boot Düsseldorf will present itself from 18 to 26 January 2020 in a sporty new look. The overriding aim of the redesigned layout for the event is to make visit planning even better. “In the context of our arrangements for allocation of the space in the new hall 1, we reviewed the entire configuration of the different areas covered by boot exhibits. There was a very clear focus on exhibitor satisfaction and visitor service”, explains boot Director Petros Michelidakis.

Irish Marine Trade Ambassadors at Boot: John O'Kane, Gerry and Martin Salmon of MGM Boats on the Prestige stand at Boot 19 Photo: Afloat

Motor Yachts between 30 & 60 feet long in hall 1

The new hall 1 in Düsseldorf embodies state-of-the-art trade fair architecture at its best. The hall is bright and well-lit and provides exhibitors with an excellent setting to present their products and services. At boot, it will become the home for medium-sized motor yachts between 30 and approximately 60 feet long (10 to 20 metres) that have inboard motors. The exhibitors here will include such major manufacturers as Jeanneau, Bénéteau, Bavaria, Sealine or Greenline. The popular, comfortable Dutch steel yachts, for example from the long-established shipyard Linssen, will be on display here too. As a result, visitors will be able to see a wide range of medium-sized motor yachts that is unique under the same roof anywhere in the world. These yachts, which are particularly popular with families, combine great fun with comfort and the feeling of being able to enjoy the flair of a home of one’s own when on holiday.

Hall 3: recreational motorboating for beginners

Hall 3 is next in the exhibition hall layout. This is where fun and products for beginners play a large role. Motorboats with outboard motors are captivating and can even be driven in Germany and other countries without a boating licence when they have 15 horsepower motors. Under the motto “Start Boating”, sound advice is available here for everyone who would like to go boating for the first time. Together with its media partner, the magazine “Boote” published by Delius-Klasing-Verlag, boot will be setting up an attractive centre for newcomers, where experts will be on-site to give them theoretical and practical tips before going on a boat trip for the first time.

Hall 4: fun with pleasure craft and tenders

Further pleasure craft manufacturers of motorboats that are more than 10 metres long like Axopar, Nimbus, Sessa and many others will be presenting their innovations and new developments in Hall 4.

Halls 5, 6 and 7: sheer luxury with tenders and superyachts

NEW: superboats in Hall 5. Hall 5 at boot is devoted to the growing segment of luxury tenders, chase boats and shadow boats. The term “superboats” covers everything that is luxurious, fast, innovative and elegant. Such exclusive brands as Sacs, Wally, Frauscher, DeAntonio, Boesch, Fjord, Windy and Van Dutch will be presenting the latest developments in this segment. Chase and Shadow boats become very trendy, not only for superyacht owners. The luxurious equipment of such a boat can be designed entirely according to the wishes of the owner. This means that individually designed surroundings are guaranteed even when an excursion is made with friends to go fishing or to visit a gorgeous secluded bay.

Hall 6 remains the centrepiece of the luxury segment at boot, as in the past. The leading shipyards in the superyacht industry are on board here, exhibiting their streamlined top-of-the line products. Anyone who would then like to book his berth at one of the exclusive superyacht marinas like Venice or Porto Novi in Montenegro as well can do this directly on the gallery in hall 6. Hall 7a rounds off the luxury segment at boot with the superyacht show.

Maritime art for enthusiasts in hall 7

Following their tour of the luxury worlds in halls 5, 6 and 7a, visitors can take it down a notch in hall 7 and relax while contemplating maritime art. Large portrayals of ocean scenes, photographs of maritime motifs or creative sculptures invite visitors to linger and enjoy the works of art. The hall includes Kinsale's Bobby Nash's impressive display of Nautical Charts through his company Latitude Kinsale.

Bobby Nash of Latitude Kinsale with his Chart work on display at Boot 2019 Photo: Afloat

Hall 8a: The hotspot for all surfers - fun on THE WAVE and in the flatwater pool

The tour continues with a trip to the “Beach World” in Hall 8a. This is where fans of water sports meet to go surfing, kiteboarding or stand-up paddling with the stars and starlets of the international community. Anything that is fun is in – whether it is THE WAVE or the flatwater pool. From boot 2020 onwards, these two mega attractions will define the area reserved for retailers and manufacturers in hall 8a. Trend sport enthusiasts can shop till they drop there. The 65-meter long pool is at the south end of the hall, while THE WAVE is at the north. Practically all the relevant brands are exhibiting at boot 2020.

