boot Düsseldorf closed on Sunday, when the water sports festival ended after nine fantastic days. There was a tremendous atmosphere in all 17 exhibition halls and the 1,800 exhibitors reported that the public was extremely interested and keen to buy. Statements made by spokespersons for the exhibitors like “Düsseldorf is always worth it!” summarise the success achieved by boot 2016 in a single sentence.
247.000 visitors from 52 countries, plus 2,8 per cent compared with 2015, experienced the biggest and most spectacular water sports event in exhibition halls. 1,800 boats and yachts, the latest trend sports like wake- and skimboarding as well as kitesurfing, diving, fishing, canoeing and cruising presented a comprehensive picture of the industry. Water sports enthusiasts were extremely impressed, with 97.5 per cent giving boot Düsseldorf top marks. This delighted the trade fair organisers, headed by Managing Director Werner Matthias Dornscheidt: “It is so much fun starting the trade fair year with boot. Anyone who went round the halls saw exhibitors with cheerful faces and great visitors, with exactly the right blend of trade representatives and private water sports enthusiasts. boot 2016 was a professional party that whetted everyone’s appetite for water activities in gloomy January.”
Sailing and sailing boats are traditionally the most popular segment of boot. They are followed in second place by motor boats, which are in turn followed by diving and accessories / equipment. boot Director Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel: “Another very impressive feature is the strong interest in luxury yachts, which shows that we here in Düsseldorf have exactly the right clientele for this high-price segment.” The “Cruise Pavilion” with a wide range of cruise options that it was possible to book directly was popular too. Young visitors to the trade fair are attracted to the Beach World with the pool on which there were opportunities to try out wake- and skimboarding or kitesurfing. boot visitors were very interested in water tourism, chartering and fishing as well: “And our fans are loyal to us”, Jungmichel is pleased to report. In boot’s 47th year, many water sports enthusiasts first experienced the trade fair back when they were children and are now passing their passion on to the next generation.
The companies exhibiting complimented the trade fair on the further increase in the quality of the professional visitors. Specialists from the boot industry, the tourism industry and the service sector in particular took advantage of boot 2016 to hold intensive discussions and place orders with the corporate exhibitors. More than 50,000 visitors came to Düsseldorf for the trade fair this year from European countries outside Germany and from overseas. For Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel, this is a clear indication of the leading global position held by boot Düsseldorf: “We are the top boat trade fair for international experts in particular, since we cover the entire maritime community every year. Since the exhibitors bring both boats and equipment to our event, visitors are in a position to obtain a realistic insight into everything that is available.”
The successful year enjoyed by the water sports industry in 2015 had a definite impact on the trade fair this year. Both private water sports enthusiasts and trade visitors proved to be very keen to invest. Jürgen Tracht, Director of the German Association of the Water Sports Industry, was therefore delighted about the way boot 2016 went: “We are very satisfied. boot gave our industry major additional momentum, which will be producing positive results in the course of the year. This is clear confirmation of the forecasts we made before the event. We are expecting the uptrend in the water sports industry to continue in future as well. Almost 90% of the companies anticipate that the market will be expanding even more in the coming two to three years. The maritime economy is demonstrating impressive stability, with single-digit growth rates in practically all market sectors.”
After the trade fair, Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel is passing the helm of boot Düsseldorf on to Petros Michelidakis. Jungmichel, who has been responsible for running the water sports trade fair since mid-2008, will be leaving Messe Düsseldorf at the end of February 2016 to go to Hamburg. On 1. March 2016, he is taking over the position of Secretary General and Director of the German Sailing Association (DSV) there, so that he will continue to be associated with boot in view of the role that the DSV plays as one of the organisations behind the project. His successor on the boot bridge is an experienced trade fair manager, who – among other assignments – has been working successfully for Messe Düsseldorf for years now in the foreign representatives network with responsibility for Greece. In recent months, the two trade fair managers have been operating side by side under Jungmichel’s leadership to ensure that boot Düsseldorf 2016 is a success and that the transition goes smoothly. Messe Düsseldorf Managing Director Matthias Dornscheidt: “The new boot manager knows us inside out and is familiar with boot as well as the trade fair and sales management system. He will be continuing to promote the market-oriented focus of boot and will be making sure that boot maintains its leading position.”
boot Düsseldorf is being held next time from 21. to 29. January 2017.