BIOGRAD N/M – The 22nd Biograd Boat Show, organized and hosted by Ilirija d.d., opened its doors under sunny skies with over 250 registered exhibitors and only slightly fewer vessels that 2019’s record show despite the challenging environment. Held at Ilirija’s Four Anchor, Marina Kornati, Croatia’s third largest, it spans both the north and west marines joined together with a pontoon bridge, and displays vessels ranging from 2- 20 m. 

The show was the third and last major boat to be held in Europe in the Second half of 2020, and showed remarkable resilience from both exhibitors and visitors, maintaining its status as Central Europe’s largest in-water show, and showcases the importance and strength of the Croatian nautical sector.

The strategy of extending the show over 5 days worked very well, as the new Wednesday opening day was well attended, while Thursday was the most attended Thursday in the show’s History. Through close cooperation with the Zadar County Civil Headquarters and the Public Health Department, Ilirija met all of the public safety criteria for a safe show, and added additional measures such as free masks for all participants, as well as making Covid 19 testing available to visitors. The lifting of German, Austrian, and Slovenian travel restrictions to Zadar County had a strong impact on increasing international visitors beyond expectations.

The Biograd "B2B", business networking event proved its importance during this challenging year, incorporating video chat meetings for digital visitors. The 4th Croatian Chamber of Commerce Nautical Days congress program was well attended with important meetings augmented by Zoom participants on video chat. The Croatia Charter Expo, located in Hall D at marina Kornati West, and on pier 14 received the most compliments, as its participants expectations were exceeded on all fronts. The pier 14 location for charter fleet providers that exhibited on vessels was extremely well received. 

The Biograd Boat Show’s legendary entertainment program was essentially sacrificed for the sake of public health, so visitors had to deal with a regular boat show for this year, but be sure this will be made up in the future.

We thank all that participated and supported this event which breathed a fresh wind of optimism for the Croatia Nautical industry.

As a Gold Member of the International Federation of Boat Show organizers, Ilirija d.d. has taken the most professional health and safety measures, and would like to thank all visitors in advance for understanding and adhering to all epidemiological measures, which will be clearly provided at the show entrances.
Ilirija d.d.