The Barcelona International Boat Show has already begun its marketing campaign for the next edition, which will run in Port Vell from September 24th to 29th, coinciding with the first day of the festival of La Mercè, the city’s patron saint, as well as with the Mediterranean Tall Ships Regatta. Spain’s most important event and the only one in the country recognised by the International Federation of Boat Show Organisers (IFBSO), will be back to display all the latest in nautical sports and recreation in the in-water and on-land exhibition.
Aerial view of the Barcelona International Boat Show 2012
The Boat Show has started to hoist sails with the start of its campaign to attract national and international exhibitors and market spaces and services. “We have initiated our commercial campaign and have received a good response from companies in the sector. This ratifies the show’s current format – started in 2012 -, which concentrates all exhibits in Port Vell in the month of September”, said the show’s Director, Jordi Freixas.
80.4% of exhibitors at the last edition ranked this new format very highly, according to the results of the survey conducted by Fira de Barcelona. The poll also indicates that the show has a high degree of exhibitor loyalty (93%) and that almost half the sales made by exhibiting companies (44%) are generated during the Barcelona show.
For Freixas, “the Boat Show is the best platform for launching new products, build client loyalty, try out boats and, especially, generate new contacts and sales; a very effective tool for boosting the market and relaying the opinions of the sector. Now, more than ever, it is a must attend event”.
The start of the marketing campaign has also coincided with its poster’s new image, which highlights Barcelona and Port Vell and evokes the pleasure transmitted by the sea.
Luxury yachts on display at the 2012 Barcelona International Boat Show
30% of visitors intend to make a purchase
According to Fira de Barcelona’s opinion poll, 29.1% of visitors at the last show came with the aim of making a purchasing decision. This figure is 9.4 points higher than at the 2011 edition.
The poll taken among 300 people also shows that 36.8% of visitors aiming to make a purchase were interested in nautical accessories, 34.1% in motor boats and 15.9% in sailboats.
The report also indicated that 44.7% had visited the show to discover the new products presented by exhibitors and 43.7% because they are nautical fans. The main sectors of interest were motor and sail boats and the Shopping Area.
66.2% said they were fairly or very satisfied with their visit to the show and that they had met their objectives. Reaction to the decision to bring forward the dates of the show to September and concentrate all exhibits in Port Vell was positive.
The survey also reflects the loyalty of visitors to the Boat Show, since 86.2% had been before and 86.8% said they would come back in 2013; 63.20% of visitors came from Catalonia, Spain‘s main nautical market, with 22.56% of registered boats; 70.5% were general public and the rest were trade visitors.
The in-water and on-land Barcelona Boat Show, which will last six days – one more than in 2012 – will showcase a wide range of nautical sports and recreation options: sailboats, yachts, catamarans Menorcan boats, power boats, inflatable crafts, cruisers, fisher-cruisers, as well as all types of nautical products and services, such as electronics, motors, paints, sails, tugs, fishing articles, charters and sports marinas, in addition to small boats.
Organised by Fira de Barcelona with the collaboration of the Asociación Nacional de Empresas Náuticas, ANEN, the Barcelona Boat Show is the most important in Spain and the country’s only one recognised by the International Federation of Boat Show Organisers (IFBSO).
