The nonsense of this year’s Boot Düsseldorf.
It’s no secret that the pandemic is making things difficult for boat shows all over the world, especially those held indoors and in winter. However, it’s a long way from being so stubborn as to want to do what reasonableness would absolutely advise against.
And so, while Germany is reporting the sad news of the record number of deaths, more than 500 a day, in a country where between 50 and 70 thousand new cases are recorded every day, Boot Düsseldorf, heedless of the rampant situation, sends out a splendid press release confirming that the boat show will definitely be held!
But this is not enough, because the same press release states that the reason for the certainty is due to a careful health protocol, the “PROTaction”, which ensures that masks will be worn and that only vaccinated or cured visitors will be allowed to enter the event, in other words what any normal person does when going shopping…
The climax of the nonsense, 
however, can be read in the statement by the event’s CEO Wolfram Diener who, and I quote literally, states “We have a responsibility towards our exhibitors”, which would be the same many companies that, in these days, are sending us press releases in which, out of a sense of responsibility towards their employees and customers, they announce the cancellation of their participation.
The context in which this is happening is also very interesting.
On the one hand, we have the boat show company, which, as usual, already has most (if not all) of the exhibitors’ participation fees in its treasury, and on the other hand, the exhibitors who are cancelling in the knowledge that they are losing their money.
Another important fact to bear in mind is that the Düsseldorf boat show is a indoor show that, moreover, is located in the heart of Germany. A lot of time and money is needed to get yachts here, so knowing in advance whether or not the event will be held is vital for exhibitors who, if it is cancelled late, will find themselves with a fleet of boats that is “out of water”.
In short, a real detective story that, in my humble opinion, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH would have a duty to unravel as soon as possible, hopefully drawing on the sense of civic responsibility that we should all have in this situation.
A sense of responsibility that Giovanni Pomati, CEO of Nautor Group, clearly demonstrates when he explains the cancellation of Swan‘s participation in Boot Düsseldorf with these words: “This wasn’t a light-hearted decision but the safety of our employees, visitors and clients is our priority and we are not prepared to jeopardize their well-being.“
On the other hand, it is hard to understand how 250,000 people arriving from all over the world in one of the most affected countries in Europe can travel, stay in Düsseldorf, interact for days, and then return to their home countries without any consequences.
Consequences that, in a chain, involve families and companies throughout Europe and trigger a further spread of the virus that nobody really needs.
Consequences that the Boot Düsseldorf should, in our opinion, seriously reflect upon.
