40th boot-Düsseldorf — 17 to 25 January 2009

A new hall concept that’s fit for the future

Despite troubled times in the global economy, Düsseldorf is confidently looking forward to boot 2009, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary staging at the Düsseldorf Trade Fair Center from 17 to 25 January. “The international yachting and watersports industry focuses its activities firmly on the Düsseldorf trade fair venue as the center of the European markets. We expect hall capacity to be well used and the showcase to be representative of the international offerings for yachting and watersports. boot 2009 will not, however, remain completely untouched by the worldwide financial crisis and trends towards recession.” In certain segments, exhibitors are responding by reducing their stand sizes,” commented boot Director Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel.

The global market gets on board: 1,650 exhibitors from 55 countries

Hailing from 55 countries, a total of 1,650 exhibitors at next year’s boot event will train the spotlight on premieres, maritime products and services in 17 exhibition halls that cover 220,000 square metres of floor space in total. The event is nevertheless expected to fall slightly short of the record-breaking 2008 edition of boot with its 1,700 participations.

Which is not to say that in terms of international reach, depth and breadth of offerings boot 2009 will not deliver its customary panoramic overview of the global market for yachting and watersports. Some 700 exhibitors — a good 40 percent of the total — will be arriving from abroad and occupying almost half of the exhibition space. The key countries of origin for exhibitor contingents are the Netherlands with its 140 yards, suppliers of equipment and accessories and service providers, followed by Italy (90), France (60) and the UK with 25 participants. The countries of Northern Europe will be stepping out in Düsseldorf with 30 companies.

Optimised hall concept

A new hall concept that responds to requests from the boat and yacht industry as well as current developments on the market will be implemented at boot 2009.

From 2009, motor yachts, motor boats and classic yachts will be at home in Halls 4, 5 as well as 9 and 10, placing them in the immediate vicinity of the large vessels and superyachts in Halls 6, 7a and 7. The Classic Show and steel yachts will have Hall 15 to themselves. This means that the huge motorboats and yachts product category will now be presented as a single unit spanning all sizes and price ranges.

Motors, technical accessories, equipment and clothing will also be on show in Halls 10 to 12.

Water tourism, charters, training institutions, associations, marinas — and henceforth also canoes and kayaks — will entice visitors to Halls 13 and 14.

As before, sailing boats and yachts will remain the reasons to tour Halls 16 and 17. Dinghies and multi-hull craft as well as trend sports such as wakeboarding, surfing and kitesurfing will create a splash in the interlinked space formed by Halls 1 and 2. Diving Show boot-Düsseldorf, the world’s biggest trade fair for the sport, will still beckon from its old venue in Hall 3.

Luxury sells as before

Boats and yachts from some 400 international yards and dealers will drop anchor at boot 2009. Spread across six exhibition halls, 1,800 beauties from these companies’ portfolios will be on show.

While large dimensions and lavish fittings in motor yachts continue to find international buyers, demand for mid-sized motor boats is more hesitant.

boot 2009 will reflect these developments. Around 70 yachts up to 30 metres long will be berthed in Hall 6, dedicated to large-scale yachts. Although many of them will arrive under their own steam, others will be carried to the fairgrounds by sophisticated special transporters.

All in all, 250 dealers and importers will unveil motor boats and motor yachts in Halls 4 to 6, 9, parts of Hall 10 as well as Hall 15 at boot 2009.

At Düsseldorf’s Superyacht Show in Hall 7a and on the ground floor of Hall 7, roughly 100 exhibitors, among them the four joint participations Deutsche Yachten — German Yachting Industry Pool, a joint presentation by the French Nautical Industries Federation, Arab Marine Industry Association (AMIA) and the HISWA Holland Yachting Group, will wow visitors with their latest designs, models and services for all aspects of superyacht construction.

Sea of offerings in the sailing halls

Capacity in Halls 16 and 17, devoted to the sport of sailing, will be well used by 150 exhibitors. From Bavaria to Wauquiez, everyone who is anyone in the world of sailing will be stepping out at boot.