The WAVE at Boot

Halls 9, 10 & 11: Huge selection of RIBs, dinghies, accessories, inboard motors and equipment

The exhibitors in hall 9 will be showcasing the latest developments with rigid inflatable boats (better known in the community as RIBs) and smaller dinghies. Accessories, inboard motors and equipment are concentrated in halls 9 and 10 as well as part of hall 11.

boot 2020 is presenting the biggest diving exhibition in the world in halls 11 & 12

When boot Düsseldorf opens at 18 January 2020, this will at the same time mark the start of the biggest diving exhibition in the world as well. And with considerably more than 400 exhibitors, it will represent a unique cross-section of the industry. In a nutshell: everything that divers could possibly desire will be on display. The global players in the diving field, like Aqua Lung, Mares und Cressi, will be presenting their complete product range again. 26 per cent of the visitors to boot are divers or are interested in diving. The “Dive Center” in hall 12 is a popular attraction for all of them. Every day at boot 2020, beginners and experienced recreational divers will have an opportunity here to watch exciting films about exotic diving destinations, listen to interviews with internationally renowned stars and obtain valuable tips for beginners as they try out diving for the first time. On board are Germany's most successful apnea diver and 34-time record holder Anna von Boetticher, the award-winning filmmaker Florian Fischer with his creative network “Behind the Mask”, the adventurer, filmmaker and Freediver Fred Buyle, who was the first person to manage the 100-meter mark in deep diving with just one breath, the freediver and filmmaker Guillaume Néry, who shot the diving shots in Beyoncé's video "Runnin" with his wife Julie Gautier, and the Portuguese BBC wildlife videographer Nuno Sá, who is one of the best underwater videographers in the world.

The Dive Centre

Every year, many thousands of divers enjoy a unique event here which is not matched anywhere in the world. Leading international diving destinations whet the visitors’ appetite by presenting everything they have to offer too. The program at boot is complemented at the technical level by the “Water Pixel World” in hall 11, which is again located directly in the diving segment. Apart from the latest developments and innovations in filming and photography in the water and underwater, workshops with community insiders are playing a central role here from boot 2020 onwards. The professionals will give tips and demonstrate tricks relating to spectacular underwater photography and how to handle video cameras and drones.

Love your ocean with talks by Emily Penn

“love your ocean“ campaign is featured in the diving halls

Protection of the oceans is important to all water sports enthusiasts in general and divers in particular. The “love your ocean” campaign stand in hall 11 reflects this and is the attraction for sustainable solutions and products. Together with the German Ocean Foundation and the boot ocean advocate Emily Penn, this campaign is having tremendous impact in the meantime.

Windsurf Tow in Contest at Boot

Halls 13 and 14: “Travel World“ highlights the most beautiful holiday destinations by lakes & oceans

Appropriately enough, the water tourism halls 13 and 14 with “Travel World” are right next to the diving halls. Chartering agencies, marinas, houseboat providers as well as hotels, cruise companies and water sports regions are there to help visitors decide where to spend their next holiday by and on the water. A varied program including tips about holiday destinations, charter and houseboat holidays will be presented on the “Travel World” stage. These halls are the holiday and tourism centre at boot. The wide range of different destinations is supplemented by hotels that offer water sports activities in all their possible forms. There can be no doubt that even people who have not been actively involved in sports up to now will be inspired and encouraged here to enjoy their holiday by the water. Travel has developed into a particular highlight at boot and takes up a large proportion of the space in Halls 11 to 14 in the meantime: from diving hotspots to holidays by, on or in the water. A special advantage for visitors is that they can book their dream holiday directly at boot!

Sailing in Halls 15 to 17: Sailing is the Soul of Water Sports

Sailing is the water sport! Sailing was the first way that people travelled along rivers and across oceans: the first known picture of a ship with sails is on an Egyptian drawing from Luxor that goes back to the period around 5000 BC!

From 2020 onwards, three halls are the home of sailing at boot Düssldorf. The major players in this sector will be there too: The Bénéteau Group, Hanse, Bavaria, Hallberg Rassy and other well known ship yards for bigger sailing yachts like Oyster, CNB and Nautors Swan are on board again. Together with the manufacturers of such innovative new boats as Bente, they will paint a diverse picture of a progressive sailing community with plenty of international flair. Spiced by the appearances of globally renowned sailing figures like Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, such up-and-coming young sailors as Laura Dekker with her new sailing project for young people and blue water sailing experts like Sönke Roever in the “Sailing Center”, the sailing halls reflect a lively and very emotional community. In co-operation with its media partner, the German publisher SVG Verlag, boot is launching the “Start Sailing” campaign (Hall 15). Newcomers and anyone else who is interested can benefit from the know-how provided by the experts here. In a casual atmosphere, young people and those who have stayed young can make tremendous progress in fulfilling their dream of becoming a sailor.

