The 61^st Genoa Boat Show has been sold out since June. 2021 will yet again be another sold out edition, in terms of exhibitors and vessels on display, in spite of the increased spaces made available both on land and in the water.

But the best is yet to come according to Saverio Cecchi, chairman for Confindustria Nautica, who, during the press conference, which took place on Monday 26 July online, spoke about the completion of the Eastern Waterfront project, and said: “In 2023 we will have the best Boat Show in the world”

At over a month from opening, the success of the 61^st Genoa Boat Show, held from 16 to 21 September, is the reflection of a market in which, the recently announced forecast for the year by Ufficio Studi di Confindustria Nautica, confirms a sustained growth trend.

Exhibitor places have all sold to national and international exhibitors; this is also the result of the authoritativeness and credibility acquired through the successful organisation of the 60^th edition last year, the only event in the industry organised safely in Europe in 2020 during the pandemic.

EXHIBITION SPACES

The Eastern Waterfront, we mentioned. The completed work will create, from this edition, more space for exhibitors, stands and boats. “The Genoa Boat Show – said the mayor, Marco Bucci – is Genoa’s celebration. It is sold out again this year, even with the new spaces at the Waterfront. And from next year, we will have 400 more mooring places around the Jean Nouvel pavilion.”

“Genova – noted the mayor – has to do everything it can to adjust to and surpass other events. The trade shows around the world have to attract people not only for the quality of their services, but also for what surrounds them. As an enthusiastic sailor, I would like to remind you of the many events surrounding the Boat Show. There will be the After Show, with a series of evening events all around the city.”

The layout of the 61^st Boat Show, once again, will follow the multi-specialisation format, developing over a surface area of over 200 thousand m², with 85% of the space outdoors, hosting over 1,000 vessels. There are also nearly 1,000 brands present as well.

Among the confirmed exhibitors are the main shipyards, both Italian and international, who participated in last year’s edition. Welcoming them is a completely transformed layout thanks to the work done for the Eastern Waterfront, begun in October 2020, completing in 2023 and ensuring an additional 200 mooring places, as well as a completely renovated indoor sports arena.

HOW THE BOAT SHOW WILL CHANGE

The single-story pier between pavilion B and the new dock

The welcome wall, which greets visitors to the Show each year, running from Piazzale Kennedy to the tensile structure, will be dedicated to the new Waterfront project. The ticket office will be moved behind the tensile structure, at the end of the wall.

The knocking down of the wall between Pier C and Pier E has modified the centre of the Boat Show, creating a continuous single-storey pier between Pavilion B and the new dock. Even the available water area has increased by 19% with the completion of a new mooring dock for vessels up to 15 metres, together with the use of new piers in other docking areas.

NEW CAR PARKS

“This year, exhibitors at the Boat Show – said Paolo Emilio Signorini, chairman for the Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mar Ligure Occidentale – will see an important change in landscape. The work for the new set up will make the exhibition area even more competitive in the Mediterranean.”

“To make accessibility to the Boat Show easier – announced Signorini – there will be 800 more parking spaces and a walkway to be installed in the near future, alongside a more detailed project. An important objective is the zero emission port: we are powering all the boating activities with solar power and this will bring positive benefits. The new dock already has completely solar powered piers.”

ALL BIG COMPANIES REPRESENTED

All of the main players in the super yacht sector will be present with “no absences”, said Alessandro Campagna, sales manager for I Saloni Nautici. “The longest length allowed – he noted – is 100 metres. The five main super yacht builders will be present directly, and not through dealers: Sanlorenzo, Azimut, Ferretti, Princess and Sunseeker.” In addition to Ferretti Group, Baglietto, Cranchi Yachts, Absolute, Arcadia Yachts and Sirena Marine are returning again to Genova this year.

“I am certain – added Giovanni Toti, president of the Liguria Region – that it will be an amazing Boat Show.  Last year, we were the first to reopen and this year will be even more important because it will the the Show for the recovery, seeing as we are getting close to +5% GDP and in the next 16 months we should recover the loss caused by the pandemic.”

