Oliver Hayes
British Marine’s B2B Marketing Manager
When British Marine sought to expand their member marketing communications capabilities by appointing a dedicated B2B Marketing Manager, they were seeking a dynamic and highly experienced individual with expertise in multiple aspects of marketing. Oliver Hayes stepped forward as the perfect candidate for this exciting new role.
The latest recruit to the Marketing and Communications team, Oliver has more than 12 years of experience spanning various aspects of the leisure marine sector, bringing with him a well-rounded appreciation of the very diverse needs of British Marine members.
Underpinning this is a love of the sea and a passion for all things marine, garnered since his teenage years spent by the coast in Devon. Since graduating with a degree in graphic design, Oliver has secured extensive creative marketing experience - honed across both non-marine and marine sectors, including key marketing roles with brands such as Discovery Yachts and P&O Cruises. His background includes a plethora of in-house, agency and freelance design-based marketing experience.
Drawing on this wide-ranging expertise of multi-platform communications, Oliver is ideally placed to take British Marine’s member marketing communications to the next level, and his ability to creatively deliver diverse messages across different media is already proving an asset to British Marine members.
With a focus on developing membership marketing communications, Oliver is already working closely with members to communicate the extensive range of benefits available, including the opportunities made available by British Marine around specific shows, industry conferences, networking events, training courses and other key events.
This opportunity to add value in supporting the industry is what Oliver says really attracted him to the role. “Having worked for various marine companies in the past, I had had several touchpoints with British Marine; when this opportunity came up, I felt both excited and inspired.”
Oliver initially began working with British Marine on a short-term contract providing marketing support for 2023’s Southampton International Boat Show, which he found to be a very fulfilling project, having been both an exhibitor and visitor in the past many times - he recalls some of his earliest memories are of visiting boat shows at London (Earl’s Court) and Southampton.
The user-friendly design is underpinned by Oliver’s very visual approach to creative content; with his background in graphic design and a passion for creative photography, Oliver took the opportunity to combine his knowledge and talents to deliver a fresh aesthetic.
A wider review has also led to a similar approach in revamping other member communications. Oliver explains: “This has already included the launch of a new series of regular email communications, designed to be both informative and inspirational, with content including member features, membership benefit spotlights, member and industry news articles. It also highlights ways for members to forge greater involvement through participation such as exhibiting at shows, attending training events and taking up business development opportunities.
“If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up to our fortnightly MarineTalk eshot via britishmarine.co.uk, or email me directly – ohayes@britishmarine.co.uk - to ask about receiving this, or any of our other communications.
“Direct communications are a fantastic opportunity to be able to inform our members, and I love knowing that individual members are benefiting from receiving the most relevant information to them.
For me personally, the satisfaction comes in taking an idea and turning it into reality. Not only do I enjoy the creative process of that, but ensuring quality of delivery is really important to me.
As the countdown to British Marine’s flagship event, Southampton International Boat Show, enters the final phase, Oliver is looking forward to coming full circle in his first year with the organisation.
Throughout the show (13-22 September), Oliver will be based at the British Marine Members’ Lounge, this year located in Mayflower Park, and he encourages British Marine members to drop by.
“Do make sure you come along to the British Marine Lounge to say hello. It’s a great space to take a break, network and speak with myself and other British Marine team members. I’m excited for the opportunity to meet and welcome both new members and those who have renewed their membership for the coming year, and to hear of news and upcoming developments that we can help to communicate to the wider membership.
“Having spent several years attending and organising boat show stands in my role as Marketing Manager for Discovery Yachts, this in turn enabled me to bring valuable insight to British Marine for our members in terms of exhibitors’ needs, and how best to provide support,” he explains. “Helping to deliver an experience that meets the demands of both exhibitors and visitors alike was hugely rewarding.”
The success of Southampton International Boat Show marcomms campaign quickly led to Oliver transitioning to a full time permanent contract, joining in November 2023. His first undertaking was to utilise his knowledge of online media and skills in both user interface and user experience design to comprehensively redevelop the British Marine website, designing and project managing the creation of a new site and collating fresh content.
Despite its ambitious scale, the project took just six months. The new site went live in early May, injecting a substantial boost to the resources and information available to members.
Oliver describes the new website as a pivotal communications channel, which he says, “forms the hub of all British Marine news, services, resources and benefits”.
“Not only is it now more user-friendly and completely up-to-date, it offers members even greater insight thanks to the breadth of information, advice and additional resources that can now be easily accessed.”
“Of course, different people consume different information in different ways, naturally, so the ongoing challenge is that we ensure we tailor all our communications in the most appropriate way. It’s also really important to appreciate the very diverse nature of our industry, and with that, the diversity of our membership base. So to ensure our communications are as relevant as possible to each member, we are currently exploring ways in which we can improve the personalisation of our communications.
“With many of our members being start-ups and SMEs, we know that time is everything, so it’s important for our team to deliver information as efficiently as possible. That has meant communicating more frequently, more concisely and across more channels, including social media - do make sure to follow us if you’re not already; you can find us on Facebook, X and LinkedIn.”
As the key point of contact for planning and implementing member communications within British Marine, an essential part of Oliver’s new role has been attending events in order to meet and talk with as many members as possible. Describing himself as “very much a ‘people person’” he says: “Since joining British Marine, I have really enjoyed getting to know the members and deepening my understanding of their needs. Our members and associations are all remarkable products in themselves. It’s great to get out there and meet them. I love that there is such sheer diversity within our industry, from superyacht manufacturers to paddleboard companies.
The role itself is big - it’s working across our whole industry and all 1300+ members - but I am really excited to be helping to provide the communications support our sector needs.
“Whether you’re attending as a visitor or an exhibitor, we absolutely love having your support, both for the show and the industry. Look out for your three free Show tickets which all members will receive via email as part of their 2024/25 Membership Year Welcome Pack. There are also some fantastic events and networking opportunities this year, which are not to be missed – even more of a reason to come along.”
This year’s show certainly features a packed schedule (full details at southamptonboatshow.com). Oliver will be in attendance at all of British Marine’s B2B and membership events. Among the highlights for B2B networking he says will be Trade Tuesday, a collaborative event hosted by The Marine Trade Association, British Marine
South and British Marine Professional Services Association, which takes place on Tuesday 17 September at the Foredeck Stage in Ocean Hall, Mayflower Park. He cites return of Women in Marine Day on Thursday 19 September as a not-to-be-missed opportunity to hear insightful speakers and discuss views on hot topics.
Oliver is also pleased to be involved with a number of events where the focus is firmly on inspiring the next generation through various talks and activities - which, as a dad of two young children, he says, particularly resonates.
Most notable among those taking place is Schools, Apprenticeships & Careers Day (also Tuesday 17 September), as well as the Superyacht UK Young Designer Competition, set to return from 16-18 September. The latter he’s looking forward to not least because, he says, it reminds him of his own penchant for penning boat designs as a teen - an early indication of his passion for all things marine.
With just weeks to go, Oliver can’t wait for the show to get underway, and for the opportunities to gather input from members to help determine future communication strategies.
“With my long-standing love of the industry, I have always aspired to work for British Marine. To now be in a role that is dedicated to supporting to members in their communications and to facilitating access to British Marine’s wealth of information and advice, is highly rewarding. I’m really looking forward to chatting with members, hearing their news and ideas as to how we can continue to develop our membership marketing communications to meet the needs of individuals and the membership as a whole.
If you have something you’d like to discuss, do reach out, say hi and share your ideas. I’d love to hear your thoughts. See you at the Show!