News

 CLOSING PRESS CONFERENCE OF THE 60th GENOA INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

6 October 2020

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71.168 VISITORS OVER THE COURSE OF GENOA’S WORLD-CLASS BOAT SHOW

SAVERIO CECCHI, PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN MARINE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION: COMPANIES NEEDED THE GENOA BOAT SHOW TO HAPPEN, ALONG WITH REGULATIONS THAT CAN HELP SAFEGUARD OUR INDUSTRY’S COMPETITIVENESS. DISAPPOINTED BY THE SENATE PRESIDENT’S DECISION

MARINA STELLA, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE ITALIAN MARINE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION: WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE CENTRE STAGE TO BOTH SAFETY AND INDUSTRY, BECAUSE OUR INDUSTRY WILL BE WHAT GETS ITALY BACK ON ITS FEET

ALESSANDRO CAMPAGNA, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF “I SALONI NAUTICI“: THE 60th GENOA BOAT SHOW MARKS THE BIRTH OF A BRAND NEW PARADIGM: ONE AIMED AT A SPECIALISED QUALITY AUDIENCE

LUIGI ATTANASIO, PRESIDENT OF THE GENOA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: AN UNFORGETTABLE 60th EDITION, PROOF OF OUR CITY’S TREMENDOUS DETERMINATION

MARCO BUCCI, MAYOR OF GENOA: GENOA MUST BECOME EUROPE’S NUMBER ONE BOAT SHOW, WE HAVE AMBITIOUS PROJECTS IN MIND

GIOVANNI TOTI, PRESIDENT OF THE LIGURIA REGION: THIS YEAR’S HAS BEEN A SHOW OF COURAGE AND RESOURCEFULNESS, SEALING A CLOSE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN LOCAL INSTITUTIONS AND INDUSTRY.

Today at 1.00pm saw the traditional Closing Press Conference for the 60th Genoa International Boat Show, the global event organised by the Italian Marine Industry Association and by the company “I Saloni Nautici” which took place from 1st to 6th October, an edition that has become a shining example across the globe of Italian courage, quality and know-how and a kickstart to the country’s economy, which has focused the world’s attention onto the Show and the City of Genoa.

Final statements.

Saverio Cecchi, President of the Italian Marine Industry Association: “I would like to thank all the exhibitors and all of the over 71,000 visitors who came to the Genoa International Boat Show. These figures are a testament to the miracle that was performed in organising this 60th edition, allowing our businesses to carry on working as if nothing had happened. Before the end of October we will present the local authorities with a project connected to the Waterfront which will redesign the event in view of the next ten years.

Companies need this tool at their disposal, they also need infrastructural interventions, air and road connections above all, and important regulatory measures.  

As for the latter, it is with a great sense of disappointment that I must mention how the package approved by the Budget Commission in August’s Legislative Decree, as inserted into the Government’s recent amendment and in turn approved by the State General Accounting Department, was shot down by President Casellati following the political turmoil of the past few days.

Even after such difficult months, political opposition still prevails over reality, over concrete action aimed at cancelling out the gap between Italian and French regulations that currently forces our companies to move their offices to over the Alps or to Malta, taking with them the taxes they would be paying to Italy and annihilating companies and local institutions’ ability to demonstrate their now world-renowned resilience”.

Marina Stella, Managing Director of the Italian Marine Industry Association: “Today marks the end of a Boat Show that cannot be compared to any previous edition. A Boat Show that was able to give centre stage to both safety and industry, because our industry will be what gets Italy back on its feet by creating value and jobs. We reinvented what it means to organise an event, focused on being effective and on the quality of our exhibitor’s contracts, all while reminaing in full compliance with the World Health Organisation’s strictest guidelines and those of the National Technical Scientific Committee.

 

The 60th Genoa International Boat Show was able to count on the support of local authorities, the Italian Trade Agency, which allowed for 22 international journalists from 20 countries to take part in the event by creating specific “green routes” for travel, of Simest, which gave companies access to even non-repayable funding to take part in international events.

