The 51st Genoa International Boat Show is just around the corner. Taking place from the 1st to 9th October, 2011 and thanks to its late opening hours, shows and special events: GenoaInBlu will light up the city for nine days. The main contents and features of the Show, which will be held at Fiera di Genova (Genoa Fair & Exhibition Centre) from 1 to 9 October 2011, were illustrated today at Genoa City Hall by Fiera di Genova SpA’s President, Sara Armella, and the President of UCINA-Confindustria Nautica (the Italian Boating Industry Confederation), Anton Francesco Albertoni, during a press conference in which Genoa Mayor, Marta Vincenzi, the President of Genoa Chamber of Commerce, Paolo Odone, and Genoa Harbour Master and Liguria Maritime Director, Admiral Felicio Angrisano also took the floor.
Genoa International Boat Show 2011 will take place from the 1st to 9th October
Genoa Boat Show has always been able to combine the best international production and the excellence of typical Made-in-Italy design, craftsmanship and entrepreneurship. This year, more than ever, it aims to be a flywheel for the entire boating sector and it will open up new horizons to involve the city and all visitors through a very special welcoming programme.
The 2011 Show
The Boat Show will be officially opened on Saturday 1 October by the Italian Minister for Transport and Infrastructures, Altero Matteoli.
With its 1,300 exhibitors and 2,000 boats on display – 450 of which will be berthed in the fascinating floating part of the Show – including 450 premieres, Genoa Boat Show is currently the most complete boat show in the world, featuring a wide range of products and solutions encompassing all boating industry sectors and meeting any possible customer needs. The 51st edition’s flagships will be the CBI 50 motor yacht “Aifos”, a 50-metre yacht by Cbi Navi (Fipa Group), among power boats, and the 31-metre-long Comet 100 rs, built by Comar Yachts, among sailing boats.
As regards small boats – which account for 60% of all crafts on display –, Genoa Boat Show will propose canoes and inflatable boats, rowing boats and package crafts, all allowing to enjoy one’s passion for the sea to the fullest. With the aim of meeting all the needs and requirements of the Show’s public, the area devoted to mega-yachts (a market segment in which Italy is the world leader and can boast unrivalled know-how and incredibly successful exports) will host 30 boats up to fifty metres in length – real pearls of shipbuilding.
At the end of the mega-yacht quay a helipad will ensure easy connections by helicopter. 160 sailing boats will be on display this year, 124 of which in the water. The sailing boats section will work as the docks’ barycentre, and the entirely renovated Mondoinvela pavilion will be the first to welcome all visitors reaching the Show by sea.
Other new features of the 51st edition of the Show will be the opportunity to perform sea trials in front of quay “G”, where shipyards will have the chance to let their customers test 25 boats ranging between 12 and 24 metres in length.
To its more-than-aware public and to professional operators, Genoa International Boat Show will offer TechTrade, the section devoted to components and accessories for pleasure boating. Monday, 3 and Tuesday, 4 will be the b2b preferential days.
In order to enhance b2b meetings with foreign operators during the Show, missions from the main strategic markets have been organised as part of the sector agreement for the support and promotion of exports subscribed by UCINA and the Italian Ministry for Economic Development. Within the same framework, SMART2011 is an initiative promoted by Enterprise Europe Network Italia and organised by Unioncamere Liguria and La Spezia Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with UCINA and Fiera di Genova, whereby one-to-one business meetings at an international level will be organised, having commercial, technological and research goals.
Late opening hours on Saturday 1 October and the GenovaInblu project
On Saturday 1 October, its opening day, the Show will be open until 10.30 pm and a great evening party will be held at the fairground, featuring a concert by Theatre Carlo Felice’s symphony orchestra, other music events, street performances, many special initiatives at the exhibitors’ stands and some magnificent final fireworks. This will be a unique opportunity to enjoy the fair & exhibition centre by night, with wonderfully illuminated marinas and the reflections of the boats on the water. A special ticket (€ 12) will be on sale starting at 6.30 pm; children up to the age of 10 accompanied by an adult will be admitted free. Buses will run until 11.00 pm; the latest ferry boat will leave the Show at 10.30 pm.
The opening Blue Night will be the first of a long series of initiatives that will unravel throughout the nine days of the Show in various strategic locations in town, i.e. the zero-edition of GenovaInBlu. This new logo ‘contains’ all the events taking place outside the fairground and making up a sort of ‘Fringe’ to the Boat Show: an ideal itinerary that will allow the Show to ‘talk’ to Genoa’s throbbing heart – from Via Garibaldi to Palazzo Ducale, from the Aquarium to Via Roma, all the way to Bolzaneto fruit and vegetable market. The project has been developed and implemented under the coordination of UCINA Confindustria Nautica and Fiera di Genova, under the aegis of Genoa Provincial Council, and with the direct involvement of various local institutions, particularly Genoa Chamber of Commerce (the promoter and main sponsor of this initiative), the City Promotion Board, Genoa City Council’s Department for the Economy, and the Liguria Regional Council. Various professional associations, local authorities, and companies operating in and around Genoa and representing the excellence of Made-in-Italy production have also taken an active part in the project’s organisation.
