At a recent industry discussion at the Interboot trade fair, several exhibitors discussed the current situation on the boating market. The panel consistently reported that demand for time out at sea has remained high since the start of the pandemic.
Karsten Stahlhut, Managing Director of the German Water Sports Industry Association, even reported that the industry is experiencing an unprecedented level of economic activity. He sees the main trigger for this in the coronavirus-related return to domestic holidays on the coasts. As a result of the large influx of customers, there are now even considerable supply bottlenecks.
"We had to restructure the shipyard to cope with the boom. The 'flight to the water' has already caused our sales and production to increase significantly in the last year," confirmed Günter Ambrosi from Sunbeam Watersports AG. Vinzenz Batt, Managing Director of the Swiss Boatbuilders Association, described the current situation as a challenge for manufacturers, who were already struggling with production and delivery difficulties due to the shortage of skilled labour. Exhibitors would therefore also be recruiting urgently needed skilled labour at the trade fair.
The number of visitors to the trade fair also reflects the mood on the market. "At 10:02 a.m., just two minutes after the trade fair opened, our stand was full and the visitors were very knowledgeable," said a delighted Peter Grimm from Brunnert-Grimm AG.
Oliver Ochse, who gives lectures as a sailing and trim consultant, also perceives the audience as very interested. Sonja Meichle, Managing Director of Ultramarin Meichle + Mohr Marina, said that the trade fair had even exceeded her expectations. "The first few days were outstanding, which is why we have already reached pre-corona levels."
For Klaus Wellmann, who manages the trade fair, the importance of personal customer contact was particularly evident in the positive feedback from visitors. Exhibitors also expressed their enthusiasm on social media. "60 years of Interboot without interruption. That was great," said AWN boat expert Stephan Dohrmann, for example, praising the trade fair in a Facebook video message directly from the stand.
Interboot is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Sunday.
