As Genoa closes, has it provided a pandemic model for boat shows?

Organisers of the 60th Genoa International Boat Show which finishes today, report that tickets sold out on multiple days and that overall there’s been excellent footfall which they say is well within the health and safety parameters put in place for the largest event on the Mediterranean.

“As the only boat show able to take place in Europe during the Covid-19 crisis, the event has become another shining symbol of Italy’s sense of social responsibility, determination, conviction and know-how in these complicated times,” says an official statement.

Exhibiting is John Burnie, MD, Discovery Shipyard (based in Lymington). He says the show has been “very different this year due to the impact of the virus. The exhibitor numbers are definitely down, and the visitor entry process has been highly controlled and structured to keep within safety number guidelines. The online booking allocation was aimed to allow a maximum of 8,000 visitors per day – it is difficult to ascertain if that number is actually being achieved.

John Burnie, MD Discovery Shipyard

“Irrespectively,” Burnie says, “this show has been run very constructively. I feel the local authorities made the right decision to allow the event to proceed. I certainly know we made the right decision to attend and we have had a high-quality attendance on our exhibited yacht. Many Covid-19 protocols are in place, not dissimilar to the ones that were expected and were being introduced at the cancelled Southampton Boats 2020 and MDL’s Ocean Village Boat Show. There are many one-way systems in Genoa – particularly on the larger stands – as well as hygienic hand cleaning stations in all areas. Visitors on the yachts are limited to one or three from the same family group. Most people seem to appreciate the need to obey the guidelines.”

Discovery Shipyard is exhibiting its popular 48S model, with a Southerly lifting keel. Burnie says the company has a strong brand following in Italy, France, Germany and Russia, and has hosted appointments with potential clients hailing from a wide spread of countries. The company’s being supported by its Italian Agent, ADRIA SHIP srl.

“Many manufacturers and agents intending to exhibit at other events this year have lost considerable sums in deposits and payments due to cancellation,” Burnie says. “The Genoa organisers pledged the return of all deposits and 85% of the booking fee should the event be cancelled. I am not certain if this was generally agreed or offered individually to ourselves. It was nonetheless a great incentive to ‘risk’ the money.

“As we move towards the last day of the show, I am confident our attendance in Genoa has been worthwhile. It has allowed us to reach an important client (if limited) base we have all been painfully excluded from for too long.”

With the show drawing to a close, Burnie can see the way forward for other future boat shows.

“The event actually benefits if it is marginally smaller than any previous event – it is important that exhibitors are not crowed into limited space as has been seen in the past,” he says. “The visitor experience is much enhanced with limited numbers on board at any one time, unlike (for example) Annapolis where the sheer number of people is frequently very uncomfortable.

“All exhibitors should have a limited number of exhibitor passes allocated – no more than three per vessel exhibited, and entry to shows should be strictly controlled and by online booking application only – no exceptions.”

He says the protocol layout at Genoa has been respected and should be emulated at other shows.

“One-way systems should be introduced where possible and visitors to vessels need to be limited to one or only three from the same family group.

“If statistics indicate there is no spike in the infection rate after this show has taken place,” Burnie concludes, “it will serve to demonstrate how such events can take place – provided controls and reasonable safety measures are put in place.”

Koyré, an Italian start-up specialising in the development of sensors, was exhibiting at a trade show for the first time.

“We are very pleased about our participation at the 60th Genoa Boat Show. This was a debut for the company and we can safely say that it was successful, well beyond our expectations. During the show, we had the opportunity to present our innovative system to a diverse and numerous group of stakeholders: sailmakers, potential partners, media and general public,” says a spokesperson for the company, demonstrating the wide range of visitors.

Koyré Sensorsail project is a system for the evaluation performance of a sailboat through the application of particular sensors on the sails and flexible structural parts.

Images courtesy of Gulf Craft, Torqeedo and Discovery Shipyard.