Fireworks at the Genoa International Boat Show
Conferences, meetings, and other events
The Show will propose a rich calendar of conferences and side events. The institutional conferences, organised by UCINA Confindustria Nautica, will revolve around important subjects and will aim to provide an overview of the Italian boating industry and to offer some food for thought on the most topical issues in this sector. This year the programme will include the first edition of Genoa International Boating Forum, a round table chaired by a journalist from the Financial Times that will be held on Tuesday 4 October and will represent a unique opportunity for the leading players worldwide to meet and share ideas.
Navigar m’è dolce
Genoa Boat Show will also include a large number of side events devoted to the younger generations. Children will have a chance to try out several water sports as part of the Navigar M’è Dolce programme, promoted by UCINA-Confindustria Nautica, and thus experience the great thrill of sailing. Every day in the new basin children will be able to safely try sailing for the first time in their life.
Sponsors
Thanks to the successful partnership with Rolex, for the third consecutive year Rolex will be the Boat Show’s “official watch”. On the 51st edition, Rolex will set up a large exhibition area devoted to its new watch collections, with a special focus on sporty watches and watches devoted to the sea, like Submariner and Yacth Master. Besides Rolex, other prestigious sponsors will include Banca Carige, Genoa Chamber of Commerce, the Liguria Region, Italian Ministry for Transport and Infrastructures, Marina d’Arechi, Seamax, Autostrade per l’Italia, Banchero & Costa, Ca’ del Bosco, Jaguar, Valle d’Aosta Region, the Italian Register of Engineers, Selex-Elsag, Serravalle Outlet, Ignazio Messina, Consorzio Italia –Bagni Baia San Giuliano, Agenzia Marittima Pesto, Amico & Co., Enercore. The technical sponsors will be Antique Mirror and Ingemar.
The digital Boat Show
The Boat Show would not be the Boat Show without some digital innovation. In line with the current need for increasingly fast and far-reaching information sharing tools, Genoa Boat Show too has decided to “turn 2.0″ by renovating its official website and opening up to the world of social networks and smart phones.
Indeed, the Show’s official website has a brand-new graphic layout which plays with blue and light-blue shades and ensures faster navigation through the various pages thanks to user-friendly menus and buttons. Approximately 214 thousand people have accessed the site so far. The home page also includes the social networks on which the Show can now be found. Last August the Boat Show opened its official Fanpage on Facebook – which now boasts more than 2,100 “Likes” -, as well as a Twitter profile where all the latest news on the event are constantly posted. The Show’s YouTube channel was also recently opened and will soon host all the videos from the Boat Show.
On the occasion of the Boat Show, CircleCap – a company specialising in process consultancy, innovative technologies and digital marketing – has developed, in cooperation with the communication agency Pbcom, iNautico – a mobile application for iPhone devoted to the Boat Show’s visitors. The App is already available and can be downloaded for free from iTunes’ Apple Store.
Live broadcasting from the Show
Genoa International Boat Show will be given extensive TV coverage, confirming it is a great media event. More specifically, on the opening day, Liguria TGR will start a long live broadcast at 11.00 am on Italian channel RAI 3; at 2.30 pm on RAI 1, Lineablu’s traditional episode devoted to the Show will begin. Reporters from the leading Italian News will be present at the Show, while sports channel Raisport will broadcast live from the Show every day. All main local TV channels will cover the Show, confirming its significance for the local community.
The “Welcoming Project”
Shuttle buses from the airport, the railway stations and the main hotels in town (including three-star hotels) and in the Golfo del Tigullio & a large information stand inside the Show devoted in particular to the promotion of GenovaInBlu: this is the “Welcoming Project” developed by Fiera di Genova and UCINA in cooperation with the City Promotion Board (consisting of Genoa City Council, Provincial Council, Chamber of Comemrce, and Port Authority) and the Liguria Regional Council. Available services will also include a bus connecting the Show to the city centre, where visitors will be able to enjoy shopping or take a tour. More specifically, this year the transfers from the fairground to the city centre will be scheduled in such a way as to allow the public to attend GenovaInBlu initiatives.
