AWBF 2019 – Open for Business

We are delighted to say that the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 is officially open for business, with release of the Expression of Interest portal for Boats Afloat and a brand-new website to help you find it.

Yes, the run-up started officially on April 15, as promised, with the upload of a fresh new-look website and a much simplified system for registering your interest in joining us for the largest wooden boat festival in the Southern Hemisphere.  Boats Afloat (competitive application for one of our 350+ places afloat in Sullivan’s Cove) starts a process that will unfold as Boats Ashore (6 May), Model Boats (14 May) and Trade Exhibitors (14 May) open progressively over the next few weeks.  Food & Beverage Exhibitors (18 July), Community Groups (27 August) and the all-important Volunteers Registration (1 October) follow later in the year.

The new website is a progressive step for us, simplifying navigation through the site, refreshing links, adding colour and movement.  Using modern software platforms like WordPress, the website is now faster, more easily updated and corrected in-house.  We’ll be able to add interactive maps, boat listings, stories and news items at a speed we couldn’t dream about just two years ago.  There are still a few of kinks and wrinkles to smooth out, but we’ll be able to attend to them quickly.

Congratulations to an impressive team of brains and flying fingers who contributed to the project, including web designer Sean Ravenwood, tech specialist ‘Effy’ Zavros, registration guru Chris Palmer, office manager Bronnie Hansson and AWBF friends and Board members on the beta testing team organised by Peter Higgs.  We’re certainly not finished yet, but it’s a terrific start.

Ready to file your Expression of Interest (EOI) for Boats Afloat in 2019?  Go straight to it HERE.