SeaFair to visit Fairfield County
By Richard Lee
Business Editor
Article Launched: 07/12/2008 01:00:00 AM EDT

The docks of Stamford and Greenwich have attained star status among the upper crust of the retail world.

Plans are under way for the arrival next month of Expoships' "The SeaFair Experience Preview Tour," billed as the world's first mega-yacht venue.

Those plans call for the 825-foot, 3,200-ton SeaFair to dock in Greenwich and Stamford on Aug. 22 and 23, carrying purveyors of luxury goods including art, jewelry and sculpture in 28 galleries.

The SeaFair started her voyage north on Wednesday with a stop in Jacksonville, Fla., followed by scheduled visits in Savannah, Ga.; Hilton Head, S.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Norfolk, Va; Alexandria, Va./Washington D.C.; Annapolis, Md./Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City; and Port Washington, N.Y. "

We look forward to meeting potential exhibitors, event planners and other partners in some of the best ports this summer," said Roderick Jacobs, Expoships' chief executive officer. "We recently expanded our brand to include purveyors of exclusive luxury products, and we are excited to demonstrate SeaFair's capabilities and unique potential. SeaFair allows exhibitors to gain exposure and connect with customers in close proximity to where customers live, in addition to creating new business opportunities in a sluggish economy."

A goal of the voyage is to introduce luxury, art, event and marketing industry professionals to the "pop-up retail" concept and show them how they can serve customers during SeaFair's Fall 2008 Tour, Jacobs said.

A destination in the fall itinerary in September will be Greenwich and the dock at the Delamar hotel. The SeaFair docked at the Delamar last year in its maiden voyage and hosted 4,300 invited guests, said David Lester, organizer of the tour and co-founder of Expoships in 2003 with his wife, Lee Ann.
The ship hosted an "Art Aboard" fundraising event and a cocktail gala, attracting more than 500 people and raising more than $300,000 for the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, he said.
"There's a whole concept called pop-up retailing. It's a global trend. It's event-driven retail. The ship is an excellent example of it. It gives people a buying impetus," Lester said, because the vessel is docked for a finite period.


The slow economy is affecting wealthier individuals, and the voyage provides retailers another avenue to market to them, he said.

 

"They are more able to buy, but they are more cautious. You have to give them a reason to buy," Lester said.


A benefit that exhibitors enjoy is access to Expoships' SeaFair Society, which boasts more than 200,000 members who mostly represent the top 1 percent of high-net-worth individuals in the United States.


One of the ship-board retailers who visited Greenwich last year was Dudley Richter, co-owner of Richters of Palm Beach, an upscale Florida-based jewelry store.


"We were the first retailer to sign up with David. It was well thought out and executed," said Richter, who saw the voyage as a way to connect with clientele from the Northeast who shop at his Worth Avenue store in the winter.


"We accomplished every goal. When we went back to Palm Beach, we saw people who came to our store for the first time after seeing us on the SeaFair. Doing it again is on our radar screen."
The visit to Greenwich last year also benefited the Delamar, said Steve Weber, its director of sales, who hopes to see a repeat in August and September.


"It was the biggest vessel we've ever had here," he said. "It adds a lot of panache to our atmosphere. We had a block of 20 rooms for vendors. It's a great business opportunity for the Delamar. Hundreds of people came through here because of the ship."

- Business Editor Richard Lee can be reached at rich.lee@scni.com or 964-2236.