The cancellation came on Saturday, and for many it came as a surprise. In a written statement, the German Boat and Shipbuilders' Association (DBSV) announced that the trade fair, which was held for the first time last year and had taken the place of the Hanseboot, which had been established for decades, "unfortunately cannot be continued in this form for economic reasons".
The losses of the first two events in 2018 and 2019 were too great and the commitment of potential exhibitors too low for the association to be able to subsidise another new edition next year.
The DBSV, together with Messe Friedrichshafen and with the support of Messe Hamburg, had managed to establish a useful and economically attractive exhibition for the industry almost from a standing start. However, the start-up losses threatened to completely erode the association's already limited assets.
According to YACHT information, the DBSV has so far had to add a good half a million euros. Due to the recent slight decline in the number of exhibitors and a decrease in the amount of space sold, the deficit - contrary to the original plan - was not significantly reduced in the second year of the Hamburg Boat Show. The entire available investment budget was used up prematurely. Originally, it was supposed to cover three years.
At the members' meeting on Friday, DBSV President Torsten Conradi spoke of the "most difficult and at the same time easiest decision" he had ever faced: On the one hand, it was difficult to discontinue the highly optimistic trade fair after just the second year, but on the other hand, there was no other alternative if the boat builders' association's ability to act was not to be jeopardised.
The mood at the meeting was correspondingly sombre. Several participants told YACHT online in unison: "It was a very emotional moment," said one shipyard boss. "There was a great silence in the room at first." Foreman Torsten Conradi was also visibly moved afterwards: "It really hurt to announce that!"
After the initial shock, some of the members felt that, despite the figures, they wanted to try again in a different way - instead of simply giving up, they now want to think about alternatives. "The boatbuilders are a great bunch," says Conradi. "You have to say that at this point! The spirit that was there after the end of the Hanseboot showed that. I can feel the same energy again now."
However, it is still completely unclear whether and how things could continue. After all, with coverage gaps of 250,000 to 300,000 euros per event to date, an economically balanced Hamburg Boat Show would have to become considerably leaner and more efficient. This does not appear to be feasible without further ado.
Messe Friedrichshafen, which realised the concept, was extremely cost-conscious in its approach to the northern event. "We organised it in a very Swabian way," says project manager Dirk Kreidenweiß. In other words: very lean.
Next Monday, a working group of association members will meet for the first time to consider other options for a water sports exhibition in Hamburg and will leave no stone unturned to save the autumn fair.
There is no question that the economy would miss it. Shipyards such as Hanseyachts, boat dealers such as Gründl, BM Yachting or Mittelmann's Werft in Kappeln, but also many chandlers and sailmakers have always generated a not insignificant part of their turnover in the Hanseatic city in the past, at Hanseboot and the Hamburg Boat Show.
"It could get tight for water sports in the north in a few years if there was no more trade fair," Richard Gründl, one of the largest exhibitors, is convinced. He hopes that it will continue, but is already considering alternatives in the event of cancellation. "One could be a larger in-house exhibition, another could be Boot und Fun Berlin," he says - knowing full well that the sailing sector is severely underrepresented at the Havel and that the event is not showing any real growth either.
Even today, two days after the announcement, Gründl still can't really grasp the end in Hamburg. "My first memories of the Hanseboot go way, way back. I was just six at the time. It's unimaginable that there could soon no longer be a boat show in the Hanseatic city." The Jeanneau dealer is like many others. But it has not yet been decided whether it will stay that way.
"The HAMBURG BOAT SHOW will not be continued in its current format"
30. November 2019 | Hamburg - "In 2018, all those involved were courageous and committed, and had high hopes of establishing the HAMBURG BOAT SHOW as a new water sports trade fair in the north: "We entered the race with great optimism because we received a lot of encouragement from the water sports industry to make a new start in 2018 after the cancellation of the hanseboot," explained Torsten Conradi, President of the German Boat and Shipbuilders' Association (DBSV), on Saturday after the DBSV's general meeting in Hamburg.
"After organising two events, which went very well for the majority of our exhibitors and visitors, we now have to announce with a heavy heart that we will unfortunately not be able to continue in this form for economic reasons," said Torsten Conradi.
At the well-attended DBSV general meeting, a future new format was discussed in detail and intensively, as almost all exhibitors were very satisfied with the course of the HAMBURG BOAT SHOW 2019. Many companies that exhibited in Hamburg reported positive results and, according to their own statements, did good business. The conclusion was that the public was extremely water sports-orientated and came to the HAMBURG BOAT SHOW with specific purchasing intentions. The event was characterised by an extraordinarily positive mood on both the exhibitor and visitor sides.
It was with this positive conclusion that the DBSV's top management went into the members' meeting on Saturday. In this context, Torsten Conradi emphasised once again that the HAMBURG BOAT SHOW was staged and organised by the industry and for the industry. He expressly thanked the trade fair partners Messe Friedrichshafen and Hamburg Messe und Congress for their commitment and excellent cooperation.
Many member companies are prepared to invest in order to continue to offer water sports enthusiasts in the north a platform in Hamburg in the autumn. For this reason, a working group was formed at the members' meeting, which will meet in the next few days to develop the future format.
"We are optimistic that we will be able to offer water sports enthusiasts and the industry another attractive event in Hamburg in autumn 2020," emphasised Claus-Ehlert Meyer, Managing Director of the DBSV."
