Fiera di Genova and UCINA will rethink next year’s edition of the Genoa show after seeing a higher than expected drop in visitors
The 52nd Genoa International Boat Show closed on Sunday with visitor attendance significantly down on last year’s event.
Around 176,280 people attended the show (plus 4,000 children up to the age of 10) compared to 226,000 at last year’s event. Exhibitor numbers were also down from 1,300 in 2011 to just 900.
Nevertheless, the show’s organisers said the event ended with a sense of “moderate optimism” and the «will to introduce some radical innovations” in order to meet the needs of a drastically changed market.
Sara Armella, Fiera di Genova’s chairperson, says: “We have nothing against the idea of rethinking the show from several standpoints: from its length to the time of the year when it is held, from its layout to the idea of increasing the opportunities to perform sea trials, from the costs involved to the services available for companies.
“As of tomorrow we will start planning the 2013 edition of the boat show with UCINA and all the institutional bodies involved. The drop in the number of visitors was more than expected – forecasting different figures against the current situation on the Italian boating market would have been unreasonable and anachronistic. Based on our experience, however, we know that the number of visitors is only one of the factors to take into account in order to make an assessment.
Anton Francesco Albertoni, president of Italian marine industry association UCINA, said: “The fact that, in spite of the crisis that the sector is facing, exhibitors decided to be here in Genoa on the one hand bears witness to their confidence in the boat show, on the other it requires us to rethink next year’s edition in order to better meet their needs.
“I have committed to organising a 53rd boat show featuring solutions that will encourage exhibitors to confirm their participation once more, and I intend to keep my word. To conclude, I can only express my satisfaction for the constructive dialogue that we have engaged with the government, following our call upon Prime Minister Monti and the initiatives organised by UCINA on the opening day to express our sector’s deep crisis. I do hope that tangible measures will soon be taken.”
According to UCINA general manager Marina Stella, the association will develop the best possible format for next year’s show in order to further boost business opportunities for its members……(IBIPlus.com, 15 October 2012)