What’s true of boats and yachts goes for all the products related to them, too: There will be lots of high-calibre offerings to explore in boat equipment, on-board electronics, motors and technical accessories. This product category will be represented by 400 exhibitors in Halls 10, 11 and 12.

No dive in the popularity of this sport

With its 350 exhibitors and roughly 70,000 visitors, Düsseldorf’s event for diving enthusiasts in Hall 3 has long since established itself as the world’s biggest consumer fair for the sport. Some of the big-name equipment suppliers set to take their places in Düsseldorf are Aqualung, Balzer, Bauer Kompressoren, Cressi, Camaro, Mares, Johnson Outdoor and Beuchat. Organisations such as PADI, Barakuda and the Verband Deutscher Sporttaucher (German diving association) together with diving spots and bases around the planet, from Asia to the South Seas, diving wear, training programmes, the latest in underwater photography and film — it’s all at boot-Düsseldorf, concentrated in a single hall covering 20,000 square metres of floor space.

In honour of boot-Düsseldorf’s 40th anniversary, one of the diving legends and pioneers of the sport will make an appearance in Hall 3 to celebrate his 90th birthday on 23 January in the company of watersports enthusiasts and divers. Together with his wife Lotte, Prof. Hans Hass will be guesting at boot where he will be available to have a chat, to present his books and sign autographs, also on Saturday, 24 January.

Maritime travel market in ship shape

The maritime travel market at boot 2009 is in ship shape. Anyone hunting for the perfect watersporting holiday destination, hoping to charter a boat or do a training course need look no further than Halls 13 and 14. There, 350 exhibitors will be offering an abundance of maritime services.

The boot-Düsseldorf team considers it an important task to attract new target groups to the trade fair, watersports and the industry in general. Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel has big plans in this regard: “In future, we will be putting more emphasis on creating exciting worlds of experience relating to maritime recreation in order to offer both newcomers and boot regulars an informative and entertaining immersion in the rich diversity of watersports.”

At boot 2009, the whole of Hall 1 will be devoted to young watersports novices, bringing together under one roof two realms of experience. The Sailing Center and Beach World will be the hot spots for shows, infotainment, stars and upcoming sporting talents, sailing class associations, clubs and associations as well as surfing and sailing schools. In neighbouring Hall 2, retailers will be ready to kit visitors out with the state of the art in equipment for sailing, surfing, kitesurfing and wakeboarding as well as all the beach sports.

Tips on how best to test the waters on the go will be plentiful at the activities platform Watersports on the Move in Hall 4. The focus here will be on watersports equipment that can be transported on, in and behind your car — such as motor boats, jetskis, waterskis, canoes and kayaks.

Hall 13 with its Big Blue Holiday World will soon have visitors eagerly anticipating summer 2009. As part of an attractive stage programme, watersports and tourism experts will reveal the myriad possibilities for holidaying on, in and under water. Right next to this, a new theme park will debut — World of Paddling — with information offerings and activities focusing on canoeing, canoe tourism and rowing.

Boasting all aspects of angling, the Sport Fishing Center in Hall 12 promises to hook many visitors with the best spots to drop a line.

The Classic Show in Hall 15 offers the chance to savour vintage boats or boats modelled on vintage designs and meticulously crafted using traditional materials such as wood.

Last but not least, aficionados of maritime art are cordially invited to peruse “Galleria boot Düsseldorf” in Hall 7. Some 30 galleries and artists will once again exhibit works in 2009.

All this and more can be experienced at boot 2009 which will open its doors daily to visitors from around the world between 10 am and 6 pm from 17 to 25 January. One-day tickets will sell for EUR 15 while two-day tickets will cost EUR 23. The boot 2009 catalogue will be available for EUR 7. Admission tickets entitle holders to travel free of charge to the fair and back on public transport within the fare zone of the Rhine-Ruhr Regional Transport Network (VRR). Tickets can also be bought through Messe Düsseldorf online in advance from www.boot.de

The Internet portal boot.de keeps boot visitors and watersports enthusiasts constantly up to speed on all the latest regarding the trade fair, its industries and important current events.