Opening hours, admissions
The Show will be open every day from 10.00 am to 6.30 pm. On the first Saturday, 1 October, it will exceptionally remain open until 10.30 pm. Starting at 6.30 pm, evening tickets (€ 12) will be on sale at the ticket counters: children up to the age of 10 (if accompanied by an adult) will be admitted free. This special offer cannot be combined with other concessions or promotions. Every ticket sold will include a coupon allowing to take part in the special competition with prizes “Visit the Show in the evening and win an MSC cruise”: a fantastic cruise for two in the Mediterranean Sea onboard the MSC Splendida is to be won. On Saturday 1 October, when the Show is open until 10.30 pm, the special bus lines KA, 10 and Lido-Kennedy will operate until 11.00 pm.
The ferry boats of the Liguria Via Mare Consortium will also operate till late: the last ferry boat will leave the Show at 10.30 pm.
During the standard day opening hours (October 1-9 from 10.00 am to 6.30 pm) the ticket will cost € 15; concessions: € 12 for groups of at least 30 people, military personnel, disabled people, and children aged between 6 and 10 years; admission free for children up to the age of 5. Concessions may not be combined with any other offers or pre-sale promotions. Reduced tickets can only be purchased at the Show’s ticket counters, located at the main entrance of Genoa Fair & Exhibition centre, while every ticket sold will include a coupon allowing to take part in the special competition with prizes “Visit the Show and win an MSC cruise!”: four fantastic cruises for two in the Mediterranean Sea onboard the MSC Splendida are to be won.
Full-price tickets can also be bought on-line through the Genoa International Boat Show website.
The Boat Show will be accessible from the eastern entrance on Piazzale Kennedy and from the quay reserved to the Liguria Via Mare Consortium ferry boats.
Dogs, obviously on the leash and muzzled, will be admitted to the Show.
Parking in town
More than 6,000 parking spots will be available in town and will be marked by dedicated signs with the Boat Show logo. The sea-side lane of Corso Italian between via Piave and via Don Minzoni will be converted into a parking area throughout the Show. Moreover, Corso Italia will be closed to traffic in the night between October 1 and 2, allowing the public visiting the Show in the evening to park more easily.
Camper vans will have available 100 parking spots in Mura delle Cappuccine and 60 in Viale Caviglia.
Flat-rate prices have remained unchanged from last year: € 12 for cars, € 18 for camper vans. Hourly-rates will be € 2.50 in the city centre and the Foce district (near the Show), € 2 in the Albaro area.
Parking tickets + Bus
All those parking their car in:
· the Blue Areas in the Foce district (zones A and B), Albaro (zones L and M between Corso Italia, via Cavallotti, via Albaro, via Ricci, via Boselli, via Pisa, via Caprera), Carignano (zones D and E), and the city centre (zone F);
· the Light-Blue islands (Isole Azzurre) in the areas listed above;
· the parking areas in Corso Italia and Viale Caviglia specifically created for the Boat Show
will be able to use the daily parking receipts as tickets for bus transfers to and from the Boat Show on AMT buses.
The flat-rate daily receipts (€ 12.00 receipt for cars, € 18.00 for camper vans) issued by the dedicated Blu Area parking meters and by the Isole Azzurre (light-blue islands) personnel will indeed consist of two parts: the first will have to be placed on the vehicle’s windscreen; the second can be used on AMT buses for up to three people as a valid return ticket to the Boat Show. It will have to be shown to ticket inspectors upon request.
Ferry boat and helicopter transfers
The Liguria Viamare Consortium will ensure the traditional ferry boat service connecting the Show to important parking and tourist areas: the Old Port, the Maritime Station-Ponte Colombo, the Sestri Ponente Marina, and Molo Archetti in Pegli. On Saturday 1 October the last departure from the fairground will be at 10.30 pm. Info: tel. +39 010.265712.
The most demanding customers will be able to rely on Novaris, which, in cooperation with Sea Yachts, will offer a helicopter transfer service to and from the Boat Show. Information and reservations: tel. +39 349.8173415 – +39 02.40700545 – +39 06.83393088
Moving freely around the fairground
For those who have difficulties in walking, this year too Fiera di Genova – in cooperation with Terre di Mare (Genoa Provincial centre for accessibility and tourism for the disabled) and with the technical-operating support of the social cooperative La Cruna – will set up a dedicated ticket counter and accessway in Piazzale Kennedy as well as a welcoming service making available four-wheel electrical scooters and wheelchairs to ensure everyone can visit the Show freely. An ad-hoc map showing the recommended routes will be distributed, while an on-demand shuttle service will connect nearby parking areas to the Show. Reservations and information: +39 339.1309249 – +39 010.542098
More info call Genoa Boat Show : tel. + 39 010 53911
