Dusseldorf Boat Show 2006 - The entire global market for boats and watersports gets on board!
06 December 2005 - 15:12
Global exhibitor registrations for the 37th staging of the International Boat Show promise excellent occupancy rates for halls in all product categories. Next January, boot will be spread across 17 halls at the Düsseldorf Trade Fair Center, covering a gross exhibition area of 220,000 square metres. More than 1,650 exhibitors from over 50 countries will present the full spectrum of global offerings for all aspects of boats, yachts, maritime equipment and services.
Over 45 percent of the floor space has been booked up by the 600 exhibitors based abroad. The largest exhibitor contingent will come from the Netherlands which is represented by 150 yards, suppliers of equipment and services, followed by the 70 companies from Italy and France respectively and 40 participations from the UK. Northern European nations will also be out in force in Düsseldorf, numbering 40 exhibitors. Overall, the 2006 event is set to pick up right where the previous fair left off in terms of its top-notch exhibitor numbers and space.
International boat parade
The flotilla of boats and yachts at boot 2006 maintains its high level of quality and choice, including some 400 international shipyards and dealers and all makes of relevance to European markets. Some 2,000 yachts and boats will berth in seven exhibition halls. Running the gamut from Azimut to Sunseeker and from Bavaria to Wauquiez, everyone who is anyone in the world of watercraft will be in Düsseldorf.
Motorised boats and yachts from some 250 exhibitors will be in the spotlight in Halls 6, 10, 11, 12 and 15 at boot 2006. The choice here spans motorised inflatables through vessels that can be transported by trailer, all the way to large, exclusive yachts. Lovers of steel yachts, particularly the Dutch variety, will be delighted to discover a considerably expanded portfolio on offer in Hall 15 in the coming year.
The new special presentation, "Watersports on the move”, in Hall 11 will open visitors' eyes to the joys of motorised travel on the water as well as offering initial information. Entry-level models transportable by trailer combined with caravans provide compelling evidence that boating is a recreational activity that can be enjoyed anywhere, any time with very little effort.
Sailboats and yachts will be dropping anchor in Halls 16 and 17. This section has been booked up to the last square metre by some 150 exhibitors. On site and in person, the biggest manufacturers of production yachts such as Bavaria, Bénéteau, Hallberg Rassy and Yachtwerft Greifswald will take the stage with their latest designs. An evergreen section that has further upped its appeal is the Sailing Center in Hall 17 which brings together about 30 boat class associations, offering a programme that includes sneak peeks at the world's top international sailing event in 2007 - the America's Cup regattas.
Big yachts go one better!
Large-scale yachts are sailing towards a new record in 2006. The star of Hall 6 in January looks likely to be the "Catwalk”, created by Kaiserwerft, a yard based in Saal on the Danube. At 41 metres in length, this motoryacht is the biggest ever to grace the Düsseldorf fair or any exhibition hall for that matter - at least, so far. This grande dame will arrive in Düsseldorf on a pontoon on 19 December, where it will undergo an arduous voyage involving major traffic blockades and evening out of road levels to reach the hall. Two more mega yachts, the 35-metre-long motorised Élegance 115 from the Drettmann yard and the exclusive Dutch boat builder's 24-meter-long Jongert 2400 M christened "Charisma”, will join a further 70 vessels in Hall 6 in an unparalleled indoor showcase of the international state of the art in large-scale yacht construction.
Having proven itself at boot 2005, the stand-alone platform for exhibitors from the international superyacht scene will once again inspire awe at the upcoming event in Hall 7a. Bannered "Superyacht Show boot Düsseldorf”, the hall will be home to 70 premium-class yards as well as specialised engineers, designers and suppliers who will strut their stuff with information stands, plans and models at boot. Making a splash next year will be the German Yachting Industry Pool's joint stand featuring 26 participants, and its French counterpart, the French Nautical Industry, with 12 exhibitors under its umbrella.