“Ocean Tribute” Award with Public Voting for the First Time

The award, which is sponsored by the Prince Albert II Foundation, the German Ocean Foundation and boot Düsseldorf, is being presented in January 2020. Together with the foundation from Monaco and boot, the prize money has been increased to EUR 20,000. All institutions, associations, research facilities and projects that aim to protect oceans, lakes and waterways were able to apply. The jury of experts selected a short list of five from all the entries and their projects will be presented on the Award website oceantributeaward.boot.de from mid-September onwards. For the first time, the public is also invited to participate in choosing the winner. People can nominate their three favourites in a public voting exercise. The results of this will be taken into account in the final vote too. The winner will be announced and the Award will be presented at the boot 2020 “blue motion night” in January.

Ticket sales started for boot Düsseldorf 2020

The advance ticket sales for boot Düsseldorf - 18 to 26 January 2020 - have started. From now on boot fans can really save money when buying their tickets. The biggest advantage is for boot.club members, because in addition to great offers and competitions throughout the year, they can buy tickets to the fair for a reduced prize. Thus the on-line ticket costs only 17.00 € for the members. In addition to this financial advantage, boot.club members can use the cool boot club Lounge with free WLAN during the fair. The boot visit can start relaxed with a coffee in the lounge. Here's the link to the boot.club membership: http://bit.ly/boot2020bootclub .

If you want to travel to boot together with your water sports friends, you can also buy a ticket for 17.00 € per ticket. This applies to groups of five or more people.

The easiest way to have a short look at boot Düsseldorf is from Monday to Thursday afternoon from 2 pm. Then the ticket costs only €10. All admission tickets can be ordered at http://bit.ly/boot2020ticket.

Free arrival and departure with public transport

The most relaxing trip to boot is by public transport. And with the online-ticket, it is also free of charge. This applies to travel to and from the Düsseldorf exhibition grounds by Rheinbahn in the tariff zone of the Rhine-Ruhr public transport system (VRR, 2nd class, in surcharge-free trains in price level D).

Irish firms were among the exhibitors and organisers of boot Düsseldorf 2019 that were in high spirits throughout the nine days of the event. The trade fair, which ended on Sunday, reports that business was good and that contacts to water sports enthusiasts and trade visitors from all over the world were excellent, according to organisers.

Among the Irish exhibitors were MGM Boats who sold several boats during the show including a new Jeanneau NC 37 Powerboat. The Irish brokerage firm had their own dedicated boats for sale stand in Hall 5 as well as a presence on a number of international brands. Kinsale based Bobby Nash also reported strong interest in his nautical charts on his own stand as did Clontarf based X Yachts Ireland in its brand new X4.0 offering that will be sailing this June. BJ Marine was in attendance on the Beneteau stand.

Boot dusseldorf 2019 set a new record, with almost 2,000 exhibitors from 73 countries and displays covering 220,000 m² of stand space

The demise of the London show saw a steady stream of Irish boaters heading out to the North Rhine-Westphalia city and availing of the convenient daily flight connections from Dublin with Aer Lingus and Eurowings.

"a steady stream of Irish boaters headed to boot 2019 availing of the convenient daily flight connections"

Messe Düsseldorf CEO Werner Matthias Dornscheidt summarises his impressions as follows: “I have experienced numerous events here in Düsseldorf, but this boot was unique. A tremendous atmosphere in the halls, people in holiday mood on the stands and highly satisfied exhibitors. Which means that we definitely reached our objective: everyone will have outstanding memories of this marvellous anniversary edition of boot.”

boot 2019 set a new record, with almost 2,000 exhibitors from 73 countries and displays covering 220,000 m² of stand space. Nearly 250,000 water sports fans (boot 2018: 247,000 visitors) came to Düsseldorf from over 100 countries: clear confirmation of the position boot holds as the leading event anywhere in the world.

Their main home countries – apart from Germany – are the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Switzerland and Italy. boot Director Petros Michelidakis explains: "The exhibitors tell us about great business and many new contacts all over the world. The boot is clearly a first-class business platform. The wide range of international travel destinations in the Travel World also attracted many visitors.”

Jürgen Tracht, Director of the Association of the German Water Sports Industry (BVWW) and a community expert, is very upbeat: “The industry is extremely optimistic about the forthcoming water sports season”. He reveals that there is a trend towards not only larger boats more than 12 metres long but also very agile smaller ones – where both motorboats and sailing yachts are concerned. He points out that there is strong demand for multihull boats as well, a trend that was very obvious in Hall 15 at boot. Tracht adds: “I expect boot 2019 to act as a stimulant and driving force for all areas of the water sports industry. Our corporate members were enthusiastic about the impressively international origins and high quality of the visitors.”

boot has no difficulty in being an event not just for B2B visitors from the industry, on the one hand, but also for the presentation of trend sports for the public, on the other hand. Decision-makers from major chartering companies, for example, use the trade fair to obtain a comprehensive insight into the market, to establish direct contact with the manufacturers and to make comparisons between them. To an increasing extent too, because chartering is becoming more and more popular with boot visitors and is a genuine trend in the industry. Anyone interested in chartering was spoiled for choice, with 1,500 sailing yachts and motorboats exhibited on the stands. So potential charterers were able to take a look at a wide range of holiday boats and decide exactly what they wanted directly at the trade fair.

