The recently concluded second edition of SO! DALIAN, the premier marine lifestyle show and beach polo world cup, was hosted by the East Port Marina, a beautiful China yacht charter destination, from June 18 to 21, 2015. Thanks to a huge success of the show concentrating on sailing as well as marine lifestyle activities, China Rendez-vous, led by Delphine Lignieres since 2009, now belongs to the leading boat show organizers in China, introducing and promoting new lifestyle activities to the Chinese upper middle class.
Luxury yachts on display at SO! DALIAN 2015
The event has firmly established itself as the leading yachting and lifestyle platform in the North of China, as well as the gateway to the Northern Chinese market. The biggest names in the yachting industry from China and overseas presented their latest models to potential customers and sailing enthusiasts, including Azimut, Beneteau, Lagoon, Monte Carlo Yachts, Jeanneau, Bavaria and Ferretti Group, to name but a few.
Luxury yacht brands in China are currently striving to expand their customer base to the Chinese upper-middle class, searching for new activities, and therefore have adapted their offer accordingly with more sailing boats and more units around 100 feet and under. This trend is also reflecting the global boat market worldwide, which is in a large part driven by this category of customers around the world. One of the aims of SO! DALIAN and China Rendez-Vous is to explain its guests that boating is not just for a happy few and that the range is offering, as in the car industry, various options from the fishing boat to the super yacht.
SO! DALIAN 2015
Also remarkable is the way the international market is currently adapting to specific Chinese boating habits and trends. For instance, Chinese tend to go on day trips, which means less interest in large sleeping quarters. Also, most Chinese travelers tend to stray away from the sun, thus demanding less sunbathing areas and more shade as well as indoor leisure space. The yacht brands are now taking these aspects into consideration, resulting in more specific products for the Chinese.
The three-day SO! DALIAN saw sea trials, kids sailing classes, as well as match racing on boats of all sizes – all to help its guests experience the various pleasures of boating. Moreover, Cocktails and Gala dinners at the Shangri La Hotel Dalian, the Gaggenau VIP lounge, the Taittinger Champagne bar and more were organized throughout the event to provide guests with food tastings, fine wines and champagne, as well as an amazing networking platform.
A highly successful SO! DALIAN 2015
China Rendez-Vous represents a unique platform for the Chinese yacht and leisure market, as it covers both the North and the South, having become a reference and true point of entry to the entire Chinese market. It organizes two flagship events, SO! DALIAN in the North and SO! HAINAN in the South. While SO! DALIAN mainly concentrates on sailing and lifestyles typical to the North of the country such as equestrian sports, SO! HAINAN focuses on the Riviera lifestyle and presents to its guests the best yachts in the world, of all sizes and dimension.
After founding and developing the original Hainan Superyacht show Hainan Rendez-Vous, China Rendez-Vous returns to Hainan from December 3 to 6 with its new flagship show SO! HAINAN. To be hosted by Yalong Bay, SO! HAINAN is expected to be attended by 25,000 guests and over 200 exhibitors from all over the world, presenting the best of the best that the yacht world has to offer.
