Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Marina Marketing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Port of Bremerton reports strong leads, new contacts from Seattle Boat Show despite low attendance
Summary
Marina manager Kathy Garcia told commissioners the Port of Bremerton’s booth at the 2025 Seattle Boat Show produced quality leads, raffle signups and several slip reservations; booth features and staff engagement drew praise from other ports and vendors.
Kathy Garcia, marina operations manager for the Port of Bremerton, reported to the commission that the port’s booth at the 2025 Seattle Boat Show generated strong leads, filled some slips and added people to the wait list despite lower overall attendance caused by winter storms.
Garcia said the show ran Jan. 31–Feb. 8 at Lumen Field Event Center and Bell Harbor Marina. She said the event drew about 29,700 attendees and included 292 exhibitors and roughly 800 boats on display. The Northwest Marine Trade Association organized the show and added expanded social media promotion, Garcia said.
Garcia described the Port’s booth as a multi‑hour setup that showcases drone and event video, a large lime‑green map showing marina proximity to Seattle and ferry connections, informational handouts, marina rate brochures and a raffle that captured email addresses for follow‑up. “Our booth is different from the other booths…It stands out. It's clean. It's professional. It's functional,” Garcia said.
Results and local details Garcia reported: the Port filled some slips during the show and added to its slip wait list; Bremerton had 14 vacant slips (36–44 feet) at the time of the meeting and staff anticipated filling them by spring; Port Orchard had vacancies in smaller trailerable slip sizes. Garcia credited lead maintenance technician Brian Robinson for fabricating booth features and praised staff and commissioners who staffed the booth.
Garcia also highlighted career fair participation (more than 100 job seekers), specialty programming at the boat show (150 free seminars, themed days such as military appreciation and women’s day) and charitable tie‑ins that included Salmon for Soldiers. Commissioners praised Garcia and staff for outreach and customer engagement.
Why it matters: The boat show is a primary marketing opportunity for the Port’s marinas and events. Garcia said the show helps drive overnight visits, reservations, and relationships with yacht clubs and dealers and supports marina occupancy and local waterfront events.
Next steps: Garcia said the port will use contacts from the show to fill slips and book rendezvous events and will plan again for the next year’s show.
