Over 300 boats and 270 exhibitors will be the protagonists of the fifth edition of the Venice Boat Show, scheduled from May 29th to June 2nd at the city’s historic arsenal.
The show, organized by Vela SpA in cooperation with the City of Venice and the Italian Navy, offers a unique opportunity to promote the Italian and international yachting industry. With thirty new shipyards and fifteen world premieres, the Venice Boat Show demonstrates its significance as one of the most prominent exhibitions in the European arena. It distinguishes itself by its focus on the Eastern European market, serving as a stable reference point within this market. Through this event, Venice reaffirms its status as the “world sustainability capital,” particularly noteworthy in the year commemorating the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death, who was the first traveller to explore the “Eastern” market by sea.
The event will feature two hundred and forty boats exhibited on the water within a 50,000 square meter basin, stretching approximately 2.8 km in length. These boats will be distributed across more than 1,100 meters of docks, facilitated by a significant infrastructural effort within the Arsenal complex. Additionally, the Show will encompass 30,000 square meters of external exhibition areas and factory buildings dating back to the 1500s.
“This year’s Show coincides with the celebrations marking the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death, reminding us of his accomplishments and highlighting Venice’s inclusive and visionary nature,” stated the mayor of Venice. “The Venice Boat Show is not merely a trade fair; it’s an opportunity for knowledge exchange, networking, and a focus on sustainability. We delve into discussions about the sea and its conservation, the importance of water as the source of life, and the preservation of nature. Moreover, the Show serves as a grand celebration of rowing and traditional sailing, paying homage to our heritage and reminding us that each of us possesses a spirit akin to Marco Polo’s. I extend my gratitude to the exhibitors who have continued their support since the last edition and to the new participants who have chosen to invest in a city whose fortunes are intertwined with the sea. I encourage you to journey to Venice by boat, benefiting from the discounts reserved for exhibitors, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in a genuine vacation experience and partake in the diverse cultural events the city has to offer.”
The total number of exhibitors in the 2024 edition is around 270, among which 216 are Italian (80% of the total), and among these there are major Italian players (Ferretti Group, Azimut Benetti, Sanlorenzo, Solaris Yachts, Rizzardi, Pardo, Sessa, Tornado, Absolute, FIM e Wider), as well as 50 Venetian shipyards and exhibitors, including numerous excellences of the traditional shipbuilding craftsmanship of the Venice lagoon. The International exhibitors are 54 (20% of the total) and mainly come from the UK, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The English shipyard Sunseeker, celebrating 55 years after the founding, comes back to the Show bringing Ocean 182 and Manhattan 55.
Three large groups assuring many world records to the Made in Italy present a few world premieres, thus confirming a crucial role to the Show, both due to its reference market and to the period, which anticipates summer and reawakens the desire for yachting. Ferretti Group presents the newest Navetta 38, branded Custom Line, which will also be the flagship amongst motor boats, as well as Infinito 90, which presents a new way of experiencing boating. Azimut Benetti will moor its newest Seadeck 6 under the Tower of Porta Nuova, a boat that carries the work of top designers on the research for materials and hybrid propulsion that makes it sustainable before, during and after its lifecycle. Sanlorenzo exhibits BlueGame and SD 96 under the art installation by Lorenzo Quinn in a basin that becomes and exclusive place. Solaris Yachts with its sailing yachts and motor yachts, Silent Yachts, Rizzardi Yacht, Cantiere Del Pardo, Tornado Yacht Absolute, FIM and Rio Yacht will be there too. Wider shipyard will premiere its newest 28 meter-long catamaran Wider Cat 92. The foreign Astondoa, Green Line, Prestige, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Saxdor, Axopard, Nimbus, De Antonio will attend the Show as well.
The sailing segment confirms to be growing, considering the presence of important Italian and international shipyards amongst both monohulls and catamarans. Sailing will be the absolute protagonist at dock P3, with 30 boats measuring 10-25 meters: Lagoon, Nautor Swan, Solaris, Grand Soleil, Elan, More, Arcona, Salona, Hallberg Rassy, Pegasus, Bavaria, Itacatamarans, Jeanneau, Beneteau, Pogo. Jeanneau, which will also bring its model 60, will lead the sailing contemporary production with its Yacht 65. Solaris will exhibit its higher-end models 40 and 50. Nautor Swan comes back to the Show with its model 58. Pogo 9,5 from France, a boat that succeeded for its handling, will attend the Show, as well as the 44 by Hallberg-Rassy shipyard and the newest models Bavaria 38-42-46.
A great expansion in the 4-16 meter-long dinghies segment has been recorded as well.
