boot Düsseldorf registered nearly 237,000 visitors from over 100 countries and more than 1,500 exhibitors from 68 nations across its 16 exhibition halls when the show returned this year from 21 to 29 January.

The leading indoor boat show and trade fair, which covers powerboats, luxury yachts, sailing boats and diving equipment, trend sports and holiday regions, returned in January 2023 following a three-year hiatus due to the covid pandemic.

“Despite the difficult general conditions, boot 2023 has written a success story. We would not have dreamt of this outcome. boot has finally reached calm waters and is once again firmly anchored in its Düsseldorf home port. The successful comeback has demonstrated that trade fairs ‘made in Düsseldorf’ have an international appeal,” reports president and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf Wolfram Diener.

boot director Petros Michelidakis says: “The visits paid to exhibitors were incredibly good, viewing appointments on the boats completely booked up and the companies reported a large number of boat and accessory sales. The halls were also buzzing with diving and trend sports. Our crew has done its utmost, and ‘sailed’ boot 2023 to the top of the international water sports trade fairs again.”

boot Düsseldorf will return next year from 20 to 28 January 2024.  

Speaking on behalf of the German Marine Federation e.V. Managing Director Karsten Stahlhut summed up the situation in the industry: “Due to the ongoing crises since 2020 and two cancelled boot shows, all of us started the trade fair with mixed feelings. Overall, however, for most, expectations were not only met, but exceeded in every respect. A strong boot in January is always an indication for a good year. I am convinced it will prove better than we thought only a few weeks ago.”

Robert Marx, president of boot and general manager of Marx-Technik, says: “What the Düsseldorf trade fair organisers got off the ground here, smoothly following on from pre-pandemic times, is just great. With boot 2023 the trade fair company has shown that it has embraced the future and can also successfully navigate in rough seas.”

Also attracting a lot of attention was the new sustainability forum ‘Blue Innovation Dock’ at boot 2023. Philip Easthill, secretary general of the Association of the European Boating Industry from Brussels, summed up the nine-day programme: “The Blue Innovation Dock has come to stay. It proved a big success for the trade fair and opened a fascinating new perspective for the boating industry for a sustainable future. The presence of over 110 high-calibre speakers ranging from CEOs to political decision-makers emphasises the importance of sustainability for water sports. The industry has already made great strides in the development of sustainable materials, propulsion systems and marinas and we will be able to support them intensively in the future with the Blue Innovation Dock.”

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