Marketing efforts gaining momentum

Bremerton Marina has gained 10 new tenants after National Marina Day

After what he termed a “successful event” at the Bremerton Marina on National Marina Day, Bob Wise, a consultant working with the marina, said he’s filled 10 of the 50 moorage slips he’s under contract to fill.”It’s going well,” he said. “We had a great event and and it was a great showcase for the marina.”Wise said as of June 14, 10 new tenants have agreed to locate in the Bremerton Marina. That comes after about three weeks of marketing the marina moorage under a “year-free” plan.Wise previously got the OK from Port of Bremerton commissioners to offer a year’s free mortgage if a boater signs up for two years moorage. Under the plan, boaters will pay for a month and then get the next month free.”These are new, permanent tenants in the marina,” he said. “These are people who are deciding to locate their boats in Sinclair Inlet for the first time.”The moorage plan is part of an overall marketing program that Wise began in April. He is under a $9,000 a month contract with the port through August to bring 50 new tenants to the Bremerton Marina which in the past several years has been as much as two-thirds vacant. Wise is focusing on events at the marina and using social media and boating publications to let boaters know about the Bremerton Marina.The Port of Bremerton owns and operates the Bremerton Marina.During the National Marina Day June 8, more than 300 people visited the marina.”We have 45 boaters stay at the marina and we had a couple hundred others come from the shore to see what the marina has to offer,” he said. “Some came as far as from Victoria BC.”This was the first time the Bremerton Marina took part in National Marina Day and port commissioners were equally happy with the turn out.””It was a success,” said Roger Zabinski, port commissioner. “We were able to really show off what a great facility we have. Overall, I think Bob (Wise) is doing a great job and is focused on filling up slips at the marina.”While he knows more tenants are needed, Wise said he thinks things are on target.”I’m very happy,” he said. “We’ve made quite good progress. We have a ways to go. But through the use of social media and through the other marketing things we are doing, we are getting boaters’ attention.”Commissioners also decided at their last meting to try to locate a food truck in the parking area near the marina, in order to attract more people to the marina. The food vendor will be in the port’s parking lot on Washington Avenue.”Bremerton needs more positive momentum,” Zabinski said. “More business only creates more business. It is my hope that with more business, not only will there be more competition, but more people will come (to the area.)”He said the commissioners are thinking of something like a mini-donut truck which won’t necessarily compete with existing businesses, but rather compliment them.