In January boot Düsseldorf 2025 sent a strong signal for the coming water sports season. The world’s biggest trade fair for all segments of water sports unambiguously proved itself as the sales platform for international manufacturers and dealers – confirmed by the spokespeople of exhibiting sectors in the wake of boot 2025.
Commenting on this boot Director Petros Michelidakis said: “The industry’s unambiguous vote in favour of boot Düsseldorf shows we are on the right track for the future with our marketing strategies. Over the past few years we have developed an exhibition structure that fully meets the needs of the sector and offers (trade) visitors maximum variety. We even succeeded in attracting an interested audience looking to buy for the sailing shipyards, which are currently in troubled waters but used boot as a marketing tool and platform for networking with the sailing community despite the difficult climate. Also generating a positive impact was our enlarged presentation platform for sailing sports at the Sailing Center and the Sailing Plaza as well as by new trends and participants such as the Foiling World. Prevailing there was a sense of new departures, which will definitely continue to serve as an incentive for the season to come.” He went on to say: “Feedback on this from our exhibiting companies is therefore extremely positive. Which is why we let our exhibitors have their say:”
Exhibitor testimonials in alphabetical order:
Florian Brunner, APM-Marketing representing the Starboard brand: “The trade fair took off to a sensational start on the first weekend. There were lots of visitors including plenty of water sportspeople interested in pump and wing foiling. The riders delivered a spectacular show sweeping visitors off their feet. Our dealers from Germany and Austria also came to visit us in Düsseldorf to gain an impression of the trade fair and our collection.”
Philippe Axmann, Axis Foils: “The atmosphere in Hall 17 was highly dynamic all week long. The stage programme and action on the pool attracted and interested many people.”
“We’re extremely satisfied with the results of the Düsseldorf boot trade fair,” says Enrico Chiaussa, Sales Manager Azimut Yachts. “We have concluded a sizeable number of sales and are happy with both the quality and number of visitors. In addition, we registered an increased presence of visitors from abroad. Our Grande 26 M was among the most visited yachts at the trade fair, further confirming the audience’s appreciation for the Azimut brand.”
Gianguido Girotti, CEO of the boat segment in the Group Beneteau, explains: “boot Düsseldorf once again confirmed its status as a key event for the boating industry. We are very satisfied with the strong attendance and the enthusiastic reception of our 14 innovations such as the Beneteau First 30, PRESTIGE F4.3 or the Island Cruising Concept, that reflects the interest in an improved on-board user experience.”
Fiorella Besenzoni, Marketing Manager of the company specialised in the development and production of standard and custom products for sailing boats and yachts: “The Düsseldorf trade fair continues to be organised very efficiently, but this year the decorative aspects also saw some refinement with such details as floor covering in the aisles. The event has fulfilled our expectations. We had numerous meetings with our current customers and interesting talks about potential new cooperations. Although the number of visitors was slightly lower compared to previous years, the quality of visitors remained high allowing for targeted and productive meetings.”
boot 2025 in Düsseldorf again proved a successful trade fair appearance for CAYAGO AG. Peter Walpurgis, CEO CAYAGO AG: “The trade fair was an ideal stage for us and an outstanding setting to present the new SEABOB F9-Series. The visitors coming from all over the world to visit our exhibition stand were in a very positive mood again seeing boot as the kick-off to the 2025 water sports season. Despite the challenging global economic climate CAYAGO AG was able to record high demand for water vessels such as the new SEABOB. With boot in early 2025 we have sent a strong signal for a successful start into a new business year 2025.”
Reporting from the diving halls Luca Falco from Italian diving and swimming equipment provider Cressi says: “We are again very satisfied, boot is the key, top-flight leading trade fair in the sector. Our special thanks go to Messe Düsseldorf who contributed to the success with nigh-on perfect organisation. Here we can present our products and innovations to end users direct. In addition to many contacts made with customers from German-speaking regions we also welcomed more international visitors from Europe and all over the world. We are already looking forward to next year when we will be able to celebrate the 80th anniversary of our family business at boot Düsseldorf.”
Stephan Perband, Fenderbrett/boating accessories: “We are a young start-up and extremely grateful to have been a part of boot Düsseldorf 2025. We received nothing but positive feedback from the press, YouTubers, social media platforms, associations, dealers and end users, far exceeding our expectations and leaving us deeply impressed. The organisation of the trade fair was excellent, and no questions were left unanswered at any time. As the only European manufacturer of personalised fender boards we have felt highly appreciated by the professional and warm-hearted support. Thanks very much for this unique opportunity and the great experience.”
Alberto Galassi, CEO Ferretti Group: “boot Düsseldorf 2025 was met with a positive response. There was a slight decrease in the number of visitors from Central and Southern Europe, but this was compensated for by strong participation from Central and North Europe. Highlights included the global launch of the breath-taking Riva Iseo Super, a masterpiece of craftsmanship and elegance that cast a spell on visitors. The new Pershing GTX Series also attracted plenty of attention, especially the Pershing GTX80. We are the only yacht-building group in the world with seven different brands that all stand out with unique personality, a rich heritage and unrivalled quality. These success factors continue to set us apart from our competitors.”
