If an exhibition hall can serve as an industry barometer, then the superyacht industry is currently in excellent shape. Hall 6 at the Düsseldorf exhibition centre will be fuller at boot than it has been for a long time. The so-called superyacht show was already fully booked in September 2016, and only shipyards, dealers or brokers with a yacht of around 20 metres in length are allowed to exhibit there from 21 to 29 January.
"Hall 6 will be a dream for lovers of large yachts," says Petros Michelidakis, the new Director of boot Düsseldorf. "We have all the market leaders on board and will be able to offer our visitors a wonderful presentation of the boats."
Market leader in this case means shipyards such as Sunseeker, Princess, Ferretti or Azimut, which offer semi-custom formats. With a yacht length of around 40 metres, the capacity of Hall 6 has finally been reached and the logistics are reaching their limits. So anyone interested in purely individual constructions will find the right contacts at Fipa, Baltic, Vitters or in the pavilions of the German, French, Italian and Turkish superyacht associations in the neighbouring Hall 7a. At the same time, boot complements its exhibitor portfolio in Hall 7a with "boot Interior", a special show for companies specialising in interior design, the interior decoration of large yachts or the manufacture of special finishing materials. With just under a dozen companies presenting themselves there, there is certainly room for expansion in this area; however, the two initiators of the special show, Petros Michelidakis and BOOTE EXCLUSIV editor-in-chief Marcus Krall, are certain that a good first step has been taken. "There is no dedicated forum for this growing scene. We are happy to be involved as an exclusive media partner," says Krall. And Michelidakis adds: "Our aim is to further develop boot in the B2B sector, and to do so with an international focus. With boot Interior, we are taking a further step in this direction." A bonus for exhibitors in the special area is a lounge created especially for them, which only they are allowed to use for customer meetings.
But back to Hall 6, where newcomers and newcomers to the world of large yachts can compare similar exhibits from different manufacturers at their leisure. Anyone interested in a 60-plus-footer, for example, can head for the Absolute 60 Fly, the Azimut Magellano 66, the Elling E6, the Riva 63 Vertigo, the MC 6, the 630 and 680 from Prestige, the Princess 60 or the Sunseeker Predator 68. The Sunseeker Manhattan 66 and the Sirena 64 from Sirena Marine, a Turkish shipyard that previously only built sailing yachts and is launching its Germán Frers design in Düsseldorf, are celebrating their international premiere in this size range. The 20-metre yachts are said to travel at around 27 knots and are 30 percent more efficient than comparable yachts.
The Azimut 72 or the Azimut 77S, the Ferretti 700, the Princess 75 motor yacht or the Sanlorenzo 78 are available in the class above this. For even larger budgets - from around 6.5 million euros - an appointment should be made on the largest yacht at the trade fair, the Princess 30M. During a test cruise last year, the 30M, which can reach speeds of up to 27 knots, impressed the BOOTE EXCLUSIV editorial team with its performance, workmanship and good layout (issue 5/16).
The fact that German owners also like to sail large yachts is reflected in the stands of Nautor, CNB, Oyster and Contest in Hall 16, among others. The flagship of the trade fair in this segment will be the 76-footer from CNB - a bestseller from the French shipyard at a highly attractive price.
Incidentally, a total of 1800 exhibitors from 60 countries will be travelling to boot. They will show over 1800 boats and yachts on around 220,000 square metres; around 250,000 visitors are expected over nine days.
BOOTE EXCLUSIV welcomes all friends, partners and those who would like to become friends to stand B08 in hall 7a. For all readers who do not yet have a subscription but take out one there and then, the editorial team will be offering sparkling 0.75-litre premiums.
Last but not least, it should be mentioned that boot is not just a pure business platform, but also sees itself as a mediator of higher interests. For example, boot is now cooperating with the German Marine Foundation and the Monegasque Prince Albert Foundation in the field of marine conservation. A trade fair appearance by Prince Albert is rumoured to have been requested at the palace.
