This year’s Dubai International Boat Show ended on a high, with a rush of local, regional and international visitors attending the region’s leading marine event held at its temporary home at Dubai Canal. The 26th edition of the Dubai International Boat Show welcomed some of the industry’s biggest companies and brands.
A wide range of boats, from superyachts to entry-level options to suit all budgets, as well as the latest diving equipment proved popular with visitors and buyers who travelled to Dubai from across the Middle East and further afield.
Emirates based Gulf Craft, reported steady levels of interest from visitors as well as some impressive sales to clients from across the region and beyond.
Erwin Bamps, CEO of Gulf Craft, revealed that the yacht and boat builder had sold five vessels worth AED 85 million during the 26th edition of the show.
He added: “The new temporary location on Dubai Canal has given a different atmosphere to the boat show this year and we are delighted to have made five sales during the show.
“The show not only provides key networking and sales opportunities for Gulf Craft, but also allows us to premiere our latest masterpieces such as the Majesty 140 superyacht and also showcase our wide range of models.”
Jalboot, the local distributor for Wajer and Mastercraft, reported a good volume of positive queries for a wide range of vessels that could secure post-show sales.
Mohamed Shaik Roestali, General Manager at Jalboot Marine Services LLC, said: “The Dubai International Boat Show was undoubtedly a success for us, given that both the demand for our products and our potential sales almost doubled as a result of participation this year.
“We also were able to interact with key members of the market such as representatives from the international and B2B sectors.”
The show also proved successful for companies selling smaller, more personal watercraft. Stephan Hirzel, Director of Jetsurf, Motorised Surf Boards revealed that, as in the previous two years, the Dubai International Boat Show saw them completely sell out of 100 per cent of their inventory.
He said: “Our stock that we held entering the show has already sold in five days – a total of five sales on site and 15 bookings made, which is great. Every Dubai International Boat Show it happens for us. Overall, the show has been great and visitors have been very receptive and loved our product. We will be 100 per cent be back next year.”
Douglas Culverwell, Middle and Far East Regional Manager at Sunseeker International, said this year’s Dubai International Boat Show was a great success for the company.
“It has been a very successful Dubai International Boat Show for Sunseeker. We were especially delighted to make three show debuts, the eagerly anticipated 95 Yacht, Manhattan 66, and 68 Sport Yacht all of which were presented by Sunseeker Middle East, owned by the Illyas and Mustafa Galadari Group.”
Theo Hooning, General Secretary of SYBAss (Superyacht Builders Association) said, “DIBS 2018 was a major accomplishment for the DWTC – DIBS organisation and is deserving of our compliments. Despite the short time-frame and undeveloped location, the organisers’ efforts paid off. Superyacht Avenue, where our member superyacht builders exhibited, was rightfully located at the heart of the show and our members were pleased with both the quantity and quality of visitors.”
The 26th annual Dubai International Boat Show also provided visitors with a large variety of entertainment including a family fun day at the show’s beach area which included food trucks, live bands and DJs provided by Red Bull. The weekend saw performances by famed Arabic singers and thrilling slack line displays by World Champion Red Bull Pro Athlete Alex Mason.
Commenting on his performances, Alex Mason said, “It was great to be in Dubai to perform for visitors at the Dubai International Boat Show. The crowd was really interested to see what slack lining was all about and had an amazing energy.”
Adults were able to enjoy the Nikki Beach Lounge and have a dose of culture in the Marine Art Gallery and see first-hand some stunning Emirati art work.
Visitors to Dubai International Boat Show were delighted with the new venue. While visiting the event over the weekend, visitor Abdullah Al Hosani from Abu Dhabi said, “The show has improved a lot over previous years, I can see a lot of new exhibitors and many new products. I visited this year to check diving equipment and yacht accessories. I am also scouting for a medium size yacht, I and have seen quite few boats that are very nice, but I have my eyes on a specific one which toured this afternoon.”
Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions and Events Management of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), said: “This year’s Dubai International Boat Show was one of the best yet.
“The fun came in all shapes and sizes from superyachts, sailing and speedboat experiences, to high-flying stunts and family entertainment at the Dubai Canal in the heart of Jumeirah.
“The Dubai International Boat Show once again proved itself to be the ideal platform for some of the biggest companies to showcase their products and interact with clients.
“The higher number of visitors this year and the positive interest shown by clients shows just how important the show is to region’s marine industry.”
