The 52nd edition of the Genoa International Boat Show closed in Genoa today. This year’s event had begun in an atmosphere of crisis, but ended today with a sense of moderate optimism and the will to bring some radical innovations in order to effectively meet the needs of a market that has been marked by significant changes over the last few years.
Genoa International Boat Show
The boating industry’s huge difficulties – also expressed by the sector entrepreneurs’ decision not to take part in the Boat Show opening ceremony – have found solidarity among Italian Government representatives: both the Minister for Economic Development, Transport and Infrastructures, Mr Corrado Passera, and Deputy Minister Mario Ciaccia (who attended the official opening) have indeed stated they are willing to take measures targeted at tackling the crisis and supporting this important economic sector.
Nine hundred exhibitors took part in the Show this year, and one thousand four hundred boats were on display in 4 pavilions, 2 marinas and large outdoor areas – all data that prove how Genoa Boat Show is still a reference event for the boating industry at an international level and that, in spite of the inevitable drop in figures – also reflected in the number of visitors (176,280 plus 4,000 children up to the age of 10) -, allows to draw a generally satisfactory balance.anni.
“Important contracts have been signed and significant contacts established during the Boat Show, especially with foreign customers – said Fiera di Genova’s Chairperson, Ms Sara Armella – and many exhibitors have expressed their satisfaction, confirming that the choices we have made so far are correct and encouraging us to get ready to truly ‘shift gear’ in the near future. We have nothing against the idea of rethinking the Show from several standpoints: from its length to the time of the year when it is held, from its layout to the idea of increasing the opportunities to perform sea trials, from the costs involved to the services available for companies. We firmly believe we have the know-how required to manage change in a rational, effective way, and a clear understanding of current market scenarios and the historical and economic peculiarities of the time we are going through. I think that in the future the focus should be on more internationalisation projects – in cooperation with Liguria International -, design, innovation, and everything that stems from true love for the sea. As of tomorrow we will start planning the 2013 edition of the Boat Show with UCINA and all the institutional bodies involved. The drop in the number of visitors was more than expected – forecasting different figures against the current situation on the Italian boating market would have been unreasonable and anachronistic. Based on our experience, however, we know that the number of visitors is only one of the factors to take into account in order to make an assessment.
“The market’s evolution – underlined Fiera di Genova’s Managing Director, Mr Beppe De Simone – will lead us towards a Boat Show increasingly focused on quality rather than quantity. Our objective will be to organise a Boat Show capable of attracting a more and more aware public”.
“The presence in Genoa of 900 exhibitors proves that boating sector companies do not want to renounce taking part in this important event. The fact that, in spite of the crisis that the sector is facing, exhibitors decided to be here in Genoa on the one hand bears witness to their confidence in the Boat Show, on the other it requires us to rethink next year’s edition in order to better meet their needs”, declared UCINA’s President, Mr Anton Francesco Albertoni, who concluded by saying: “I have committed to organising a 53rd Boat Show featuring solutions that will encourage exhibitors to confirm their participation once more, and I intend to keep my word. To conclude, I can only express my satisfaction for the constructive dialogue that we have engaged with the Government, following our call upon Prime Minister Monti and the initiatives organised by UCINA on the opening day to express our sector’s deep crisis. I do hope that tangible measures will soon be taken”.
“In developing the best possible format for next year’s Boat Show, UCINA will certainly aim to maintain the high profile of all the activities supporting its members, while further boosting business opportunities – explained UCINA’s General Manager, Ms Marina Stella -: The key concepts will be: internationalisation (this year more than 1,000 B2B meetings took place with professional operators from Brazil, Russia, Turkey, the Middle East and the Far East, and an important delegation from Santa Catarina was present at the Show); conferences having great institutional significance (several international conferences were held this year, including the International Boating Forum and the Hearing by the European Economic and Social Committee, EESC); and the promotion of sea culture, with the Navigar m’è dolce project and even closer cooperation with the Italian Sailing Federation and other sea sports federations. Last, but not least, we will focus even more on integration with other Made-in-Italy sectors, as successfully accomplished this year with the GenovaInBlu Show Fringe”.
Genoa 52nd Boat Show has confirmed its importance as an interactive event ad in terms of media coverage: 1,670 journalists were accredited, and 260 thousand people visited the website www.genoaboatshow.com, totalling 365 thousand visits.
1,200 pupils took part in a “school day” of sports and sea culture (with as many as different 12 workshops) as part of the Navigar m’è dolce and Fondazione Carige’s Progetto Giovani projects; 1,000 children experienced the thrill of canoeing and sailing for the first time; and 500 took part in the activities organised by the Italian Power Boating Federation.
UCINA organised 11 conferences within the framework of the ForumUCINA programme, while 70 side events were held at the Press Centre and the Sea Theatre, plus several meetings organised by the University of Genoa and the Register of Italian Engineers.
The initiatives targeted at VIP and prestigious clients were very successful too, also thanks to innovative tools like the Gold Card, which was used by more than one thousand Italian and foreign customers.
The 2012 edition of GenovaInBlu recorded outstanding results: the 26 events that animated the city throughout the nine days of the Boat Show – exhibitions, theatre performances, long shop opening hours, cocktails, concerts, meetings and debates – were attended by over 21 thousand people.
