mineral1 said..
Not sure but outlets, nor suppliers here in WA do no favours in regards to try for a day type sales pitch. Women only days. After 9am weekdays even when the kids are in school.
You want to sell the product then it needs to get on the bloody front foot and stop sitting on its coit. There are minimal product exposure days here in one of the most available locations for windsurfing each year.
The outlets and the suppliers do very little in that aspect.
At least NSW has the windsurf van travelling with alerts well in advance for prospective try for a day.
WA we have??? zilch
Finn Kayaks, they have a number of try days. So if they can and local, then our side are either lazy or tight arses
Stick it up your arse mineral. Find out the truth before you pull that BS out.
The outlet I work for has full groups EVERY week of the summer for lessons and almost every week it is 50% females learning.
Instead of useless try - for ten minutes then give up cause it's too hard - days, we give proper lessons for very minimal costs and no purchase of gear necessary. Unlike Kayaks where you simply sit in it and paddle "oh yes that's nice", you do need to have a bit of instruction if you are to get anything out of the experience.
Did I mention our classes are FULL every week of the summer - for those that think the industry is doing nothing!
I know that windforce would love to do more, but struggle to find anyone willing to give up their time to work the lessons centre as much as they would like.
Regards to "Minimal product exposure days" if it is good gear you want to try then every shop in Perth has demo stuff for you to try. It may not be at the beach all at once, but it is available for you try when every you would like.
If you mean beginner gear, then the problem is giving out good gear to new people who have no idea how to rig it, use it or protect it from damage. So why don't we have some 2nd hand gear to "give out for a try" - because there is not enough of it out there to hold in reserve. Every good beginner board in any store in Perth can be sold 5 times over. All the other good boards are sitting in people's sheds just in case they might teach a friend one day.
Ian Grose the old Starboard imported busted a gut over the years planning have ago days, trial options and attempting to maximise exposure ie boat shows, mag adverts etc. The take up and introduction of new sailors is not from lack of trying.
Why are the Sup womens groups successful - because all the ladies need do is turn up to the river with a board and paddle, paddle for 30 minutes at any location desired, stop and have a coffee and chat with friends then get on home all before lunch time.
The NSW windsurf van was a good idea, but how did you know about it? from Seabreeze? well that is just advertising to the converted. I don't know what they did elsewise to advertise nor how successful they were. So it comes back to the original post of how to get the message out to non sailors.
The local breaks around here its already all but extinct.
) passionate about it!
