weehawken ferry terminal. The weekend
traffic was heavy so the best days for talk with industry
personnel were Monday and Tuesday. Although the show
was well organized and professionally presented, the
atmosphere wasn�t as successful at generating activities
as it was at the Miami show. Next year the show is
being rescheduled to straddle New Year�s Eve. Although
many exhibitors and attendees aren�t happy, it could
offer an interesting opportunity to turn the show
into a winter Mardi Gras? Let�s see how creative show
management will get with this.
The Toronto Show, the largest show in Canada, is impressive,
drawing boaters from both coasts of the country. The
show�s effective layout was easy to navigate. The
weekdays offered the best time to have discussions
with the exhibitors, since the weekend crowds kept
staffs in high gear. Although the show was primarily
a powerboat show, there was a good cross-section of
sailboats to view as well, with boats up to approximately
50'.
Commercial Fishing show in Rockland, Maine was located
at the beautiful Samoset Hotel overlooking the golf
course with Rockland Harbor in the background. The
fishing expo ran for three days and featured the latest
and greatest in gear, electronics, and mechanicals
on display. Conferences on pertinent issues were offered
throughout the days. The show and conferences draw
about 5,000 attendees from all over the northeast
United States. One interesting program to note asks
fishermen to report from their boats to scientists
and government researchers via electronic media, giving
the volume, species, and location of fish caught.
The data is used to identify and recreate the conditions
in which species thrive. Replenishment of the oceans�
resources continues to be a high priority to the marine
industry.
MarineLiens.com Debuts
MarineLiens.com was introduced at these shows with
encouraging reactions. The responses were consistent
at each of the shows:
98% of the industry is positive about using MarineLiens.com
as a tool in their business;
60% of those interviewed expressed the need for a
service like this during the past five years;
25% had liens to post
on the site right away.
Polling was done during
the above-mentioned five shows during January and
February of this year. The results indeed validate
the site as an important tool for the management of
accounts receivables in the marine industry.
Legal Help is on its way
Each week MarineLiens.com receives requests for legal
assistance as it pertains to liens or arrests. Generally
we can refer inquiries to an attorney, but there are
many ports around the world in which we have yet to
establish connections. We are creating a section of
our site that will list attorneys by country. Please
pass on our e-mail address, click here,
to maritime attorneys you know would like to be included
on our list.
Site upgrades
We have made some changes to our site to enhance its
functionality:
Industry Links
We are now listing marine-related resources. If
you have a marine business and would like to list
it on our resource page, please submit a description
of your products or services in 20 words or less to
click here.
Include your contact information in the following
format:
Country
Name of Company
Address
Web site URL
E-mail address
Lien-Claim Notification
Notify the owner or agent of your claim of lien immediately
by e-mailing a notice right from the site. After you
post your lien claim, the site will prompt you to
enter the e-mail address of the owner or agent of
that claim. She or he will be e-mailed a certificate
of the claim, which includes instructions for resolution
of the claim. This notification is not required, but
it�s helpful in bringing together the disputing parties.
International Differences
Countries of course vary in the way dates, currency,
and measurements are expressed. Liens can now be stated
in any currency, measurements can be stated in either
feet or meters, and you will be prompted now on the
date format.
Database Growth
Our database is being populated with boats and vessels
as we acquire them. Many users struggle with the correct
spelling of the name; having the vessel already in
the database helps to determine the correct boat and
will speed up the process for both users posting the
claims and users searching on the claims.
Site Navigation
Navigation options are changing to simplify the process.
It will enable direct access to the database from
the home page, which will benefit returning users.
Archiving
Newsletters now will be archived for future referencing.
The enthusiasm so far generated for MarineLiens.com
is encouraging. The industry is recognizing that there
has long been a need for a lien-posting and -searching
service, and we are working to create a site as user-friendly
and effective as possible. Thank you for your support,
and look for future updates as the database continues
to grow.