High in demand: floor space for top-quality boat equipment
Manufacturers of communications and navigational equipment as well as convenient on-board fittings are evidently looking forward to boot with great optimism. At least this is the conclusion to be drawn from the tremendous demand for stand space in Halls 4, 5 and 9 - so much so that, in some cases, waiting lists have had to be created. Here, boot visitors can take in the latest on-board electronics, engines, equipment, technical accessories, high-grade special-purpose clothing as well as marina facilities showcased by 450 exhibitors.
Greater depths: Diving Show boot Düsseldorf
The world's leading diving fair, the Diving Show boot Düsseldorf, has once again been expanded. At the coming fair, 250 exhibitors, spread over 20,000 square metres of exhibition space, will tout diving equipment, services and training as well as tours to the world's most magnificent diving locations. Among the top names making the trip to Düsseldorf will be Aqualung, Cressi, Balzer, Camaro, Bauer Kompressoren and Sea Way Aquata. All facets of diving from hot spots in Asia to the South Seas, diving suits, instruction, innovations in underwater photography and filming will all be concentrated in Hall 3 at boot Düsseldorf.
Beach World: riding the wind and waves
In Hall 1, everything revolves around speed sports powered by wind and waves - surfing, kitesurfing, wakeboarding, cat sailing and waterskiing. Eighty exhibitors are lined up to display the latest and greatest in equipment. At the pulsing heart of the hall will be a brand new theme park entitled "Beach World”. A 2,500 square metre beach landscape forms the backdrop for a happening rendezvous point for sports personalities as well as a communications and information platform. The park is being organised in cooperation with the Verband Deutscher Windsurfing- und Wassersportschulen (Association of German Wind-Surfing and Watersports Training Institutes - VDWS) that will also be represented by 20 of its surfing bases and watersports schools at the fair. Surf sports equipment supplier Boards & More, partner of the show, will be presenting an exhibition documenting 30 years of the sport of surfing in images as well as providing topical materials.
For sport fishermen, it's rods, reels and out of the city rush
For those bitten by the fishing bug, the best place to prepare for the coming season is at boot 2006. By dedicating the whole of Hall 2 to the Sport Fishing Center, the world's No. 1 yacht and watersports fair provides fishing fans with a spacious platform of their own. Thirty-five exhibitors will set up shop here, answering any questions about rods, reels, travel destinations and more.
Leading manufacturers will showcase highlights from their latest equipment lines while tour operators specialising in fishing trips and trade media experts will lift the lid on technology, techniques and not-to-be-missed fishing spots. At a joint stand, Norway and Denmark in particular will offer visitors a strong case in favour of their fishing grounds.
Touring the blue planet
The market for boat trips, water tourism and maritime services will be given a boost at boot 2006 with a new special presentation "Big blue travel world”. Just a few steps from the North-East Entrance, the presentation gets visitors in the mood for what's to come in Halls 13 and 14. White sand, turquoise waters, maritime backdrops, jetties, charter boats and small sport boats occupying 2,000 square metres - what an entrée to the boot holiday world! Yet not all of the offerings in Düsseldorf are afloat. Aside from boats, yachts and equipment for watersports of all kinds, the trade fair also harbours the world's premier event for boat trips, chartered tours, cruises and maritime services, comprehensively profiled by some 350 exhibitors in 2006.
Last but not least, maritime art at boot goes by the name of "Galleria boot Düsseldorf”. Art lovers among boot visitors can peruse works from some 30 galleries and artists on the ground floor of Hall 7.
boot 2006 will open its doors daily between 10.00 am and 6.00 pm from 21 to 29 January. One-day tickets cost EUR 13 or EUR 9 for schoolchildren and students. Each admission ticket entitles the holder to travel to the fair and back free of charge on public transport within the Rhine-Ruhr Regional Transport Network (VRR). Tickets can also be bought online from Messe Düsseldorf at www.boot.de.
Düsseldorf, November 2005
Düsseldorf Boat Show
