On 4 November, boot Düsseldorf held a digital media conference where the upcoming edition of boot was presented, and which included various discussions with stakeholders from the recreational boating industry.

Following introductory remarks from Stephan Keller (mayor of Düsseldorf) and Wolfram Diener (CEO of Messe Düsseldorf), boot Project Director Petros Michelidakis took the floor to describe the seventeen exhibition halls that visitors will be able to explore in January. He also described the stringent safety measures that have been put in place against COVID-19.

Then, EBI Secretary-General Philip Easthill led a discussion about the trends and challenges of the boating industry with Robert Marx (President of BVWW) and Maud Dugourd (Secretary-General of FIN). They pointed out the initially bad situation in March and April as a result of COVID-19, which was followed by an impressive boom in the industry from May onwards, although without reaching pre-crisis levels. The challenges mentioned were the absence of trade shows in many countries due to COVID-19 restrictions, as well as the industry’s digital and sustainable transformation.

This was followed by a number of panel discussions with company representatives, who talked about some of the boat models they will be launching at boot 2021. The discussion about sailing, motorboats and chartering involved representatives from companies such as Bénéteau Group or Bavaria Yachts. The next discussion on luxury yachts included representatives from Azimut Benetti Group and Princess Yachts, among others. There were also conversations on the topics of diving and surfing.

The full recording and more information can be found on the boot Düsseldorf website.