Emirates Boat Show success

by Jeni Bone on 17 Dec 2008 Positioning Abu Dhabi as an emerging leisure marine power house, the inaugural Emirates Boat Show International (EBSI), organized by Knotika Holding, has been hailed a tremendous success.

Held November 25-29, the event welcomed over 13,000 visitors with more than 100 local, regional and international companies exhibiting.

Boating enthusiasts, buyers, consultants and governmental bodies flocked to the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) to view more than 200 boats and a wide range of leisure marine products. Over $15 million in boat sales was reported at the show, well-timed with the start of boating season in the Gulf.

'It was a satisfactory show with a good variety of yachts and boats,' said Captain Alessio Tumbiolo, chairman of ART Marine. 'The attendance and quality of people was great and despite the bad economy there have been lots of consistent inquiries.

'The results of the first EBSI were phenomenal. Many of this year's exhibitors have already requested to book their stand for next year's show, most requesting even more space,' said Wael Juju, president of Knotika Holding. 'We look forward to establishing Abu Dhabi as the epicenter of the leisure marine industry in the Middle East.

'We would like to thank H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, H.H. Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon and H.H. Sheikh Rashed Al Muaala for their continued support of this event.'

Offering a strong boating culture, Abu Dhabi boasts the highest per capita GDP in the world, averaging $71,000. The world's richest city also has more than $137 billion worth of development projects underway in the next five years.

Knotika Holding is a dynamic group of interconnected business interests focusing on servicing and developing the leisure marine industry. The company also organizes prominent boat shows in Kuwait, March 24-28, and Bahrain, April 14-18. Knotika Holding also owns marinas, a marine mall and seaschool in Dubai, as well as a TV channel and publications.

More info at www.knotika.com or Farrokh Golchin email: farrokh@knotika.com