Newsroom
Information about IFBSO and IFBSO shows
For dates of upcoming events please see our calendar of member shows
Eurasia Boat Show postponed
Because of a clash of dates with another (non-IFBSO) show opening in Istanbul in February, the 2012 Eurasia Boat Show has been postponed and will now take place from December 7-16 in its usual location at CNR Expo.
The International Istanbul Shop & Miles Boat Show, now in its 31st year and a member of IFBSO since 1998, has also changed its dates and will open September 29 to October 7 at Marinturk Istanbul City Port.
Congress 2012 to be held in Cape Town
Invitations for Congress 2012, taking place in Cape Town from 18-21 April, have now been sent out to members. Members who haven't received a copy can download it here.
METS offers a ray of hope
The last IFBSO member show of 2011 finally brought a weak ray of sun to a very gloomy autumn. METS ended its three-day run on November 17 reporting an upturn in visitors from 18,861 last year to 19,232 this, and exhibitor numbers up from 1,320 to 1,331.
There was also an encouraging number of new products launched at the show – over 270, according to IBI's review of the exhibition. Heading the list of the DAME award winners was a revolving portlight from Italian manufacturers SCM (above right) – a clever reworking of a traditional product to meet modern requirements and an encouraging sign of the industry looking toward better times ahead.
The IFBSO 2012 calendar starts on January 6 with the opening of the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show.
IFBSO partners with IBI
IFBSO has entered into a strategic partnership with International Boat Industry, the trade magazine for the recreational marine industry worldwide. Under the agreement, IBI is to act as our media partner and brand ambassador, supporting IFBSO's ongoing mission to help our members develop and run first-class boat shows and marine trade exhibitions around the globe.
IFBSO gains two new members
The International Federation of Boat Show Organisers (IFBSO) ended a successful 2011 Congress on a high note, with the admission of two new members to the exclusive association.
At the AGM, held on the final day of Congress on June 11 in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, members voted to admit two new boat shows into their midst, the Korea International Boat Show and Eurasia Boat Show from Turkey.
The Korean show is held in Hwaseong City, on the west coast of South Korea about 50km from Seoul, and by coincidence its fourth edition was taking place at the same time as IFBSO members were considering its membership application in Europe. Uniquely for an IFBSO show, it is owned and organised by the local authority, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government. Surrounding the capital, Gyeonggi is the most populous of South Korea's provinces.
Turkey's Eurasia Boat Show was first held in February 2007, making 2011 its fifth edition. Taking place in Istanbul, it is owned by the exhibition centre CNR Expo and supported by DENTUR, the Turkish marine industry association. IFBSO now has two members with shows in Istanbul, the other being the International Istanbul Shop & Miles Boat Show that takes place in the Marinturk Istanbul City Port each October.
Membership of IFBSO is granted only to established boat and marine trade shows that meet stringent criteria laid out in the IFBSO Code of Excellence.
Members also elected a new President at the AGM. Jurij Korenc of Internautica Boat Show, Slovenia, who took over as Acting President in January after former President Andy Williams stood down, will serve a two-year term as full President.
The three-day Congress in Rotterdam was the 49th to be held in conjunction with ICOMIA, the International Council of Marine Industry Associations.
Miami attendance jumps 14 per cent
Attendance at the 2011 Miami International Boat Show, which closed on February 20, was up 14 per cent according to the organisers. The National Marine Manufacturers Association reported 104,168 attendees this year, versus 91,415 in 2010.
Strictly Sail Miami, another NMMA production held alongside the main show, was down 8 per cent compared with 2009, the last time it was held as a stand-alone show. A total of 18,122 people attended Strictly Sail, versus 19,723 two years ago.
The atmosphere throughout the five-day event was positive, and exhibitors from both shows reported strong buying crowds and increased sales.
IFBSO Congress
Details of the ICOMIA-IFBSO Congress due to take place in Rotterdam from June 8-11 2011 have now been posted on this site. The Congress is being hosted by Amsterdam RAI and the Dutch marine industry association HISWA, and is open to all members of IFBSO and ICOMIA.
Boot tops quarter of a million
Attendance at Boot Düsseldorf climbed back above the quarter-of-a-million mark in January when the 2011 event closed on a gate of 250,500 visitors, 10,300 up on the previous year.
The "360° watersports live" programme introduced at boot 2010 was repeated and developed further this year, giving thousands of youngsters a chance to try out watersports on site. High-calibre, interested visitors were also back in force, giving the industry good reason to view the coming watersports season with optimism.
"Our expectations have been far exceeded. The economic upturn discernible in the run-up to the show has truly gathered pace", said Messe Dusseldorf CEO Werner Matthias Dornscheidt.
Jurij Korenc becomes President of IFBSO
Jurij Korenc of Internautica International Boat Show of Portoroz, Slovenia, took over as Acting President of the International Federation of Boat Show Organisers on January 20.
Andrew Williams, President of IFBSO since June 2008, has stepped down from the Presidency following a move away from boat shows. He leaves the UK's National Boat Shows, where he has been Managing Director since 2007, to take up a new post as Marketing Director of Princess Yachts International.
Jurij Korenc is the founder of Internautica, now in its 16th year and based in Portoroz Marina, the epicentre of yachting on Slovenia's short Adriatic coastline. He has been a member of the IFBSO Executive Committee since 2006 and Vice President since 2009.
Good start to 2011
The New Year got off to a good start with the first show in the IFBSO 2011 calendar clocking up a 7% year-on-year increase in visitors.
The Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show closed on January 16 after a ten-day run, having drawn 109,778 visitors from all over the UK and abroad. The show had undergone a major revamp, with a large watersports action area in use all day every day, giving the inexperienced a much greater sense of the pleasure to be gained from boating.
The show also benefited from co-location with two other activity events taking place in the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, the Outdoors Show and the London Bike Show. Although shorter - they opened for the last four days of the Boat Show only - they brought the total number of visitors to ExCeL over the ten days to an impressive 140,164.
The next show in the IFBSO 2011 calendar is Boot Düsseldorf, opening from January 22-30. Europe's largest boat show, Boot also underwent a major revamp last year, re-positioning itself as an event promising "360° immersion" in watersports. The investment paid off, attracting a whole new demographic and ending a long run of declining attendance. Hopes are high that this year will continue the trend.