Bobby Nash deals with enquiries for his nautical charts on the Latitude Kinsale stand Photo: Afloat.ie

There was a further increase in recreational diving and trend sport exhibits at boot Düsseldorf and they proved to be reliable crowd pullers. 100,000 surfing enthusiasts watched the sensational surfing demonstrations on “THE WAVE”. Numerous suppliers of boards report that visitors are rediscovering the fun surfing has to offer. Stand-up paddling, windsurfing, surfing or wakeboarding captured the visitors’ imagination, while people were fascinated by the contests on “THE WAVE” or in the flat water pool too.

The diving conditions and atmosphere in the Dive Center and the entire diving hall were excellent from the first day onwards too. Michelidakis: “boot is the event of the year for the diving community. This is where diving trips are planned, diving partners are found and the latest equipment is tested.”

boot will be starting its next decade from 18. to 26. January 2020 and will be preceding this in December 2019 with a party for its famous ship crane “Big Willi”: the strongest member of the trade fair team is celebrating its 40th birthday.

In the Great Halls of Dusseldorf, where the colossal annual Boat Show opens today with its Golden Jubilee providing multiple opportunities for appropriate Wagnerian accompaniment for hyper-glossy boats on the grand scale, a specialised level of interest will focus on a fascinating little prototype writes W M Nixon.

Unlike the pampered fresh-out of-the-box superyachts which have been brought up the Rhine on enormous barges, this key exhibit was prosaically delivered by road from the builders at Combrit in Brittany. For the boat is the Pogo Classe Mini Proto Foiler, all 6.5 metres of her.

We have of course seen several one-off Classe Mini foilers doing their thing with varying levels of success during the past year or two. But the new boat hits the button, as Pogo are the production builders who make competitive yet affordable Mini Classe boats available to a wider market - it was with one of their boats that our own Tom Dolan successfully raced the Atlantic in November 2017 before going on to the current Figaro chapter in his sailing career.

Tom Dolan in the early days with his Pogo 3 before he signed up Smurfit-Kappa as sponsors

Thus the Pogo Foiler will be seen as the natural entry point for many who aspire to the big time, which has the Vendee Globe at its peak. And with the news that two-times Figaro winner Nicolas Troussel has now confirmed his new IMOCA 60 is building with Corum sponsorship, the 2020 staging of the big one is going to see at least eight new boats – all with the latest gizmos and then some – lining up to take on the challenge of the Great Southern Ocean with a large additional assortment of boats of older origins.

The interest this all arouses – starting with foiling Moths and going on through the Pogo Foiler, then progressing through the new foiling Figaro 3 and various state-of-the-art Class 40s before we arrive at the IMOCA 60s and the hyper-foiled America’s Cup boats – this interest is all grist to the mill of our select group of dedicated Afloat.ie futurist readers.

These are the Determined Modernists who are firmly of the opinion that that we should accept that sailing is a vehicle sport with exciting new developments, and if Olympic sailing is going to reflect global sailing as it aspires to be, then the new Olympic offshore keelboat – due to join the five ring circus at the Olympics in France in 2024 – should be a state-of-the-art foiler rather than the standard keelboat currently proposed.

Prototype of the new Pogo Classe Mini Foiler being built in Brittany

From astern, the new Pogo Foiler’s hull looks fairly normal, even if it’s abundantly clear there’ll be no easygoing lounging in the companionway

The hull shape is in line with Mini thinking, with this bluff-bowed form being most successfully pioneered by Ian Lipinski’s all-conquering Griffon

My apologies to those readers who glimpsed the headline and assumed they were going to learn much of the Dusseldorf Boat Show 2019, yet find we’ve ended up discussing the new Olympic keelboat. But maybe that’s the point of it – there’s much more to an important boat show than meets the eye, even if in Dusseldorf the eye and brain are already overwhelmed by exhibits which go on and on through something like 17 different exhibitions halls of various types and size.

Thus if an international Irish agent such as MGM Boats has offered to give you guidance in getting around this enormous marine cornucopia of floatable goodies, take the offer with grateful thanks.

The huge Dusseldorf Exhibition Centre is strategically located between the River Rhine and the airport

For not only is the Dusseldorf show on such a scale that it has at least three official entrances, it is also very much the happening place. Although there’s access from today, what we might call the Grand Opening takes place on Monday, and it is being performed by Sir Robert Knox-Johnston, no less, the first man to sail non-stop around the world fifty years ago, and achiever of very many significant maritime feats since.

