Genoa International Boat Show

GENOA INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

4th to 12th OCTOBER AT FIERA DI GENOVA, ITALY

New sea-front pavilion designed by Jean Nouvel in full use!

From 4th to 12th October 2008 the Genoa International Boat Show – the leading pleasure boating event, organised by Fiera di Genova SpA and UCINA (the Italian Marine Industry Association) – will be on again at Genoa fairground.

The new exhibition spaces of Pavilion B designed by Jean Nouvel confirm the strategy of ongoing growth characterising this event. This year’s 48th Show will further strengthen its leadership by increasingly building on its comprehensive product range and impressive display, thanks to the enhancement of the floating area, extending over one hundred thousand square metres of water, and a variety of exhibiting areas capable of displaying and heightening the value of entire ranges of products.

With more than 1,500 companies, 2,300 boats on show, hundreds of new product launches, a large number of foreign exhibitors (more than 37% will be coming from abroad), and 327 thousand visitors (as registered last year), this year’s show will include the following sectors: motor yachts, powerboats, sailing and inflatable boats, engines, technical apparel, fishing and diving equipment, nautical tourism and services.

An important event at the Show will be TechTrade: A “Show within the Show”, which will be held in Pavilion C (28,000 sqm), displaying pleasure boating components and accessories in an exhibition and product arrangement setting aimed at offering a wider selection of options to meet the demand of professional operators, who in 2007 accounted for 23% of the target audience. On 6 and 7 October, TechTrade will be specifically devoted to b2b meetings among operators of the marine industry.

The presence of worldwide boating in Genoa also means nine days of business, meetings, and innovation, which will involve leading experts, institutional representatives, opinion leaders, and past and present champions. Seizing and promoting opportunities for the development of small boating will be among the main themes discussed within the conferences organised by UCINA during the October Show, including large yachts, taxation, training, port facilities, the environment. 

For 2007, UCINA is estimating a percentage growth of the value of boats produced ranging between 12 and 14% (compared with 2.9 billion Euros in 2006), while confirming the exporting trend exceeding 50% of the production value.
 
The redevelopment project which is changing the looks and full potential of Genoa’s fairgrounds is also well underway. This involves a work plan – customised to meet the needs of the Show – that will enlarge the extraordinary exhibition capacity of 2007 and fully utilise the area of the new sea-front pavilion designed by Jean Nouvel, with finishing touches completed by spring 2009. Twenty thousand square metres on two floors, looking out to the marinas, that will host on the ground floor – at the quay level – power boats up to 16 metres and, on the first floor, inflatable boats. New product arrangements will also involve other extensive areas of the Show: in Pavilion S, the ground floor – twenty thousand square metres – will be entirely devoted to power boats up to 12 metres, package boats (rigid and inflatable boats complete with engine), and outboard motors.  The first gallery of the pavilion will again host electronic and sport fishing equipment, ports and port services, finance and leasing, while the shopping area will be in the second gallery.  Other inflatable boats and specialised publications will be in pavilion D; inboard and inboard/outboard engines, engine accessories and generators will be located on the ground floor of Pavilion C, and sea safety authorities will be in the gallery.

The Genoa International Boat Show is the only one worldwide to be able to gather in one single area such an extensive Marina, four multi-storey pavilions, wide outdoor areas, and prime position spaces such as those offered under the tensile structure by the sea. Also further expanding are the current over eight kilometres of pathways on the sea consisting of jetties, bridges, quays and elevated promenades, besides traditional visitor routes.

The new web site www.genoaboatshow.com

In the last few months, the new web site www.genoaboatshow.com was launched which, in addition to providing information, this year will also act as the main communication tool between organisers and exhibitors for the management of documents and services. The site will be gradually updated with a preview of the products on display, news, information on the city’s hospitality services and useful links.

Opening hours, entrances, city parking and ferry services

The Show will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. The ticket price is 14 Euros, and concession tickets 11 Euros. Free entrance for children up to 6. Groups of 30 people or above can buy discounted tickets at the entrance ticket offices. There will be three entrances to the Boat Show: from the Eastern Gate of Piazzale Kennedy, from Riparazioni Navali (Ship Repair area) and from the jetty reserved for the ferries coming from Porto Antico (Old port), the Port , and Molo Archetti in Pegli. Dogs are admitted only if on a leash and muzzled.

Although organisers recommend to mainly use public transport – trains, buses (with an increased service and a special line), taxis and ferries leaving from Porto Antico, the port areas, the Marina of Sestri Ponente and Molo Archetti in Pegli, more than 6 thousand parking places will be available and marked by ad-hoc signs in the areas near the Show.

The “Welcoming Project”

In order to offer guests and tourists a more enjoyable stay, Fiera di Genova and UCINA have organised “Progetto accoglienza” (Welcoming Project) in cooperation with the City Promotion Board. This project consists of a set of services, including shuttle buses from the airport, railway stations, parking areas and the major city hotels to the fairgrounds, a bus service from the Boat Show to the city centre for shopping and sightseeing, a “Boat Show desk” at hotel receptions, a welcome kit for Italian and foreign guests containing information material on the Show and on events taking place in Genoa, as well as the “Genova informa” stand inside the fairground. The shuttle service, which was used by sixty thousand people last year, will be further increased this year.

Moving freely around the Show

For those with walking difficulties, Fiera di Genova, with the technical and operating support of the social cooperative La Cruna – together with Terre di Mare, the accessibility and tourism desk for people with a disability of the Province of Genoa – will provide again this year a reserved entrance and ticket office in Piazzale Kennedy together with the welcoming service, making available electric four-wheel scooters and wheelchairs to ensure everyone can visit the Show freely with the help of a map showing recommended routes. A shuttle service on request will connect the nearby parking areas with the Show entrance. For bookings and information:+39.339.1309249; +39.010.542098  www.terredimare.it.

Information

Fiera di Genova tel. +39 010 53911 e-mail: fierage@fiera.ge.it, www.fiera.ge.it

UCINA: tel. +39 010 5769811, e-mail: ucina@ucina.net , www.ucina.net