This year’s 55th edition of the Genoa Boat Show has been officially presented in Genoa, a lovely Italy yacht vacation destination, earlier this week. Among the great news of this year’s event is the partnership with Volvo Ocean Race. The players of the historic race around the world will come to Genoa for the first time. The most visited Boat Show of the Mediterranean has thus strengthened its mission to excitedly ignite the passion for the sea.
There are great news for the upcoming edition of the Boat Show, which will open its doors on 30 September and will end on 5 October. Once again, this Boat Show is the most important Mediterranean event dedicated to lovers of the sea. In an economic situation that justifies a dose of lost optimism the event will achieve its mission to ignite passion for the sea and to enjoy the boat for holidays and amusement, and as ideal for spending time with the family, friends, and for practising water sports.
Right after being elected President of the UCINA Confindustria Nautica (the Italian Marine Boating Industry Association), Carla Demaria confirmed the central role that the Show plays for the pleasure boating industry: “The Boat Show is still the best showcase for our industry in terms of tradition and public knowledge. Boats can be displayed and events can be created, which is impossible to do at other events. During the recent shareholders’ meeting, the defence of Genoa as the venue was unanimous. Although the shareholders come from all regions of Italy, nobody proposed alternative sites within their specific territories, of which, I imagine, they have good knowledge. This confirms that currently there is no other option that includes all product sectors in only one event”.
Anton Albertoni, the President of the organising company I Saloni Nautici, affirms: “Gone are the days when the primary motivation for selling of boats was the status symbol. We are facing a whole new market. Nowadays, organising a trade fair is primarily about knowing how to anticipate industry trends and no longer about photographing a situation in order to obtain the maximum benefits, as happened in the past. Now, for all of us, the real value lies in the quality of life, how we spend our free time and with whom we share it. It is no longer about with what we spend this free time. So, this is how our Show discovered that it is no longer about big and small boats, sail or motor boats, but it is all about something shared between all enthusiasts: excitement”. I Saloni Nautici was established by the will of the UCINA member companies. These companies have the shared goal of enhancing their ability to organise the Show by making sure that the Boat Show has the market features typical of the companies in this sector, by anticipating consumer habits and addressing the trends of producers.
So, a great novelty will be surrounding this year’s edition of the Show, with its Sea Experience: the boats that took part in the Volvo Ocean Race, the hardest crew race that is currently facing the very arduous stage including the passage from Cape Horn, will be presented. The In Port Reunion Race Event, a first-time race held in the break between the two editions of the World Tour, offers an excellent opportunity to meet the renowned sailors and experience the excitement of offshore sailing. In fact, in addition to the boats, there will be the Dome, a cinema offering visitors the most powerful images of the race and a full-scale model of a boat in which the public can enter.
Tom Touber, the Chief Operating Officer of the regatta, said: “Volvo Ocean Race is very happy to sign a partnership with the 2015 Boat Show. The regatta will end in Gothenburg, Sweden, in June and, after a rest following the great effort, the teams will enter the water again at the end of the summer for some events dedicated to their sponsors. So, we want to bring them together as much as possible in Genoa starting from 30 September during the Boat Show. We will bring our best attractions to create a mini Volvo Ocean Race village. All teams of the regatta have expressed a keen interest to take part in the event. We chose Genoa because the quality of the Show and the city has played a crucial role, especially with its easy access to deep water to race the regattas. But, as is often the case, the people also made a difference. Alessandro Campagna, sales manager, and Antonio Vettese, media relations, worked well with my team in creating a great event for the crews and the Italian audience that has taken our regatta to heart. The choice of date is perfect, and we hope for some good weather in late September”.
The layout of the Boat Show consolidates some insights of the previous year. The model of the event was immediately well appreciated and has attracted the interest of some exhibitors who were not present last year and have decided to attend this year. It has been confirmed that sailing world will be present at Marina 1 and in the square Piazzale Marina 1. In these areas, we are working on developing formats that enable an easy visit and immediate contact with the products. There will be novelties such as private piers and the development of an area dedicated to the catamarans. The Teatro del Mare, under the large tensile structure, will be the meeting place for the community. It will be opened but independent from the exhibition area. The collaboration started last year with the European Boat of The Year has already been confirmed.
The Boat Show will dedicate even more space to the piers for sea testing. For two years now, the world of outboard motor boats has used a formula that brings the visitor on board and in close contact with the performances of the most innovative and entry level products. This is perfect for those making their first steps in the world of ship owners.
The New Grande Darsena has wharves ideal for the world of inboard motor boats. A new design of the wharves has been developed to ensure a circular route that will offer exhibitors the best conditions and visitors the thrill of immersing among the jewels of the sea in a unique floating route.
To conclude the product exhibition part of the Show, there will be the world of accessories and components and parts that, as of this year, will be integrated in the world of marine engines and power control systems. It is a unique environment where the trade tools needed for this sector can be developed. In fact, this year meetings with international operators will be reinforced. These will be joined by technical
and purchasing categories with enhanced agreements with the international press of the sector for a format that is dedicated to innovation of technology and the product. The world of Design will also be present so that the Boat Show is also used as a breeding ground for new solutions.
Alongside these “historic” sectors that define the soul of the Show, there will also be a great push to broaden those areas that represent the downstream boat services. Therefore, there will be pavillon for representatives of the nautical tourism destinations, for charters as the first approach to the world of the sea. There will also be spaces for fishing, which in Italy counts for 1,300,000 sportsmen of which 87% in salt water, and spaces for scuba diving. The partnership with Eataly for the food&beverage part has also been confirmed for the 55th edition of the Show.
The Show’s sale manager, Alessandro Campagna, explains: “We have a new image and the new portal for the Boat Show is online. This will be used as a showcase and in the upcoming days, the communication project for the Boat Show will start and will be especially addressed abroad. In fact, we are concluding agreements with several spokespeople. They include both famous and emerging people from the various communities that represent the exhibition supply chain of the Boat Show and who will promote the event as we approach the date”.
A few days ago, the Italy Pavilion of Expo 2015 announced the event sponsorship. As of the middle of September, this pavilion will be the venue of an important appointment anticipating the event that will take place in Genoa. For the international community it is an important vehicle to communicate and position the Boat Show.