The MGM Boats Irish brokerage stand under construction in Dusseldorf this week

With the Brexit debate bashing our ears and brains into numbness, there’s much to be read into the fact that Britain’s greatest sailor is being hailed as a star in Germany in the same way as he is already regarded in France. He is, of course, British to the core, the very essence of Englishness, yet he acknowledges that France has a certain attitude to big-time sailing that makes it a world leader in the sport and its development, and by being in Dusseldorf on Monday he represents those of us on offshore islands who have to accept that, in terms of staging the biggest boat show, mainland Europe is where it’s at.

Global circumnavigator Suhaili enjoying some perfect sailing with pioneering lone skipper Robin Knox-Johnston on the helm

Doubtless the day is not too far distant – if it hasn’t happened already – when southeast Asia and China will see a show even bigger than Dusseldorf. But from Ireland and Britain, it’s thought-provoking to notice that the only Boat Show of significance now staged in these islands is at Southampton in September.

Yet although Dusseldorf hoovers up much of the European attention, it’s worth noting that in Europe there are somehow also boat shows of significant size in Paris, Budapest, Portugal, Hamburg, Helsinki, Gothenburg, Monaco, Cannes and Zagreb to name only a few, while if you move the slightest bit towards Asia, Turkey provides an impressive international nautical crossroads for the CNR Eurasia Boat Show at Istanbul.

But while Boat Shows inevitably reflect the need for central access to large populations, big offshore sailing events need clear blue water, and it could be argued that European sailing’s equivalent of the boat show dominance of Dusseldorf is to be found in the complete pre-eminence of the RORC Fastnet Race, where hundreds of boat take part with all available entry places snapped up within minutes of going on-line. And as the Fastnet Race in turn introduces people to Ireland, a sense of shared experience spreads right across Europe.

Racing round the Fastnet Rock – this spectacular introduction to the Irish coast is now part of the shared European sailing experience. Photo: Rolex

The overall picture of the centralisation of events owes much to the contemporary cheapness of air fares, and the multiplicity of available routes. Why make a rather mundane one-day journey to a more localised boat show, when you can combine a city break with two or three days away, and sample a different place and culture combined with a seriously large boat show while you’re at it?

Dusseldorf Boat Show – an impressive footfall for an extensive display, and just the right amount of space

The upshot of it is that you meet Irish people who have bought boats from Irish agents, but the business has been done at a boat show in another country, such that in many cases the boat in question will never actually be in Ireland. And her crew in sailing her on foreign shores will be surprised at how many similarly set-up Irish boats and crews they meet in their cruising.

The reality of this is that it brings the risk of a hollowing-out of come aspects of Irish local sailing, though in fact a more detailed examination of the home scene shows that our club sailing is doing very nicely, thank you, provided that there are inspiring class leaders and encouragers who can build on new levels of interest.

For although people claim they’ve less free time than ever before, life is lived at a much faster pace these days, and there’s many a sailing fan who can combine local sport with judiciously-timed breaks on some more exotic sailing coast.

A vision of comfortable yet swift sailing in the sun – the Bordeaux-built CNB 76 at Dusseldorf.

So by all means go to Dusseldorf Boat Show. But don’t forget that you’ll be rubbing shoulders with continental folk who would give an arm and a leg to live in some nice little Irish coastal suburb with a friendly local sailing scene and some of the best club racing – often in boats of wonderful character and history – to be had anywhere, and all of it just down the road, while you also have the option of every so often flying off into the blue and joining a boat in a port where the aroma of the neighbouring countryside and the local cooking gives that magical feeling of being abroad.

All of which is a reminder that in the final analysis, boat shows are ultimately about dreams. And in the biggest show of all, you can dream very big indeed

Boat Shows are ultimately all about dreams which can come true...

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the globe, is to appear at Boot Dusseldorf, the biggest trade fair in the world/ On Monday 21 January, Sir Robin will be taking to the Sailing Stage in Hall 15 at 14:30 (UTC+1) to talk about his record-breaking achievement ahead of its 50th anniversary in April this year.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Dublin brokers MGM Boats and Kinsale's Nautical 3D chart maker Latitude 52 are both exhibiting at next week's show.

One of Sir Robin’s legacies has been to make sailing accessible. By founding the Clipper Race, the biggest round the world yacht race, now in its twelfth edition, some 5,000 non-professional crew members from all walks of life achieve the remarkable.

Chris Kobusch, Clipper 2017-18 Race Skipper, originally from Herford, Germany, is fresh from leading the Qingdao Clipper Race team to a place on the overall podium. Chris will be speaking on Friday 25 January at 16:30 (UTC+1) on the Sailing Stage in Hall 15.

