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Edition 2008

The 20th Belgian Boat Show Edition 2008

The Belgian Boat Show is celebrating its twentieth edition this year. This is the most striking moment for Belgium: the start of a new water sports season, the largest indoor collection of yachts, accessories and services, and the leading forum for everyone who is actively involved in water sports, water recreation and water tourism in Belgium and the adjoining European regions.

Import

The offerings at the Belgian Boat Show are very typical of this densely populated country, which has 1900 kilometres of navigable waterways despite its relatively short coastline. Domestic yacht production is limited. Only ETAP has a brand name with any international allure, and this builder of unsinkable sailboats and motorboats was taken over by Dehler only a short time ago.
Belgium is also a major player in import and distribution. Perhaps unlike our neighbouring country the Netherlands, here fast boating, and thus waterskiing and wake boarding, is possible in many areas. As a result, the fair menu offers an enormous variety of fast sport boats, outboard motorboats, and related accessories.

Attractive for beginners

Even more than in the surrounding countries, the Belgian Boat Show is a magnet for two important target groups of visitors. On the one hand there are the experienced water sports fans, for whom it is almost a tradition to visit the show to see what they can look forward to in the coming season. Nowhere else can they make such a balanced choice of new models of yachts, clothing, accessories, and so on. On the other hand are the interested novices, who are looking for a way to get started in this world and its outspoken lifestyle, which until recently was hermetically closed.

This is the consequence of a low ratio of inhabitants to water sport consumers. This situation is changing rapidly. This is proven by the constantly increasing trend in memberships of water sport clubs, the growing demand for berths, and a gradual increase in the measurable movements of pleasure craft on the water.

Blue Route

Especially for this reason, the Belgian Boat Show has marked out the Blue Route: a route along stands where beginners can find the information they need to get started with some sort of water sport. Or to find an attractive, uncomplicated boat. Or a package of ‘to the point' lessons. This low-threshold route complements the Waterfun programme, which is put together in cooperation with BLOSO and the water sport federations and clubs. The main objective of this is to give young people an opportunity to become actively familiar with no less than eleven water sports and point them the way to the many courses that are given in more than one hundred locations in Flanders.

Water sport, water recreation and water tourism are recreational activities for everyone and highly suitable for families. For exactly this reason, the Ladies Day will be held on 13 February with the specific intention of welcoming women to the Belgian Boat Show.

The Belgian Boat Show in figures

- 42,500 m² gross area distributed over 7 halls / 21,443 m² net area
- 257 stands
- 8 catering stations ranging from a coffee bar to a fish buffet