The 2014 HISWA Amsterdam in-water Boat Show came to its end on Sunday, with exhibitors leaving the event in a very positive spirit. A considerable number of sales were reported over the five-day show and numerous exhibitors expect to finalise additional sales over the upcoming months based on the planned sea trials and requested offers.
Image credit to HISWA Amsterdam In-Water Boat Show 2014
To enhance the overall experience for visitors, this year’s boat show had an extensive activity programme on the water. It included hundreds of (school) children who were introduced to watersports in partnership with the Optimist on Tour by Delta Lloyd and sailing school Nautiek. The HISWA Amsterdam in-water Boat Show 2014 attracted 25,732 visitors, a rise of over six percent on 2013 (24,241 visitors).
Concrete sales
Many exhibitors expressed greater optimism than a year ago, and those unveiling premiers at the quay enjoyed particularly good business. “Our two global premiers attracted lots of attention,” says Remco Sol of Winner Yachts. Peter Bost of new exhibitor Deep Water Yachts was impressed by the days spent at the HISWA Amsterdam in-water Boat Show: “I would be very surprised if it didn’t result in any sales.” Marcel Jetten of Jetten was also very satisfied: “The number of leads is way beyond our expectations.”
Stymon Loumpranos of Hellas Watersport was also positive about the past few days, reporting both “good leads and actual sales”. Gert Sonsma of West Yachting took various orders, making this edition of the HISWA Amsterdam in-water Boat Show especially successful. Ron Spoelstra of Rossinante attracted the crowds with the Garcia Explorer 45 sailyacht, including a large number of international visitors. There was also enthusiasm among the suppliers on the quay, such as Hans Schleidt of Cummins Holland: “This boat show was the perfect platform to enhance brand recognition.”
More international visitors
The percentage of non-Dutch visitors at the boat show increased. Online ticket sales show that approximately 10 percent of all transactions were from countries outside the Netherlands. The majority of these international visitors were from Germany and Belgium, and there were also visitors from the UK, France, Italy, Scandinavia, Poland and Russia. The logical explanation for the increase is the high-quality offer of the boat show, a successful international marketing campaign and the attractiveness of Amsterdam as a location.
Lots of kids
Thanks to the Optimist on Tour (organised by Delta Lloyd) and activities by sailing school Nautiek, hundreds of children were introduced to watersports over the past week. The fine weather helped make this a great success. Students from various universities of applied sciences enjoyed the match racing organised by the Live Your Dream Foundation. All the mini-practice sessions on the IJ waterway (offered by Varen Doe je Samen) were fully booked, the manoeuvring and man overboard clinics were very popular, and the ‘Boats with a story pavilion’ was visited by many sailing enthusiasts.
World record attempt SUPzilla
On Saturday Delta Lloyd made a successful attempt to break the world record on a SUPzilla. No less than 39 people balanced on the world’s largest SUP board, paddling on the water to complete the course and beat the previous record of 34 people.
HISWA Amsterdam in-water Boat Show 2015
The next edition of the HISWA Amsterdam in-water Boat Show takes place from Tuesday 1 to Sunday 6 September 2015 in the Amsterdam Marina at the NDSM wharf in Amsterdam.
