25th Biograd Boat Show

Marina Kornati, Biograd na Moru, Croatia. In organisation: Ilirija d.d., Biograd na Moru. Date: 25-29/10/2023

Organized by: Ilirija d.d. Biograd, a leader in hotels, camping and nautical tourism

In Marina Kornati opened 25th Biograd Boat show

BIOGRAD NA MORU - In Marina Kornati, organized and hosted by Ilirija d.d., the jubilee 25th Biograd Boat Show opened, the largest nautical fair in Central Europe and the largest nautical fair in Croatia, and at the same time a proud gold member of the IFBSO, which brings together 36 prominent world nautical fairs.

The company Ilirija d.d., organizer and host of the fair, has a rich 66-year history and a deep-rooted passion for nautical that has lasted for over 46 years. Ilirija d.d. is a pioneer in the development of nautical tourism in Croatia, which 46 years ago built the first targeted and dedicated port for nautical tourism in Croatia, and with that created the first own charter fleet of 40 Elan boats. This also elevated Biograd to the cradle of nautical tourism in the country, and even today, thanks to the dedication and development of Ilirija, it is the third most visited nautical port on the Croatian Adriatic.

The Biograd Boat Show, which has been organized by Ilirija d.d. for over two and a half decades, carries more than the title of nautical fair. It is a meeting place for eminent manufacturers and traders, boating enthusiasts and professional organizations, with an exhibition of vessels at sea and exhibitors' stands on the piers in the area of the third largest marina in Croatia.

At the 25th Biograd Boat Show, all records were broken with the participation of over 400 exhibitors, the display of around 400 vessels up to 24 meters in length and the presentation of more than 40 premiere vessels.

Biograd Boat Show in the presence of the president of the board of Ilirija d.d. Goran Raznjević, organizer and host of the fair, was officially opened by Mr. Josip Bilaver, State Secretary of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, with welcoming speeches by Mr. Tonči Glavina, State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and Mr. Dragan Kovačević, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy for Tourism and Agriculture, Mr. Božidar Longin, prefect of Zadar County and Mr. Milan Šangulin, director of the Biograd Boat Show. The opening ceremony was attended on behalf of the City of Biograd na Moru by Mrs. Ivana Stamičar, President of the City Council of Biograd na Moru, on behalf of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Mr. Saša Popovac, Head of the Market Research and Analytics Department, and Mr. Richard Rodgers, Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Croatia.

This year, the Biograd Boat Show is also under the banner of “4-in-1 fair” – it has exhibition, congress, charter and B2B components: the Biograd Boat Show – exhibition fair, the 7th annual Croatian Nautical Days – congress fair, the 5th annual Croatian Charter Expo – charter fair, and the Biograd B2B business fair.

At the exhibition part of the fair, over 400 exhibitors from the country and the world are presenting themselves. Boat lovers can enjoy more than 40 premieres of vessels exhibited by 30 companies. Among the most notable premieres is the Aquitalia 78, a 24-meter yacht that recently made its world debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival and won the World Yacht Trophy in the “Revelation of the Year” category. The Italian Frattin Group will present its 18-meter yacht EVO R+, and the peak of luxury and elegance to the visitors of the 25th Biograd Boat Show will be confirmed by the Prestige X60 motor yacht presented by Euromarine. The offer of luxury catamarans is rounded off by the Aura 51, presented to the Croatian public for the first time by Ultra Sailing, and the Lagoon 51, directed by Nautika Centar Nava. Also worth mentioning is the premiere of the Pelagos 33 vessel, which arrived from the Croatian shipyard, with which the Croatian company Boat Lab realized its aspiration to offer the market a product that does not exist in 10 meters through complete sovereignty at sea.

Ecological and innovative products will be presented at the Biograd nautical fair by Josip and Monika Šincek, who developed an internationally awarded technology that turns non-recyclable plastic into construction materials for innovative products such as their floating pontoons. IZOXECO technology has won 12 international innovation awards including the largest innovation fair iENA in Nuremberg where they won the Leonardo de Vinci Innovation Award, which is awarded every 12 years, and is the first in the environmental protection category!

In the congress part of the fair, the Croatian Chamber of Economy organizes the 7th HGK Croatian Nautical Days, through the congress program from October 25 to 27, and already on the first day a panel discussion was organized with the topic: CCE The perspective of nautical tourism in Croatia Legislation, promotion, quality and sustainability, with distinguished participants. In the continuation of the 7th HGK Croatian Nautical Day, sessions will be held for all nautical associations of the HGK, i.e. all representatives of the real sector of the nautical industry and tourism: associations of marinas, small shipbuilding and service providers on charter vessels.

In parallel with the nautical fair, the Biograd B2B nautical business platform enables business visitors to register in the Biograd B2B business directory and schedule meetings with companies of interest in advance and attend networking events.

It is known that Croatia has by far the largest charter fleet in the world with more than 4,500 yachts, and the central gathering place of the charter industry is the Croatia Charter Expo, a B2B event that takes place from October 25 to 26 during the Biograd Boat Show. For boaters interested in well-maintained pre-owned sailboats, information will be available on hundreds of older model sailboats that are lease-free. It is also the best time for a good job.

As every year, changes were made in the layout of the fair, and more than 50 new vessels were added at sea and more than 30 on land, which increased the total number to about 400 vessels up to 24 meters. The 5th hall E in the northern marina has been added, as well as floating exhibition stands on the pontoon bridge connecting the Kornati marina north with the Kornati marina west.

The legendary entertainment program has also been improved. There will be seven live performances and numerous evening events on site. On Friday evening, Giuliano & Diktatori will perform in Hall B, followed by the "Saxy" afterparty, while Saturday's program begins in front of Hall B with spectacular Orion fireworks, followed by a concert by TBF (The Beat Fleet) and a special afterparty.

The knowledge, experience and entire infrastructure of Ilirija d.d., the organizer and host of the fair, with the support of national and county structures and the City of Biograd na Moru, as well as partnership cooperation with the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Croatian National Tourist Board, enabled the Biograd Boat Show to grow into an exceptional event of importance for the nautical industry and nautical tourism, as the most competitive and highest quality type of Croatian tourist offer.

Contact

Damir Maričić
PR relations Biograd Boat Show
e-mail: damirm@ilirijabiograd.com
Tel: +385 (0) 23 386 147