Biggest boat show in Europe sees 10,300 more people through the gates than in 2010
Europe’s biggest boat show, Boot Dusseldorf, closed on Sunday after achieving a 4.3% uptick in attendance.
This followed the success of the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show earlier in January, which recorded a 7% rise in visitors over 2010.
Some 250,000 people from 60 countries filed into the enormous German show, up 10,300 on last year.
It’s perhaps too early to say whether these improved figures for two of Europe’s standout shows signal a genuine recovery, but organizers of Boot were left in no doubt.
Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, CEO of Messe Dusseldorf, said: “The economic upturn discernible in the run-up to the show has truly gathered pace.
“With lively ordering and purchasing in certain areas, the large number of high-calibre, interested visitors has given the industry good reason to view the coming watersports season with optimism.”
According to organisers, there was also a small increase in the number of exhibitors, up from 1,568 to 1,571, but that didn’t always come across to visitors to the show.
The ‘superyacht‘ area of the show, in particular, seemed a lot emptier compared to previous years, with space-filling seating employed to make the hall seem busier.
You can read all about the boats that caught MBY’s eye in the April issue of the magazine (out 3 March). Meanwhile, check out our gallery of the Dusseldorf Boat Show.
