A total of more than 200,000 people travelled to boot Düsseldorf 2025 from 113 countries with organisers saying the show provided an optimistic look to the coming season.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, France, Turkey and Switzerland led the statistics in terms of visitor countries.
The number from further afield such as North America and Asia has continued to increase, with visitors coming primarily from the USA and China.
The show saw 1,500 exhibitors from 67 countries in 16 exhibition halls, with the majority from Italy, the Netherlands and France.
“boot is an excellent mix of a high-calibre trade fair for all water sports sectors with contacts all over the world and exciting leisure activities for visitors from the region,” said Messe Düsseldorf’s COO Marius Berlemann.
“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.”
The atmosphere at this year’s boot was sensational.
Robert Marx
Robert Marx, president of boot Düsseldorf and the German Marine Federation (BVWW), added: “The atmosphere at this year’s boot was sensational. It is very interesting and energising for the market that smaller boats in particular were in high demand and we were able to welcome many new, very international prospective buyers.”
Sustainability was also high on the agenda with boot’s ‘blue innovation dock’ which provided the venue for talks on developments in the boat segments 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. This requires innovations, customer proximity and support from policymakers,” said explained Philip Easthill, spokesman of the European Boating Industry (EBI), which jointly organises the blue innovation dock with boot Düsseldorf.
“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 director Petros Michelidakis, concluded: “We have again proven this year that boot is the driving force and barometer for the industry. While expectations before the trade fair were still reserved, an optimistic look to the coming water sports season is now asserting itself across the board.
“The majority of exhibitors report great buying interest and many concrete business deals concluded for both boats and technical accessories.”
The next boot Düsseldorf will take place from 17 to 25 January 2026.
