With less than seven weeks to go, the 17th edition of Dubai International Boat Show (DIBS) has registered an overall growth of 15%. If attendance by the buying public matches the optimism of the organisers and the exhibitors, it will be a welcome sign that the marine leisure industry may sustain less damage as a result of the current economic downturn than many other industries.
Open from 3-7 March 2009 at Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) – Mina Seyahi, DIBS is consolidating its position as one of the world’s major marine leisure shows, offering the emerging Middle East market as a potential saviour for the industry over the next few years, and a significant growth opportunity for the future.
Up to 400 boats will be on display at this year’s event from every part of the industry, from boatbuilders and designers through to marine equipment suppliers and service providers. Following the trend seen at this year’s London Boat Show, superyacht designers, builders and equipment suppliers will occupy a significant proportion of the exhibition space – this will be the first DIBS to have a special pavilion dedicated to the superyacht industry.
All this activity at the top end is not necessarily a sign that the very rich (even those whose wealth is derived from oil or oil-related activities) are unaffected by the world’s recessions. The boats featured in today’s shows come from orders placed nearly two years ago. What the very rich are doing today will show up in a couple of years’ time. Some pundits believe that by then the world’s economies will be expanding again, and pent-up demand will lead to a flood of new business. Maybe. But the suppliers will have to survive the lean period – are they all sufficiently solid to do so?
