"Our new concept was a success. We have organised a high-quality, sustainable festival for the industry, which also had a strong professional component thanks to exclusive workshops and lectures." This quote comes from the final report of the Hamburg ancora Yacht Festival 2019, the 10th and so far last In-Water Boat Show in the ancora Marina in Neustadt in Holstein, organised by Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) in cooperation with the five-star marina on the Bay of Lübeck. These are the words of Heiko Zimmermann, project manager at HMC, who summarised the three-day yacht festival. It was a thoroughly positive one. The new promenade with adjoining hall forecourt was well received, the exhibition hall with an area of 1200 square metres had established itself and the bare figures of the anniversary show also gave cause for celebration: at least 180 yachts and boats, at the time even 200 ("more than ever before") were officially communicated, 90 pagodas on the quay and between 17,000 and 18,000 visitors.
Heiko Zimmermann and his project team wanted to continue navigating this course. But then came corona. The Hamburg ancora Yacht Festival fell victim to the pandemic in both 2020 and 2021. This was particularly bitter for Zimmermann and his crew, who had already largely prepared the In-Water Boat Show both times - including all coronavirus-related restrictions.
Now the 11th edition of the Hamburg ancora Yacht Festival for the third time in the Boat Show calendar. Date: 20 to 22 May 2022, starting with a new organiser and old acquaintances at the same time. The new organiser is an agency called YACHTFESTIVAL365 GmbH - and its founder and "skipper" is Heiko Zimmermann! After leaving HMC at the end of 2021, the business administration graduate and passionate sailor went into business for himself and founded his own event agency, YACHTFESTIVAL365.
When HMC wanted to part with its wet counterpart, which ran under the title "hanseboot ancora boat show" from 2010 to 2018, after hanseboot (2017), Zimmermann seized the opportunity and took over the yacht festival in the ancora marina from his former employer. For all his professionalism, this was also a matter of the heart for the former head of HMC's public trade fair division. The industry, "deprived" of its temporary marketplaces due to numerous trade fair cancellations - especially boot Düsseldorf - seems to have been waiting for such an initiative. The Registration portal had only been open for a fortnight when there were already 90 sailing and motor yachts on the exhibition list, including numerous new launches. Including some whose world premiere was originally planned for boot Düsseldorf and for whose manufacturers or dealers the In-Water Boat Show in Neustadt in Holstein now offers a new opportunity for presentation.
"I am very pleased that we enjoy such trust as a private company," says Heiko Zimmermann, Managing Director of the new organiser YACHTFESTIVAL365. "However, the registrations also show that there is an urgent need for temporary marketplaces in the market. On the one hand, the water sports market has been booming over the past two years, but on the other hand, there has been less direct contact with interested customers outside our own customer list due to the cancellation of boat shows caused by the pandemic. Exhibitors finally want to show their exhibits live again and interested visitors want to experience, see, feel and compare again. All in a beautiful and safe atmosphere. The Hamburg ancora yacht festival is the ideal event as Germany's largest in-water boat show - outdoors and directly on the Baltic Sea."
The highlights of this event include illustrious names and exciting hull designs. Among the motor yachts, the Italian masterpiece Absolute 48 Coupé, honoured as European Powerboat of the Year 2022 ( see BOOTE 3/2022 ), the première series. From the German shipyard Bavaria comes the elegant Bavaria SR 36 as a world premiere. From Hanse, the sporty Weekender Ryck 280 ( Test report in BOOTE 1/2022 ) was shown for the first time. The new OceanBay 655 from A.W. Niemeyer will be premièred for those on a budget. Four examples from the daily growing list of boats on display. Heiko Zimmermann expects many more registrations in the coming weeks.
Up-to-date information can be found on the Hamburg ancora Yacht Festival website, where admission is free for visitors in 2022: https:www.yachtfestival.de