Boot Düsseldorf is the biggest boat and water sports trade fair in the world and is the place where all of the industry meets in January every year.

Nearly 2,000 exhibitors, over 50 per cent not from Germany, from nearly 70 different countries will be presenting their interesting innovations, attractive developments and maritime equipment at the 50th-anniversary show from 19 to 27 January 2019.

This means that the whole of the global market will be coming to Düsseldorf, to provide an exciting insight into the entire water sports world for the nine-day exhibition in 16 different halls on 220,000 square meters. Every water sport is present on boot with its categories boats and yachts, engines, shipping and yachting equipment and Accessories, services, canoes, kayaks, rowing, rafting, water-skiing, wakeboarding, wakeskate, skimboarding, jetskiing, diving, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, SUP, fishing, maritime art, marinas and water sport facilities as well as beach resorts and charter.

“boot Düsseldorf is the only trade fair in the world that truly represents the diversity of the industry and scene. With manufacturers from over 70 countries throughout the world expected to attend, we are unique in exhibiting such a wide range of product diversity. 1,500 sailing and motor boats have found their trade fair home at boot”, explains boot Director Petros Michelidakis.

The visitors of the biggest watersports trade fair in the world are equally diverse: they will follow the trade fair’s call to attend from over 102 different countries. Michelidakis: “This means that boot is not simply a show for regional visitors, rather, it is a recognized international industry event, characterized by its B2B platform. This is how decision makers from large charter companies, for example, use the trade fair: to gain a comprehensive overview of the market, to make direct contact with manufacturers and to make comparisons.” This is on the rise as charters are becoming more and more popular among boot visitors and exhibitors and are a real trend in the industry.

The trade fair is open from 10:00 to 18:00 every day. Admission tickets, €19.00 daily ticket, €11.00 reduced fee and children between 7 and 12 years €7.00, can be ordered online at www.boot.de and printed out conveniently at home.

As an additional feature, they entitle ticket holders to use the Rhine-Ruhr public transport system free of charge.

Stay tuned to Afloat.ie for Irish news at Boot Düsseldorf

Boot Düsseldorf 2018 is starting in 32 days and the initial boats are already on their way to the city on the Rhine. Ship crane “Big Willi” is being used to lift two elegant Italian yachts and one sleek Dutch yacht out of the river on 20. December.

It will already be lifting Absolute Navetta 58, the heaviest yacht of the day at 32 tonnes, out of the Rhine in his strong arms at 8:00 in the morning. Following its long journey from Podenzano in Italy, the elegant motor yacht is now aiming to reach its destination in Hall 6 on the Düsseldorf exhibition site – the home of the luxury yachts at boot. Navetta 58 is 17 metres long and offers power, comfort and state-of-the-art technology for a starting price of EUR 1.15 million.

The second yacht, another Absolute Yachts creation called Absolute 58 Fly, is scheduled for lifting at 10:00 and is one of the “Flybridge” model range (a flybridge is the outdoor control station of a yacht. It is a bridge provided on the boat with a wheel and also has space for seating and storage). The 58 Fly is finished to a high quality and combines ergonomics and technology with Italian design, luxury and comfort. The motor yacht is 17.2 metres long and is available for a price starting at EUR 1.23 million.

In contrast to the two Italian yachts, the new Grand Sturdy 500 AC Variotop will be on show in Hall 17 of the Düsseldorf exhibition site this year. The timeless “Linssen 500” from the Linssen shipyard in the Dutch town of Maasbracht weighs 30 tonnes and will be taken out of the water by “Big Willi” at 14:00. The new flagship of the Grand Sturdy range is suitable for both short and long trips. The Linssen 500 has three spacious cabins and a fully-equipped kitchen and is furnished to a high quality as standard. One of the many special features is the Variotop that gives the yacht its name. With this adjustable top, it is possible to change rapidly between a closed and open bridge at the press of a button. Such technology has its price: the Grand Sturdy 500 AC Variotop starts at a price of EUR 1.3 million.

Messe Düsseldorf CEO Werner Matthias Dornscheidt is delighted: “boot is in great shape!” His conclusion in Düsseldorf on Sunday: “There was a vibrant feel about the halls throughout the nine days. Good sales and a party atmosphere were the outstanding features of boot 2017. The trade fair smoothly succeeds in satisfying the conflicting requirements of being both an entertainment and business platform.”

More than 1,800 exhibitors from 70 different countries presented their products and services to a high-quality, very international public at boot 2017. A total of 242,000 visitors from 70 countries came to Düsseldorf – impressive confirmation of the leading position the trade fair holds on the global market. “Water sports enthusiasts from all over the world visited boot. People came from almost every European country. Our exhibitors have reported excellent sales figures, saying that boot is the most important business platform worldwide”, explains boot Director Petros Michelidakis. The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France are the main countries the boot visitors came from. The event also proved very popular in Eastern European countries, Russia in particular, this year, however. The number of visitors to boot 2017 from overseas Asian countries was considerably higher as well.

