It seems that the 2019 edition of the Genoa International Boat Show (Sept. 19-24) is already a success. To the point that, to date, the organization finds itself having to manage the surplus of requests against the available space. Will Genoa once again become the true “city of boating” capable of enhancing what is already the Mediterranean’s largest industry fair? Only one certainty: the crisis, the one that severely affected the nautical market since 2008, is-unfortunately-just a memory.
“The organizational machine of the Boat Show is 26% ahead of last year, a figure that confirms that companies have already been planning since last year to participate in the Boat Show, an indispensable platform for business development,” says Alessandro Campagna, Commercial Director of the Boat Show, at the Milan presentation of the event .”We can say that we have already reached 100 percent of the set target.”
The common denominator of the 2019 edition of the Boat Show is the demand for more exhibition space: in the yacht and superyacht panorama we see a 28 percent increase, with a greater trend on open and fly; there is a 48 percent increase in demand for sailing, both on entry level and top of the range, the size of which increases again (up to 70/80 feet).
Demand in the outboard sector is up 73 percent, a figure that reflects the excellent performance of this sector. Demands from the accessory world are growing, too, by 35 percent. Overall, 48 percent of this increase came from abroad.
“In terms of brands exhibited, to date we can only grow by 3 percent,” Campagna continued, “we have already had to identify new technical solutions to cope with the increase in demand, from extending the docks to optimizing some outdoor areas.” The intention remains firm for the future (not for this edition) of the recovery of Pavilion S (former sports hall), and the future hypothesis regarding the involvement of the Old Port as a space “inside the city” was also discussed.
The presentation, at the headquarters of Il Sole 24 Ore, was attended by the President of Il Sole 24 Ore, Edoardo Garrone, the Mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci, the President of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti, and the outgoing President of UCINA Confindustria Nautica, Carla Demaria. Demaria herself photographed the global situation of the nautical market: on the rise Europe (with the exception of the United Kingdom, due to Brexit uncertainties, and Turkey, due to the unstable political situation), the United States, Hong Kong, and Australia; stationary the other “key” markets (China, Brazil, Argentina…). The boating industry in Italy is experiencing a growth situation very similar to that of the 2000-2004 period (the one that led to the four-year golden age of boating 2005-2008).