 

The Genoa Boat Show’s six days saw 73 events including seminars, conferences, technical workshops, panels and presentations. We also saw 18 world debuts including “Mambo”, the world’s first ever boat to be created using 3D printing technology.

 

Special thanks go to our law enforcement forces, to the Police, the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza, the Italian Navy, Port Authorities, Civil Defence bodies and Local Health Boards, who supported us in implementing the health and safety protocols and made sure our visitors and exhibitors felt safe both indoors and outside.”

 

On the communications side, we had 820 registered journalists, 1,300 articles published since 17th September, 6 hours of TV reports and over an hour of radio reports dedicated to the Genoa Boat Show. Record numbers for the Boat Show TV services as well, which at https://sntv.salonenautico.com/ and on the Sole24Ore website http://bit.ly/60°_SaloneNautico_sole_24_ore provided live streams every day along with interviews, reports on conferences, products and the latest news from the yachting world, with a total of 40 hours of streaming.

Alessandro Campagna, Managing Director of I Saloni Nautici: “The 60th Genoa International Boat Show welcomed 71,168 visitors and 824 brands on display across a total surface area of over 200,000 square metres both on land and on water, of which 90% is outdoors, something that, compared to other international events around the world, only the Genoa International Boat Show can offer, a unique quality allowing for a Show that effectively combined safety and efficiency.”

“This has been a unique edition – added Alessandro Campagna the expression of a brand new paradigm, characterised by a strong presence of a more specialised, quality audience, more business-oriented. We gave centre stage to the quality of the product, with the aim of allowing businesses to reach their target market. The Genoa Boat Show’s inauguration was a key moment in celebrating the 60th edition, the culmination of months of hard work. There is a lot to be proud of, these past 6 days have been important and effective, both for exhibitors and for visitors. The entire event has been a positive and emotional experience, an exceptional team effort.

President of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, Luigi Attanasio:This year’s edition will be hard to forget, in such a difficult year. It has shown the world our city’s determination. I would like to thank the Italian Marine Industry Association. I can recognise how much of an effort was needed to make it all happen. We Italians are leaders in this industry, thanks to the exclusive know-how of that drive our businesses. As Genovesi, we have demonstrated once again our absolute determination in achieving our goals, and the Parliament should suppoort the efforts of our businesses ”.

Mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci, stated: “This has been defined as the Boat Show of courage and we have managed just that, we have shown the world that Genoa is able to come together and face the odds. The Italian Marine Industry Association achieved something incredible this year, on a global scale. The public administrations also played an important role: this is why Genoa is such a great city, we are all in this together, we do not back down, we roll up our sleeves and work in synergy. Stormy seas always separate the true sailors from the rest. We have an ambitious project in mind for the Genoa International Boat Show: now the ten-year agreement is signed, we can work on the new docks, on the levante Waterfront and on 400,000 square metres of surface area to become the world’s leading Boat Show.

President of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti: “We have been using a series of words this year to describe the event: courage, resourcefulness, but above all resilience, the ability, that is, to adapt to hard times and to know how to transform such times into an opportunity. The fact that we were able to celebrate this 60th Boat Show, while others were cancelled, shows how courageous our companies, our administration and our audience truly are, choosing not to miss out on a chance to come out and see unique designs, and not give way to fear. Every day of the Boat Show saw its harbours filled to the maximum capacity allowed by anti-Covid regulations. This has been a magnificent opportunity to show the world how capable we are. For next year we will need to aim for different goals, seeing as how this Boat Show takes place in one of the most important areas in the country in terms of urban renewal, thanks to the Genoa Municipality’s ingenious town planning policies, which will transform this region into one of the most important hubs on the Mediterranean. It is no coincidence that this same location hosted the only International Boat Show on the Mediterranean brave enough to risk it all”.