In addition to exhibiting the most innovative motorboats and sailing boats internationally, the Boat Show offers an environment extremely rich in stimuli and network, business and entertainment opportunities for customers and exhibitors right in the heart of Venice, both in and out of the Show, an environment where technology and design, environmental sustainability and culture are matched in a one-of-a-kind mix. Just a few steps next to the Show, the renowned 60th International Art Exhibition is also open, creating a good reason to extend your stay in Venice and combine boat design with contemporary art.
“We’d like to highlight the Venice Boat Show‘s focus on environmental sustainability by presenting the Seadeck 6, a yacht that can reduce emissions by 40% with average use over one year,” declared Giovanna Vitelli, president of Azimut Benetti Group. “Seadeck is the world’s first hybrid series, demonstrating that, by integrating the best available technology, it is possible to make a significant impact now, not only with individual models but also with large-scale productions. In Venice, we are committed to showing the public how tangible results can be achieved today. We will showcase this through videos and sculptures featuring the new ‘kind materials’ we use: carbon, cork, and recycled PET.”
Alberto Galassi, Ceo of Ferretti Group, highlights the fact that “Those who make luxury boats, that’s to say beauty on the water, cannot dream of a more suitable stage than Venice Boat Show, an event that, thanks to the efforts of the mayor Brugnaro and the municipal administration, grows in prestige and importance every year. In fact, we will present the new Custom Line Navetta 38, a beauty of design and naval art, at the splendid Arsenale, a place that’s been hosting beauty and boating for centuries. The first Riva El Iseo full electric will also be exhibited, launching the E-luxury segment, 100% sustainable!”.
“We are excited to take part into the Venice Show – Fabrizio Iarrera, Ceo of Silent Yachts states – Thanks to a visionary idea, we’ve been the first ones to introduce the use of solar energy for yachts propulsion, establishing a new benchmark for eco-friendly navigation. Today, that vision transformed itself in a solid ‘Made in Italy’ industrial reality, ready to deliver 18 new yachts in the next 18 months. After a first adjustment, Silent Yachts now has all resources to pursue a one-of-a-kind project.”
“I want to congratulate those who conceived and created this boat show – said Andrea Frabetti, CEO of Sunseeker – I travel to all the shows like many of you. I believe that the experience that the customer can have in Venice is of great importance. In the automotive sector, many fairs have disappeared because they were only oriented to the product. The beauty of the city surrounding our boats that can make this show the most important in the world”.
In 2023, during five days of Show, over 30 thousand visitors came from the entire Adriatic basin. Many visitors were from Eastern Europe, as well as thirty foreign States. The Show employs more than 2000 workers and over 500 people in the organization staff. In 2023, 448 credentialed reporters participated, as well as 33 foreign workers and reporters from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Holland, Poland, France, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Spain, Serbia and the UK, brought by ICE Agenzia, which confirmed its cooperation for this year as well.
“With its Boat Show, Venice is running for becoming a permanent center for yachting. What we saw in these years of constant quantitative and, most importantly, qualitative growth, is that we were able to send the message of business opportunity and internationality. We saw this both with Italian shipyards that follow us from the start and with foreign ones that arrived and understood our ability to look to the eastern market – Fabrizio D’Oria, organizational director of the Venice Boat Show, states – 98% of the exhibitors of 2023 reconfirmed their presence for the edition of 2024, to which many new prestigious national and international shipyards are participating.
The Venice Boat Show opens the boating season in the end of May, at the same time as the 60th International Art Exhibition. The attention put into offering exhibitors and their visitors an experience of absolute quality, including hospitality, catering, and quality of the event schedule, threw the Venice Boat Show to the top of the industry exhibitions.”
“The Venice Boat Show has always had a significant focus on electric and hybrid propulsion systems,” adds Alberto Bozzo, commercial director of the show. “In 2024, more than 50 green boats will be present. The major innovations come from segments adopting these propulsion systems, with increasingly larger hulls and greater ranges, and from the introduction of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems, which we will showcase extensively. We will also see the new frontiers of charging technologies on display, including the use of photovoltaic solar panels and ‘mother’ boats that recharge smaller vessels.”
The Boat Show will be inaugurated on Wednesday, May 29th at 11:00 AM and will host an important conference in the early afternoon titled “Leisure Boating in the Third Millennium: A Driver of Employment and Image”, featuring key players in the Italian boating industry.
