SIBEX – China (Shenzhen) International Boat Show 2009
by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 16 Nov 2009
SIBEX Shenzhen (China) International Boat Show, Dameisha 2009 Guy Nowell
http://www.guynowell.com
The name is confusing, since CIBS is better known as the China (Shanghai) International Boat Show – so why is it SIBEX? Or why isn’t it the Shenzhen International Boat Exhibition? Ours not to reason why…
Last weekend was the 3rd edition of SIBEX, this time with Grand Pavois Organisation (GPO – organisers of the Grand Pavois boat show in La Rochelle, France) along as 'strategic partners'. The declared aim is to make SIBEX the 'reference boat show for China and the region'. That means they are competing with CIBS Shanghai, Boat Asia (Singapore), Phuket (PIMEX) and two shows in Hong Kong – the Gold Coast and Marina Cove. Numbers haven’t been released yet, but a look down the pontoons on Thursday and Friday suggest that there is some catching up to do.
GPO released an impressive list of brand names represented at this event, many of them French as one might expect. Many of the principal Hong Kong dealers were present – Simpson Marine, Sunseeker, Jebsens, Speedo Marine to name but a few. Sunseeker closed two sales over the weekend, to add to the rapidly-growing fleet of blue powerboats at Dameisha.
A representative of GPO admitted that it was going to be hard to 'grow' the land-based side of the show, given the geography of Shenzhen (Dameisha) Marina, but was enthusiastic about the possibility of increased numbers of in-water exhibits.
Down on the docks the biggest vessel present was an 85’ Monte Fino, gutted out as a floating entertainment venue, and probably not aimed at the upper end of the superyacht market.
Smallest had to be the little roto-moulded trimarans from RTM that were just itching to be sailed (but we didn’t have time…). 'Fastest-standing-still' title went to the all-carbon cat from Techni-carbone, and we awarded the prize for 'going sailing without getting wet - IF YOU KNOW HOW' to the saucy little Mach 2 foiling Moth.
But in spite of a good number of boats, absolutely the most attention-grabbing attraction of all was the bevy of bikini-clad bathing beauties strutting their stuff in the autumn sunshine.
We’ll bring you a more substantive report on the business side of SIBEX just as soon as we can round up some figures, but meanwhile, here are the pictures:
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