Virtual Nautic will take place
Announced in mid-November 2020, according to its organizer, the Fédération des Industries Nautiques, the Virtual Nautic show aims to make up for the lack of physical boat shows in 2020 and for the beginning of 2021. The holding of the 100% digital event on March 12 and 13, 2021, already presented in these columns The first confirmation was expected in mid-December, if the target of 200 exhibitors was reached. The organisers finally gave themselves more time and reviewed their requirements, but at the beginning of 2021 they decided to maintain the first edition. "Virtual Nautic" will indeed take place on March 12 and 13. We now have around a hundred files, with sufficient content to achieve the necessary critical mass. To do this, we have concentrated initially on the major brands" explains Alain Pichavant, General Manager of the Nautic Festival. The logos of around fifty brands are now highlighted on the site.
Accelerate the preparation of the virtual boat show
The organizers will now accelerate operations and mobilize more teams. "We'll probably mobilize commercial resources that were only partially active. The details will be fine-tuned in January, with the training schedule and the upcoming launch of visitor communication. We're going to work on the distribution of the halls," explains Alain Pichavant.
The organizers have also reviewed certain points since the initial announcement. "Opening until 9pm on Friday will make it easier to reach the Caribbean or the United States despite the time difference. We have good hopes abroad, as the platform is multilingual. The target of 30,000 visitors is reasonable, this represents 10% of the visitors to physical exhibitions in France. Faced with the exhibitors' uncertainty as to the reactions of visitors, we also made access to the show free of charge," Alain Pichavant points out.
Calendar difficult to articulate with the seasonality of the yachting industry
Although the Boot's postponement to April 2021 remains hypothetical in view of the changing health situation in Germany, its competition does not worry the director of Nautic Festival. The seasonality of the nautical industry has a greater impact on the organisation. "Le Boot and Virtual Nauric are two different levels of investment. A fully-bodied stand at Virtual Nautic costs 10,000 euros, whereas this only pays for staff travel expenses to a 9-day physical boat show like the Boot. Nevertheless, it is important for us that the Düsseldorf boat show is held. The problem that we may encounter is more the seasonality of yachting. In March, dealers and OEMs are busy enough to finish the winter work. They also deliver to the shops. The sales force is mobilised elsewhere and freeing it up even for 2 days can be complicated" admits Alain Pichavant in conclusion.