The atmosphere in the 17 halls on the exhibition site was tremendous throughout boot. For the corporate exhibitors, the trade fair was a promising start to the new season. Industry insider Jürgen Tracht, Director of the German Association of the Water Sports Industry (BVWW), confirms this: “Following the success they achieved in their business operations in 2016, our companies had high expectations of boot and these expectations were fulfilled in every respect. We had highly qualified people on the stands who were keen to buy. What impressed us above all was the international background of the visitors. The industry succeeded in recording excellent sales in almost all market segments; an unusually large number of newcomers are entering the motor boat segment and confirm to us that boating has developed into a genuinely trendy sport.” According to the industry association BVWW, sales at the trade fair of motor boats costing up to EUR 80,000 were very good, while demand for luxury yachts was greater than ever before too. Tracht anticipates even stronger demand from exhibitors from the luxury segment for boot in the coming year. “Shipyards that still monitored the trade fair from outside this year have realised that it is essential to participate if one wants to compete on the international market” is how he describes the market situation. Tracht thinks that one of the factors fuelling the interest of newcomers is the “Start Boating” campaign that publicised the sport for the first time last year with major water sports events at seven different locations.

The exhibitors gave boot 2017 excellent marks. Magnus Rassy from the Swedish sailing yacht manufacturer Hallberg-Rassy, for example: “We are very satisfied with boot Düsseldorf. It is quite simply the best boat trade fair in the world.” Martin Schemkes from the French industry giant Jeanneau/Prestige is delighted about the success his company achieved at the trade fair: “The excellent infrastructure at boot and the quality of the visitors make it possible for us to sell this large number of boats. We are already looking forward to the next boot Düsseldorf in 2018.” Claus Boesch from the Swiss company of the same name that manufactures classically elegant pleasure boats from wood is enthusiastic: “I will make it brief and to the point. We will be coming back!” Albert Gerritsma Motoryachts/Cabin Boats Breedendam BV explains: “Breedendam enjoyed busy and productive days at boot 2017. The fact that boot lasts nine days and covers two weekends gives us a great chance to meet wide range of visitors and clients.” On behalf of the exhibitors in the trend sport segment, Flo Brunner from Starboard says: “The wave exceeded all expectations and was the major attraction for the public in the Funsport World. Our visitors in the Beach World were again very interested and knowledgeable.”

Apart from the ship presentations – the exhibitors had about 1,800 boots and yachts on display this year – boot is home primarily to the entire water sports community.

The recreational diving halls, in which all the top international brands were represented, were a reflection of how popular water sports are. Diving fans were attracted almost magically to Halls 3 and 4, where they had an opportunity to enjoy their hobby to the full. Technically interested visitors were enthusiastic about the new developments in diving computers and other high-tech equipment available from the leading suppliers. Travel operators had a compelling variety of destinations to choose from in practically every corner of the globe for anyone who was already planning his or her next diving holiday. There is an increasingly strong trend in this context towards environmentally sound trips and activities.

An incredible atmosphere, exciting competitions and breathtaking stunts: the “WAVE” in Hall 2 proved to be the perfect wave for surfers and other visitors to boot 2017. Petros Michelidakis: “With the WAVE, we took the plunge with something that is unique anywhere in the world. The first standing ‘Deep Water Wave’ at a water sports trade fair developed into a major attraction to visitors right from the start.” More than 93,000 fans cheered on the star surfers not only during the contests on both boot weekends but also when they were training during the week. Almost 1,500 people – from beginners to the world champion – surfed the up to 1.50 metre high “WAVE” during the nine days of boot. Rainer Klimaschewski, the engineer who invented the “WAVE”: “I am very impressed by how many fans we found here. During the week, we had enthusiastic children on the wave every day too, thanks to the “boot for school” project, and they really enjoyed their time on the water.”

One of the highlights – both visually and thematically – was the “love your ocean” stand in Hall 4 with its ambassador Emily Penn. A co-operative project between the German Ocean Foundation and boot Düsseldorf with support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, it raised awareness of and interest in protection of our oceans and water environment. In the presence of the Prince of Monaco, the three partners signed a co-operation agreement launching the “Ocean Tribute” at the boot VIP event known as blue motion night. This award is being presented for the first time at boot 2018 in the categories society, science and industry to honour innovative ideas and products that protect the water environment.