“We have to go forward – said the governor – and encourage the growth of our country. Now more than ever it is important to give our economy a push, returning to work with no further interruptions. We are proving ourselves to be one of the top countries in the boating industry and Liguria is one of the top areas, also thanks to the fact that we were the first to reopen the shipyards during such a difficult time for the country.

“The boating industry – concluded Toti – has done some huge cultural work: changing its image as an industry for the rich, to be robbed any time there were difficulties, to pride and excellence of the country, thanks to the work done by Confindustria Nautica. Behind every yacht there is not only the happiness of the people who can afford one, and there is nothing wrong with being able to afford one, but there is also the happiness of all the people who worked on building it.”

THE GROWTH OF BOATING

The Genoa Boat Show is increasingly international. And it is through exports that most companies are seeing success, 7 out of 10, and in spite of the pandemic, they expect to grow. “The internationalisation tools set in place – explained Marina Stella, general manager of Confindustria Nautica – have the aim of confirming the Boat Show in its function as counter-cycle promoter, just as it proved itself to be during the challenging 2020 edition, in the year of the pandemic.”

“2021 – she continued – will see 70% of the companies with a growth trend, from 10%-20%, 24% of 10% and only 3% are forecasting a decline. Made in Italy is leading the way to recovery: we have shared a plan with ICE Agenzia, through the Piano di Promozione del Made in Italy by the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, to support the internationalisation of our businesses, and with SIMEST, which will support businesses through the use of tools for financing and grants for participation in the Boat Show.”

THE “RESILIENCE” OF THE SHOW

Boating, and as a consequence also the Genoa Boat Show, are enjoying an “enthusiastic” period. “We are optimistic – said Carla Demaria, chief executive officer for I Saloni Nautici – about the future of the Show. This edition will be once again different from previous ones, this has been the case for 60 years, because the Show adapts to the context and reacts by taking advantage of the opportunities during favourable periods and streamlining costs and resources during less favourable times. In 60 years of history, the Genoa Boat Show has proven its rock-solid resilience, especially when facing extraordinary and extremely complex situations like in the case of the collapse of Ponte Morandi and the pandemic”.

Guaranteeing the future of the event is not only the agreement confirming the Boat Show for at least the next 10 years, but the credibility acquired by the Genoese boat show itself.

“The performance of the last edition – noted Demaria – the only event in the industry organised in Europe, gave the Show a reputation and a very high position internationally. This element, together with an excellent market, the impressive Waterfront Project by Renzo Piano, which will change the paradigm of the Show’s organisation and a ten-year period thanks to the agreement signed last year, will make, this 61^st edition, and those that follow, to become a world leader in industry events.”

ENTRANCE WITH THE GREEN PASS

The 2021 Boat Show will benefit from the experience it gained during the 2020 edition, with the approval of the health protocols by the Comitato Tecnico Scientifico Nazionale, which approved safety of the 60^th edition and which will be integrated with the recent legal provisions including the use of a “Green Pass” in order to access events.

“The Green Pass – explained Alessandro Campagna – will guarantee safety and additional certainty compared to last year’s edition. We are lucky enough to have 85% of the area in the open, but the definitive data still needs to be established with the Ministry of Health.”

There is still the problem of the access of the motorways around Genova. “We are in constant contact with Autostrade – answered Toti to a question posed by Liguria Nautica – there is a round table meeting every week to try and reduce problems as much as possible. But there is a delay of years, which we are trying to remedy in the most reasonable and safe manner possible. It will take three years to complete the safety measures of the motorways around Genova, but it is clear that the week of the Boat Show will be the week we try and ‘protect’ the most from a construction point of view.”

ROAD TO 2023

“Road to 2023” is the large sign that will be at the entrance of the Genoa Boat Show, referring to the completion of the Eastern Waterfront. A date which, according to Confindustria Nautica, will mark a change in the Genoa Boat Show.

“Today more than ever – concluded Cecchi – I want to state how much I believe in teamwork. The reunification was the first step to our success, which, together with our consolidated relationship with the institutions allows us to look to the 61^st Boat Show and future Shows with the knowledge of working for the good of the entire industry, for Genova, and the country. We are all rowing in the same direction and in 2023 we will have the most beautiful Boat Show in the world.”

View of Pavilion B