"Boot Düsseldorf" 2019: Preview - 50 years of "Boot": The champion invites you to the gala

When the world's largest boat and water sports fair opens at the end of the monthher 50th birthday celebrates, this should not only apply to the220,000 square metres of exhibition space but also in the heart of the city that is home to this "child" that has grown into a megastar. On the evening before the trade fair opens, a special "appearance" of "Boot Düsseldorf" is planned on the ice rink operated by Oscar Bruch on Königsallee, where the ice rink will be completely immersed in the blue of the "Boot".

The shops on Düsseldorf's famous shopping mile will also publicise the event with special decorations.

The actual nine-day party begins at 10 a.m. on 19 January:In 16 exhibition halls Themed worlds, activities and events will attract visitors for the tenth time under the motto "360° water sports experience". Whether sailing, motor boating, diving, surfing, paddlingor simply relax by the waterBoot 2019" is launching a firework display of ideas centred around leisure time in, on and around the water.

"Boot Düsseldorf is the only trade fair in the world that presents this diversity comprehensively. With manufacturers from almost 70 countries from all parts of the world, we show a unique variety of products here.

1500 sailing and motor boats have their trade fair home at "Boot"," explains "Boot" Director Petros Michelidakis. In 2018, 247,000 visitors from 102 countries responded to the trade fair's call to Düsseldorf. The headline of the "Boot" campaign for the anniversary edition is correspondingly offensive:"Follow The Call".

Looking back: The beginnings

But how did what is proudly celebrated today begin? The unprecedented success story of "Boot" - which no one could even begin to imagine at the time - began on a misty November day in 1969 on Fischerstrasse in Düsseldorf: 34,000 visitors streamed into the hall over the six days of the fair and "Boot" was launched. Trade fair boss Kurt Schoop had landed a real coup by bringing experienced boat journalist Horst Schlichting on board and founding the first boat fair inland.

A total of 116 exhibitors from seven nations take part, but the citizens of Düsseldorf are enthusiastic about what "their" NOWEA (Nordwestdeutsche Ausstellungsgesellschaft), the former name of Messe Düsseldorf, has to offer. The very next year, 183 companies from 25 countries present themselves on an exhibition area that has doubled in size, and demand from manufacturers continues to grow enormously in the years to come. Right from the start, "Boot" becomes a crowd-puller with a high media profile.

Since 1972, the year it moved to the new, ultra-modern exhibition centre in the north of Düsseldorf in the immediate vicinity of the airport, "Boot" has been held every year in January.

This makes it the first event of the year to kick off the new season. Its duration is extended to nine days, i.e. two weekends, and exhibitors and visitors alike pay tribute to the change. 307 exhibiting companies from 41 countries welcome 85,751 visitors to their stands on over 50,000 square metres of exhibition space. For the first time, a large regatta basin will be set up for the sailors. Children and beginners can try out sailing in the hall.

Boot" turns out to be a real trendsetter and presents the first surfboards at the trade fair in 1973.
After ten years of success at boot and a rapid increase in visitor numbers and hall space, the spark of the increasingly popular sport of diving also spreads to "Boot". For the 10th anniversary of the trade fair, Preussag AG, Hanover, builds a diving tower for the boot diving hall.

So much for the first decade of a boat and water sports exhibition that developed into a globally recognised leading trade fair over the following years thanks to the market knowledge, skill and vision of its helmsmen. First and foremost "Mr boot" Abdul-Rahman Adib, who was at the helm of "Boot" for 30 years, followed by Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel (2009 to 2016), who confidently navigated the event through the economic crisis and developed it further until Petros Michelidakis took over two years ago.

Motorboats and yachts

Shipyards, dealers and importers will provide a representative overview of everything from small boats to superyachts in Halls 4, 5, 6, 7a, 9, 10 and 17. Numerous premieres have been announced for boot 2019, which we present
at www.boote-magazin.de. You can find 13 of them in advance on pages 97 to 101, with more to follow in Part 2 of our trade fair preview in BOOTE 2/2019 (available from magazine retailers from 16 January).

BOOTE & Co.

You will find us as usual in Hall 9, this time our stand "coordinates" are D 02. Our colleagues from BOATS EXCLUSIVE will once again take up residence in Hall 7a, Stand B 08: together with our publisher Delius Klasing and Messe Düsseldorf, they will present the new "boot Interior" theme area established in 2017. The YACHT will once again be located in Hall 16, Stand C 22. SURF is setting up its base camp in the "united" Trendsporthalle 8 a, which was newly occupied in 2018; stand F 28 is located directly next to the Beach World pool.

Our publishing house Delius Klasing presents its range as usual in Hall 11, Stand F 41: specialist literature from sailing licence textbooks and cruising guides to illustrated books, nautical charts, magazines, calendars, DVDs and software. Since boot 2017, Delius Klasing has also had a branch in Hall 7, Stand A 17, where the DK book publisher has taken over the exhibition space of world-famous yacht photographer Franco Pace, whose breathtaking photos have been published by Europe's largest water sports publisher for many years.

A new offering from Delius Klasing with its BOOTE and YACHT editorial teams in Hall 14, Stand A 45, will be celebrating the premiere of the "Yachtakademie", a sailing school for yachts and boats. It will be launched for the 2019 season to address the shortcomings of practical training. Details and background p. 18.

Visitor information

Opening hours:Saturday, 19 January, to Sunday, 27 January, 10 am to 6 pm.

Admission prices: Please note: eTickets sold online in advance at www.boot.de are sometimes significantly cheaper, especially for boot.club members (free registration at boot.club), than at the trade fair entrances. On site, the day ticket costs €25 (eTicket €19, boot.club members €16), schoolchildren aged 13 and over, students, trainees, those doing voluntary military service, those doing federal voluntary service, the unemployed, senior citizens aged 65 and over, pensioners and people with disabilities pay €12 (eTicket €11, boot.club €10), children aged 7 to 12 €7. Short-term visitors (Monday to Friday from 3 p.m.) pay €16 (eTicket €13) for admission, the two-day ticket costs €33 (eTicket €27, boot.club €25). The lower price is not the only advantage of an eTicket: you can use it to travel free of charge on public transport operated by the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority (VRR) in price level D (DB 2nd class, trains without surcharges).

Travel and accommodation:Düsseldorf Tourismus GmbH, the official service partner of Messe Düsseldorf, offers favourable travel packages (e.g. hotel packages including ticket from € 59) as well as individual options for travelling by train, plane or long-distance bus, which can be ordered directly at www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/messe/boot can be booked. Hotel rooms can also be arranged by calling 0211 / 17 20 28 39, faxing 0211 / 17 20 23 221 or e-mailing messe@duesseldorf-tourismus.de. See the boot website: Contact & Arrival, "Accommodation & CityInfos". Further useful contacts in the Service ABC at www.boot.de (visitor).