EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE BY 55TH HANSEBOOT, FOR EXHIBITORS AND VISITORS
hanseboot 2014
• Excellent performance by 55th hanseboot, for exhibitors and visitors
• Some 76,000 visitors at the Hamburg International Boat Show
• Visitors are keen to buy, and the mood in the industry is upbeat
That was the 55th hanseboot: 557 exhibitors from 18 nations, presenting their products and innovations on the nine days of the boat show, from 25 October to 2 November – with more than 490 boats and yachts, and services for all aspects of boating. The exhibits in the halls and the in-water hanseboot at the City Marina attracted some 76,000 professionals, leisure sailors and newcomers.
“We are very pleased with the 55th hanseboot,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, on the closing Sunday. “The team has 
worked so hard in the last few months, and the concept has proved itself. We had more boats and many new opportunities for people to try their hand at boating. That was very popular with our visitors, and we have received a lot of positive feedback from the exhibitors, who are delighted with their business results here.”
The findings of a representative visitor survey conducted by an independent agency confirm the upward trend of hanseboot. There was a significant improvement in assessments of the boat show as a whole, and in visitors’ intentions to recommend it to others (up 19% and 12% respectively), scoring well at more than 70%. Purchasing intentions among hanseboot visitors were also up on last year – 48% of visitors bought products at hanseboot, that is up 12% versus 2013 and back to the same level as 2011.
Exhibitors from all areas were delighted with the successful structuring and arrangement of the seven B Halls where hanseboot was held, with the number of visitors at the stands, and with the substantially better atmosphere at the show. “Everyone who was there in the course of the event will have noticed the widespread sense of a new upward trend and confidence among exhibitors and visitors,” said Heiko Zimmermann, hanseboot Project Director.
The main areas of interest to visitors were accessories, fittings and clothing (61%), and sailing and motor boats (60% and 44% respectively). First-time visitors were particularly interested in motor boats (54%), which reflects a general trend in the industry.
Both sailing boat and motor boat enthusiasts had plenty to see, especially in boat halls B6 and B7, which had more to show than last year. hanseboot gave a broad overview of the boat market for every taste and every pocket – from inflatables to big yachts.
Activities and direct impressions of boating attracted large crowds in the new interactive Canoe World on the upper floor of Hall B4, in the big pool of the hanseboot arena, and in the Dinghy Newcomers arena. Visitors could try their hand at paddling, sailing, motor boating – a great opportunity for tasting and testing.
The boat building hall on the ground floor of Hall B2 was one of the main attractions for owners and boat building enthusiasts. It showcased retrofitting and repairs of boats, and also design and planning of new build projects. The Refit arena gave a close-up view of work on damaged motor boats and sailing boats, and work with wood was demonstrated in the new Boat Building Centre.
The stand which featured the first public presentation of the small cruising boat project “Bente 24” proved to be a real crowd puller. The three initiators of this open-source project, building an affordable, family-friendly, innovative 24-foot sailing boat for new entrants, attracted a lot of interest from visitors and industry representatives, and reported on what were sometimes heated discussions on the further development of Bente.
A big joint stand of DBSV (the German Boat and Ship Building Association) presented activity spaces on the ground floor of Hall B2, with component and equipment suppliers, designers and builders. Claus-Ehlert Meyer, DBSV General Manager, reported that the vast majority of DBSV are satisfied with result at the 55th hanseboot, commenting that “there are a number of exciting new build projects in the market again, calling for individual solutions from the companies.”
Torsten Conradi, President of the DBSV, also said that hanseboot “is on the right track”, noting that he found more optimism and positive assessments in his talks with industry representatives and hanseboot regulars about the way the boat show is now presenting itself. “We all agree that we still have a long way to go,” he said.
“We will not just lean back and relax now, but will continue our work directly after hanseboot, and address improvement in details.” He noted that the format and profile of the in-water hanseboot at the City Marina would need to be improved for next year. The hanseboot Marine could not be used optimally this year because of ongoing construction work for the new flood protection facilities.
