boot 2025 hosts over 200,000 in Düsseldorf
![boot 2025 hosts over 200,000 in Düsseldorf](https://i0.wp.com/sarahhortman.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/boot-2025-hosts-over-200000-in-dusseldorf.jpg?fit=996%2C560&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/boatingindustry.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/boot2025-BI.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
The recent staging of boot 2025 in Düsseldorf, Germany, brought together the international water sports industry for nine days and confirmed its position in the international trade fair market. With 1,500 exhibitors from 67 countries in 16 exhibition halls, boot presented a comprehensive overview of the international water sports sector and inspired the visitors.
With a score of 94 percent, the ranges of powerboats and sailing yachts, surf and diving equipment and tourism and charter offerings were satisfactory. Over 63 percent of the companies and dealers at boot 2025 came from other European countries and overseas, particularly from the major manufacturing nations of Italy, the Netherlands and France.
More than 200,000 people from 113 countries traveled to Düsseldorf for boot 2025, a third of them from abroad. Leading visitor nations were the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, France, Turkey and Switzerland. The number of visitors from overseas regions such as North America and Asia increased, mainly from the U.S. and China.
“boot is an excellent mix of a high-caliber trade fair for all water sports sectors with contacts all over the world and exciting leisure activities for visitors from the region,” said Marius Berlemann, COO of Messe Düsseldorf. “During the nine days, we experienced a unique water sports festival, a first-class business event and a spectacular stage program with celebrities from the worlds of sailing, diving and surfing. However, boot is much more than that. It also flies the flag for marine conservation with the ‘Ocean Tribute’ Award and the ‘Love Your Ocean’ campaign.”
“The atmosphere at this year’s boot was sensational,” said Robert Marx, president of boot Düsseldorf and the German Marine Federation. “It is very interesting and energizing for the market that smaller boats in particular were in high demand and we were able to welcome many new, very international prospective buyers. Here in Düsseldorf, we have found just the right crowd to kick off the new season with the best contacts. This year’s trade fair exceeded all expectations.”
“We are once again very satisfied. boot is an important and high-quality leading trade fair,” sais Luca Falco of the Italian diving and swimming equipment supplier Cressi. “A special thank you goes to Messe Düsseldorf, which contributed significantly to the success with almost perfect organization. Here we can present our products and innovations directly to the end consumers. In addition to many contacts with customers from German-speaking countries, we also had an increasing number of international visitors from Europe and around the world. We are already looking forward to next year when we can celebrate the 80th anniversary of our family business at boot Düsseldorf.”
Sustainability and marine protection
boot not only scored points with the exhibitors’ ranges but also with its expert program ‘Blue Innovation Dock’. This sustainability forum provided up-to-date information on the state of developments in the boating industry as well as on the innovations in the segments of propulsion, fuels and materials.
“This year’s ‘Blue Innovation Dock’ has made the path towards sustainability public,” said Philip Easthill, spokesman of the European Boating Industry, which jointly organizes the blue innovation dock with boot Düsseldorf. “This requires innovations, customer proximity and support from policymakers. On the stage, important current topics were in focus: alternative propulsion, natural materials, investment incentives for manufacturers and infrastructure renovation at international marinas. The Forum really proved a hub for networking and new business relations.” boot is also working with the German Ocean Foundation to protect the oceans.
The ‘Love Your Ocean’ campaign, with 80 initiatives from business, science and society, is the world’s largest sustainability initiative in water sports, covering an area of almost 800 square meters. With the initiation of the ‘Ocean Tribute’ Award in 2017, the Monegasque Prince Albert II Foundation, the German Ocean Foundation and boot Düsseldorf have set a clear guideline: to support people, projects or initiatives in their commitment to marine conservation.
Surfing action
Full spectator stands and cheering visitors dominated Hall 17 this year. At six world-class contests, the international top stars showed their skills in wakeboarding, skimboarding, wing and pump foiling, SUP and freestyle tow-in, impressing with spectacular moves, breathtaking jumps and rapid speed.
The enthusiasm for surfing was also evident among the exhibitors in Hall 17. Dominic Hoskyns from Foil Drive Europe, commented, “We had a great week here. It was the perfect mix of entertainment and information. We had many conversations with visitors who wanted to find out more about e-foiling. We were able to present our products during the time in the pool. That was great.”
The next staging of boot is scheduled for January 17 – 25, 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Online registrations start in May. For further information on visiting or exhibiting at boot 2026, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America: Phone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com.
Source: https://boatingindustry.com/news/2025/01/28/boot-2025-hosts-over-200000-in-dusseldorf/