Advisory centres and stages for the presentation of practically any issue associated with water sports are another very popular feature at boot. Boat DIY fans can, for example, obtain information at the Refit Centre, a mecca for water sports enthusiasts. It is a dependable source of tips and tricks about boat renovation and maintenance. The Sailing Centre is also popular with visitors. It reports about everything the community is interested in, including solitary blue water voyages, multiyear ocean trips for the entire family or news about such international regattas as the America’s Cup.

boot fans will now have to be patient for a whole year until the next trade fair takes place: the 49th boot is being held in Düsseldorf from 20. to 28. January 2018.

What exhibitors have to say about boot 2017:

Martin Schemkes, Area Sales Director, Jeanneau and Prestige: „boot Dusseldorf just closed its doors and has proven to be once again an amazing European show. boot Dusseldorf has always been key for us in terms of new boat launches and brand awareness. Jeanneau has been exhibitors for 17 years! Recently, we did assess a major increase in our international dealers participation. We do have a 500 dealer network around the world from which more than 50% is coming to Dusseldorf. A very good sign for us indicating that visitors are more and more diverse: European of course with more UK and Russian visitors … but even further areas such as Asia, US and Australia.This is why we do confirm our interest in Boot Dusseldorf which is certainly the biggest indoor boat show for us with … as a consequence … the biggest presentation of boats line-up. Jeanneau division exhibition in 2017 was huge with 5 stands for our Jeanneau, Prestige, Glastron and Wellcraft brands, more than 40 boats and around 3700 m2! For the Beneteau group including Lagoon, CNB, Bénéteau, we had more than 7 000 m2 and around 70 boats! boot Dusseldorf with the infrastructure it offers and the quality of visitors, allows us to introduce big units on the market. This year, 3 Jeanneau Yachts were shown to the public including the new Jeanneau Yachts 51. Finally for Prestige, we launched our new Prestige yacht P680 last year, with success. This year, we presented our new PRESTIGE yacht 630 offering an incredible living space. We are looking forward to the 2018 edition!

Magnus Rassy from the Swedish sailing yacht manufacturer Hallberg-Rassy:
We are very satisfied with boot Düsseldorf. Our world premiere, the Hallberg-Rassy 44, in particular proved to be a very strong attraction, leading in addition to the conclusion of several specific sales contracts. We had many people – and, above all, very good people – on our stand. Very large numbers of visitors came to us this year from faraway countries. We talked to visitors from the USA, Australia, Japan, Canada, Turkey and, in particular, Scandinavia, for example, all of whom came specially to boot. It is quite simply the best boat trade fair in the world. The range of exhibits makes the trip worthwhile and people like coming here. And that leads to good sales for us boat manufacturers. And that is what it is all about, for both sellers and buyers.

Claus Boesch, Boesch Motorboote AG/Schweiz: “I will make it brief and to the point. We will be coming back!”

Albert Gerritsma Motoryachts/Cabin Boats Breedendam BV: Breedendam enjoyed busy and productive days at boot 2017. The fact that boot lasts nine days and covers two weekends gives us a great chance to meet wide range of visitors and clients. We kicked off this year’s boot Düsseldorf with a successful press event to unveil our new MTB fourzero Wheelhouse. This striking new flagship of the Breedendam fleet has been very enthusiastically received not only by the media but also industry experts and visitors to the show.

Flo Brunner from Starboard: “The wave exceeded all expectations and was the major attraction for the public in the Funsport World. Our visitors in the Beach World were again very interested and knowledgeable. We hope to be able to welcome even more surfers, paddlers and kitesurfers next year.”

The first boot weekend at Dusseldorf was 'simply fantastic', according to organisers of Germany's leading boat show. boot Director Goetz Ulf Jungmichel was delighted to report yesterday evening the massive exhibition was off to a successful start. On the first two days of the trade fair, a total of 80,120 showgoers crowded the 17 exhibition halls, attracted by the boot Düsseldorf motto "Experience 360° water sports".

Ireland is well represented at the show with yacht brokers MGM boats, who just announced a new office in Malahide, BJ Marine from Greystones Habour, who have opened a new brokerage office in Cardiff, as well as Kinsale artist Bobby Nash exhibiting his charts from his regular Latitude 52 stand.

Visitors were fascinated by luxury & sailing yachts and motor boats of all types, in addition to the opportunities to try diving, kitesurfing, wake- and skimboarding, sailing, fishing and canoeing.

Don't forget to visit our Brokerage stand in Hall 4 Düsseldorf Boat Show @AfloatMagazine #boot2016 pic.twitter.com/45655nN8ex

— MGM Boats (@mgmboats) January 24, 2016

boot Düsseldorf continues to be open until Sunday, 31. January. Admission tickets are available at the online ticket shop (www.boot.de) for a price of €16. The price of the London show was £20stg.

Massive interest in @BENETEAU_France finest models. A serious display @bootdaily in Dusseldorf, making deals happen! pic.twitter.com/2RTqEcJmqZ

— BJ Marine (@bjmarinesales1) January 24, 2016