boot Düsseldorf 2025, which drew to a close on Sunday after a nine-day run time, impressively confirmed its pole position on the international trade fair market. With 1,500 exhibitors from 67 countries in 16 exhibition halls it presented a comprehensive image of the international water sports sector inspiring visitors. Organisers say 94 per cent of them said they were very satisfied with the ranges of powerboats and sailing yachts, surf and diving equipment as well as tourism and charter offerings (evaluation of the visitor survey at the trade fair). An important hallmark of boot is its high international attendance in terms of both exhibitors and visitors.
Ireland was present throughout the week as Irish Marine Federation (IMF) board members gathered for a pre-season meeting during the show. The Federation also attended the influential European Boating Industry (EBI) conference during the show and reported a strong flow of Irish show-goers.
Over 63 per cent of the companies and dealers at the fair travelled from other European countries and overseas to Düsseldorf, with the major producing nations Italy, the Netherlands and France in the lead.
A total of more than 200,000 people travelled to Düsseldorf from 113 countries for boot 2025, a third of them from abroad. The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, France, Turkey and Switzerland led the statistics in terms of visitor countries. The number of interested parties from overseas regions such as North America and Asia has continued to increase, with visitors coming primarily from the USA and China.
Messe Düsseldorf’s COO Marius Berlemann: “boot is an excellent mix of a high-caliber trade fair for all water sports sectors with contacts all over the world and exciting leisure activities for visitors from the region. During the nine days, we experienced a unique water sports festival, a first-class business event and a spectacular stage program with celebrities from the worlds of sailing, diving and surfing. However, boot is much more than that. It also flies the flag for marine conservation with the ‘ocean tribute’ Award and the ‘love your ocean’ campaign.”
Robert Marx, President of boot Düsseldorf and the German Marine Federation (BVWW), describes the trade fair from the exhibitors' point of view: “The atmosphere at this year's boot was sensational. It is very interesting and energising for the market that smaller boats in particular were in high demand and we were able to welcome many new, very international prospective buyers. Here in Düsseldorf, we have found just the right crowd to kick off the new season with the best contacts. This year's trade fair exceeded all expectations.”
“We have again proven this year that boot is the driving force and barometer for the industry. While expectations before the trade fair were still reserved, an optimistic look to the coming water sports season is now asserting itself across the board. The majority of exhibitors report great buying interest and many concrete business deals concluded for both boats and technical accessories. Diving and surfing equipment are also popular, and demand seems to have gone up markedly. In addition, January is great timing for preparing the next summer holiday, as evidenced by the avid interest and bookings at Destination Seaside,” explains boot Director Petros Michelidakis.
Gianguido Girotti, CEO of the boat division of the BENETEAU Group – the biggest exhibitor at boot 2025 – explains: “boot Düsseldorf has confirmed its status as a key event for the boating industry once again. We are very satisfied with the high number of visitors and the enthusiastic reception of our 14 innovations such as BENETEAU First 30, PRESTIGE F4.3 or the Island Cruising Concept, which reflect the interest taken in an improved user experience on board.”
A thrilled Kræn Brinck Nielsen, CEO of Danish shipyard X Yachts (manufacturer of sailing yachts) says: “We welcomed a record number of visitors to our stand. Eight staff and up to 20 dealers were more than busy throughout the entire week, with no difference in footfall. The XR 41 is the big attraction but our other three boats were also fully booked the whole time.”
Luca Falco from the Italian diving and swimming equipment supplier Cressi reports from the diving halls: “We are once again very satisfied. boot is the important and high-quality leading trade fair. A special thank you goes to Messe Düsseldorf, which contributed significantly to the success with almost perfect organisation. Here we can present our products and innovations directly to the end consumers. In addition to many contacts with customers from German-speaking countries, we also had an increasing number of international visitors from Europe and around the world. We are already looking forward to next year, when we can celebrate the 80th anniversary of our family business at boot Düsseldorf.”
Focus on sustainability and marine protection
boot not only scored points with the exhibitors’ ranges but also with its expert program ‘blue innovation dock’. This sustainability forum furnished up-to-date information on the state of developments in the boat segments as well as on the innovations in the segments of propulsion, fuels and materials. “This year’s blue innovation dock has made the path towards sustainability public. This requires innovations, customer proximity and support from policymakers. On the stage important current topics were in focus: alternative propulsion, natural materials, investment incentives for manufacturers and infrastructure renovation at international marinas. The Forum really proved a hub for networking and new business relations,” says Philip Easthill, spokesman of the EBI, that jointly organises the blue innovation dock with boot Düsseldorf. In addition, boot is working with the German Ocean Foundation to protect the oceans. The ‘love your ocean’ campaign, with 80 initiatives from business, science and society, is the world's largest sustainability initiative in water sports, covering an area of almost 800 square meters. With the initiation of the ‘ocean tribute’ Award in 2017, the Monegasque Prince Albert II Foundation, the German Ocean Foundation and boot Düsseldorf have set themselves a clear guideline: to support people, projects or initiatives in their commitment to marine conservation.
Next boot Düsseldorf will open its doors from 17 to 25 January 2026. Interested companies and dealers can register for the coming trade fair from May at www.boot.com
