All hands on deck as Riviera prepares for the boat show

It’s all hands on deck for Riviera, Australia’s most awarded pleasure boat builder, as enthusiastic staff volunteer their services for the Sydney International Boat Show.

Pristine and sparkling, the boats are berthed at Riviera’s floating display which is immaculately presented for the entourage of tens of thousands of boat show guests who will visit the stand en masse.

But behind the scenes, the Sydney International Boat Show began months ago when planning and preparations began.

Everything from flag poles, signs and lecterns to uniforms, caterers and entertainers is organised by the Riviera team.

Senior production manager operations Darren Kearns, who has 16 years experience at Riviera, said in the weeks leading up to the show, it was all hands on deck.

“We had teams working on setting up all aspects of the display, organising flag poles, lecterns, marquees, laying carpet and creating reception areas for the I Love Riv team,” Darren said.

“Uniforms had to be organised with everything matching including shoes and belts to enhance Riviera’s professional image.

“The actual set up of the show takes five days from the time the first boat moors in.  We had to load a massive amount of food and drinks from the wharf to the Riviera display for our VIP functions, our IT department had to set up all the computers while our electrical team ran all the cables to power the lights, computers and televisions.

“We loaded a 20 foot shipping container at the factory, transported this by road to Sydney and then had this craned onto a barge to be shipped around to Darling Harbour for unloading.

“At 5am every morning for the duration of the boat show our detailing team hand wash and chamois every boat until 9am.

“Our volunteers on the stand include apprentices and staff who give up there time to help out during the five day event and in return they gain valuable experience, the opportunity to work with our dealers and customers as well as receiving feedback from the general public.

“We also have to arrange for skippers and crew to drive the boats from our Coomera facility to Darling Harbour in Sydney, the boats depart the week prior to the show to allow time to set up the stand and any unexpected weather conditions which could delay the journey.”

A fleet of seven Rivieras made the 380 nautical mile journey from the Gold Coast Seaway south to Darling Harbour and on day one faced heavy sea conditions in 25 plus knot winds.  The fleet sought shelter in Coffs Harbour until the weather improved.

“Our production team also played a vital role in the boat show preparations, working from our production plan from start to finish to ensure all the boats are built on time and to Riviera’s world class quality standards.  We hit target which is a credit to everybody who built the boats and this gave us the opportunity to fine tune the display before the boat show and deliver an exceptional presentation.”

After months of planning and preparation, the Riviera team achieved an amazing result at the Sydney International Boat Show selling 19 new boats over the five days of the show and its subsequent sea trial days immediately following the show and winning an award for Display Excellence at the marina.

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