The enthusiasm for surf sports became apparent among the exhibitors in Hall 17. Dominic Hoskyns, Foil Drive Europe: “We had a great week here. It was the perfect blend of entertainment and information. We had many conversations with visitors who wanted to find out about e-foiling. During the time on the pool we were able to demonstrate our products. This was great.”
Jacco Kuiper of KUIPER YACHTVERSICHERUNGEN B.V. from the Netherlands delights: “The new marketing slogan ‘We love water – all water sports. One community.’ hits the nail on the head: it brings together a global water sports community. The cohesion and passion shared by this community form the basis for the success of the trade fair. boot Düsseldorf confirms once again its key role as a catalyst in the water sports market. Here all pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly.”
Marc Forné, Sales Manager Maxim Yachts: “Our participation in boot Düsseldorf was a resounding success! The trade fair provided us with an incredible platform to make contact with customers, explore new opportunities and strengthen our presence in the industry. Over the course of the entire event, we were able to register a high number of visitors, engage in valuable conversations and make promising contacts for the future. The enthusiasm and the interest shown in us exceeded all our expectations making this edition of boot an extraordinary experience for us all. We are very happy with the result and thank everyone who took the time to visit us. boot Düsseldorf has again proven an indispensable event for our industry, and we look forward to building on the success of this fantastic experience.”
Exhibiting at boot Düsseldorf for the first time was Michael Zupritt with Mizu and the e-boat Twiel. He was thrilled with the trade fair: “We were overwhelmed with the feedback from both visitors and the press at boot 2025. We are proud that the audience reacted so positively to the new impulses in the boating industry. It was a pleasure for us to exchange ideas with visitors at the stand and look forward to following on from this success in future. We are already working on the next concepts and will be happy to present these at boot Düsseldorf.”
Martin Baum, Managing Director Pantaenius Yachtversicherungen: “boot 2025 proved a very successful edition of this leading water sports trade fair for us. We are delighted to have welcomed significantly more visitors to our stands than in the previous year. Especially powerboat owners seem to have a stronger interest in higher quality insurance solutions for their boats. Our charter insurance products were also in high demand from the national and international audience.”
Iain Smallridge, Managing Director Pearl Yachts: “boot Düsseldorf has always been an important event for Pearl Yachts. It is known for being one of the biggest and most influential indoor boat shows worldwide and attracting a wide international audience. This year is of particular importance for us since we have selected it as the platform for presenting our eagerly awaited Pearl 63 project. This new model marks a major step forward in terms of innovation and design for our brand.”
Erna Rusi, CEO Saxdor Yachts: “To us boot Düsseldorf is a key event that offers us a crucial platform for introducing our latest innovations in the areas of technology and customer experience to an influential audience. This year, we chose boot as the launch venue for our latest model, the 340 GTWA, and for Saxdor AI and the Virtual Showroom; these allow our customers to connect with our brand and personalise their Saxdor. The feedback and commitment we got was fantastic reflecting the strong momentum we have built – growing by 50% between 2023 and 2024.”
boot Düsseldorf is also a strong partner for its home region, such as the nearby lake Unterbacher See. Managing Director Peter von Rappert reports on the successful participation of this local leisure destination at boot 2025: “boot 2025 was a resounding success for Unterbacher See. With a strong start to the season at the world’s largest water sports trade fair the sailing instructors from the lake’s special-purpose association shared their passion for water sports with many interested visitors, thereby winning over many new sailing enthusiasts. Here are some of the most exciting results and highlights of the trade fair: over 1,750 sailing enthusiasts trained on the optimist on the big sailing pool. The experienced sailing instructors from Unterbacher See introduced water sports fans and young sailors to the world of this popular water sport. Wind machines provided the right winds, allowing the young yachtspeople to complete their first cruise in the Sailing School’s sailing pool at boot. For the special-purpose association the great interest and positive feedback shown was a resounding success.”
A thrilled Kræn Brinck Nielsen, CEO X Yacht, says: “We welcomed a record number of visitors to the stand. Eight staff and up to 20 dealers were very busy all week long, and with no change between weekdays. The XR 41 was the major attraction, but our other three boats were also booked up for the whole duration.”
After this great, positive feedback received from manufacturers, dealers and service providers alike, boot Director Petros Michelidakis already looks forward to contacting exhibitors and organisers over the coming months: “Registrations for boot 2026 officially start in May. But our team is always available for conversations with all companies and eagerly awaits feedback. To this end, we personally attend many events in the season and look forward to making personal contacts.”
The next boot Düsseldorf will open its doors from 17 to 25 January 2026. Interested companies and dealers can register for the forthcoming trade fair from May at www.boot.com.