“For this fifth edition, we have once again supported the city and the municipal administration in organizing this event, not only by providing personnel and resources but also by making available the onshore spaces and water areas of the naval base within the historic Arsenal,” recalled Rear Admiral Andrea Petroni of the Italian Navy in Venice and Commander of the Institute of Maritime Military Studies and the Venice Naval Garrison. “For the occasion, several of our ships will be present: the Tedeschi, Procida, and Pantelleria, moored inside the Arsenal, while the Sirio and Morosini will be moored respectively at Riva San Biagio and Riva Sette Martiri.”
The Venice Boat Show has been recognized by the Veneto Region as an international trade fair, marking it as one of the main Italian exhibitions dedicated to the world of boating and shipbuilding, with positive impacts on the Venetian tourism sector.
“We are once again lending our support to the Venice Boat Show, a pivotal initiative for the entire Italian boating sector,” stated Matteo Zoppas, President of ICE (Agency for the Promotion of Foreign Trade). “In 2023, the sector achieved €9.1 billion in export turnover, a slight decrease compared to 2022 but more than double compared to 2019. For the 2024 edition of the Boat Show, ICE is bringing 40 operators, representing a 30% increase compared to last year, identified through the contribution of our offices abroad based on their authority, representativeness, and ability to create business opportunities for Italian exhibitors. In Venice, some of the most significant global brands in the boating world will be present, which have established Made in Italy as a benchmark in major markets. We aim to especially assist small and medium-sized enterprises, which, like major names in the past, are growing and establishing new shipyards. Through promotional activities, we seek to ensure that potential customers confirm the quality and distinctiveness of our products, both in small and large boats. Venice is universally recognized as synonymous with high quality and great value.”
“The Boat Show reconciles Venice with its history, that of a great maritime and mercantile power,” added Massimo Zanon, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Venice Rovigo. “Certainly, times change, but the allure of history, beauty, and art is unparalleled in the world, giving us confidence in a future of even greater growth by linking unmatched tradition with ever-new demands in terms of sustainability and the environment. The Chamber of Commerce strongly believes in the importance of this initiative, considering the utility it reverberates across a sphere that extends far beyond our territory.”
The growth of the electric segment is confirmed with over 50 electric boats exhibited, to which an entire dock (P2 north) is dedicated: here, the new electric, hybrid, and hydrogen propulsion systems will be showcased, many of which are protagonists of the E-Regatta schedule. Additionally, new hulls ranging from traditional to foil will be presented.
A trend that addresses the demand for boats that are increasingly advanced both in terms of their reduced environmental impact, achieved through the use of eco-friendly materials, and in terms of enhanced comfort. Among the innovations is the 850 Fantom Air, an innovative electric boat where the Frauscher shipyard’s innovative design meets the artistic flair of Porsche’s e-drive technology.
Riva, a part of the Ferretti Group, unveils the El-Iseo, the first fully electric motorboat by Riva. Continuing the theme of sustainable navigation, the Silent shipyard presents its Silent 62, a fully electric vessel, while the De Antonio shipyard introduces the new E23, a 100% electric catamaran. Additionally, Marian Boat showcases the new 800R.
A major highlight of the 2024 edition will be the Wood Village: an area dedicated internally to motorized wooden boats crafted by Venetian shipyards using ancient techniques and tools from traditional woodworking craftsmanship. The aim is to showcase the excellence of the region. In total, 20 boats of various sizes will be featured, crafted by renowned shipyards such as Giovanni Da Ponte, Falegnameria Artigiana Pesce, Andrea Zane, Serenella, Crosera, Associazione Culturale Barche in Legno Dalla Pietà, and Venmar.
The Medium Dry Dock area will focus on water sports, with particular emphasis on electric SUPs, surfboards, and foils, including water trials. All of these activities will be rechargeable thanks to floating photovoltaic panels installed in the basin.
Another notable addition is the presence of Range Rover with a dedicated driving test circuit (test drive area).
In addition, the Venice Boat Show will serve as a platform for various scientific events such as conferences, presentations, workshops, and educational activities tailored for children and families, as well as water trials. Over 50 cultural and educational events are on the agenda, including conferences and talk shows, with most addressing themes of sustainability, marine health, and advancements in electric and hybrid propulsion systems.
A notable fixture is the 2024 edition of the International Competition for the Selection of Boat Studies and Projects – Sustainable Navigation, organized by the Fondazione Musei Civici. This competition, primarily focused on projects related to “Selection of studies and projects of boats – Sustainable navigation,” is an academic challenge open to students from the La Spezia-Promostudi University Campus, the University of Trieste, and the Polytechnic University of Milan. From each institution, the five most promising and innovative projects will be selected, with an emphasis on high energy efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
