Welcome to 50 years of WOW!
From 19 to 27 January 2019, boot Düsseldorf will be celebrating its 50th anniversary: 50 years of magical moments and moving stories, 50 years of impressive boats and yachts, 50 years of trends from all areas of watersports and 50 years of enthusiastic visitors who love the aquatic life.
50 years of boot also means trendsetters, world champions, record holders, newcomers, old “hands”, and royal visits as well as glamorous galas.
Look back with us at the milestones of the boot and enjoy historical pictures and video material as well as the cult song “boot Düsseldorf Ahoy”.
Celebrate 50 years of boot Düsseldorf with us!
Milestones of boot Düsseldorf
1969 - The first boot Düsseldorf
The first boot Düsseldorf takes place from 27 November to 3 December at the old exhibition grounds on Fischerstrasse.
The team around exhibition manager Kurt Schoop, Horst Schlichting, Karlheinz Wismer and Alexander Basting are hoping for a successful fair.
No one can imagine that an unprecedented success story is beginning here. A total of 116 direct exhibitors, 7 of them from abroad, present themselves to almost 34,000 visitors in Hall B.
1972
The third boot Düsseldorf takes place for the first time on the new exhibition grounds between Stockumer Kirchstrasse and Beckbuschstrasse.
Great growth rates are achieved: From 22 to 30 January – the exhibition is held over a period of nine days for the first time – 85,751 visitors attend. The 50,000 square metres of exhibition space are occupied by 307 exhibitors (net rented stand space: 21,300 square metres).
The big attraction: the Regatta Pool. Sailing becomes an indoor sport, at least in Düsseldorf.
1974
The 1974 Olympic year is also a successful year for boot Düsseldorf.
1979
10 years of boot Düsseldorf The diving sector is further expanded; the diving tower
of Preussag (Hanover) is a big attraction.
1980
The boot welcomes its strongest employee: the 84-tonne “Big Willi” lifts yachts up to a total weight of 100 tonnes out of the Rhine.
1980
1983
The boot Düsseldorf gets its own song “Düsseldorf Ahoy”, which is premiered during Travemünde Week 83 on the four-masted barque “Passat” and pressed as a single for the upcoming exhibition.
1987
For the first time in the history of Messe Düsseldorf, there are 100,000 visitors at the exhibition on one day, namely on the 2nd Saturday of the boot.
1989
boot Düsseldorf celebrates 20 successful years, and diving pioneer Prof. Hans Hass celebrates his 70th birthday in Düsseldorf.
1994
An eventful year: the boot celebrates its 25th birthday and Monaco, “the little gem on the Cote d’Azur”, is the partner country and arranges a royal visit: Prince Rainier III and Hereditary Prince Albert visit various events of the anniversary boot Düsseldorf. As a gift for the exhibition, Prince Rainier presents an 18th century anchor, which adorns the tank between Halls 1 and 4 from then on.
1998
The largest yacht ever presented in an exhibition hall is the “Golden Eye” at 35.5 metres in Hall 13. “Big Willi” has to be expanded for her. Then it happens: A strap breaks, the yacht falls to the ground from a height of 60 centimetres, but an hour later it is possible to lift her again with new straps and transport her to the exhibition.
1999
Sweden is the partner country. King Carl XVI. Gustaf and Queen Silvia give the 30th boot special anniversary glamour.
2001
The Super Yacht Show in the new Hall 6, with pan-Arab participation by the Arab Marine Industries Association (AMIA), thrills spectators and the media. The large yachts get directly from the Rhine to Hall 6 via ramp and road.
2006
With a length of 41 metres, the “Catwalk” from KaiserWerft is the largest yacht ever exhibited in a hall (to this day).
RTL and WDR broadcast live; “Galileo” and various news channels report.
2009
40 years of boot Düsseldorf Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel takes up his duties as the boot’s new man at the helm.
“Mr Boot” Abdul-Rahman Adib retires at the end of November 2008 after 30 years of boot Düsseldorf.
2010
Experience 360° watersports becomes the new slogan of boot Düsseldorf. In 14 newly designed “theme worlds”, visitors can now experience this slogan and try out watersports at the various pools and stages.
2015
The boot.club, the large community of boot Düsseldorf opens. After the exhibition, 30,000 visitors are already boot.club members, benefiting from the many advantages.
2016
The experienced trade-fair man Petros Michelidakis takes over the helm from Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel, who becomes Secretary General of DSV in Hamburg.
2017
love your ocean – with this theme world, the boot Düsseldorf offers a platform for the protection of water as a habitat. The “ocean tribute” award is presented for contributions to water protection and clean technology in watersports:
a cooperation with the German Sea Foundation and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The prince comes to Düsseldorf and is a sought-after VIP guest.
Voices at the 50th anniversary celebration
Whether long-time project manager, exhibitor from the first hour or environmental activist: They all share a love of watersports and boot Düsseldorf. And thus some of those who have been with us for a very long time have their say at this point, offering congratulations to the world’s largest watersports fair on its 50th anniversary.
Abdul-Rahman Adib
Werner M. Dornscheidt und Robert Marx
Bill Barrows
Florian Brunner
Herbert Dahm
Magnus Rassy
Marc Baumann
Martin Schemkes
Norbert Pilarski
Petros Michelidakis
Robby Naish
Your #bootmemories from 50 years of boot Düsseldorf
50 years of boot Düsseldorf in pictures
It all began 40 years ago. When I was seven years old, my grandfather gave me a book by Hans Hass as a present: Fotojagd am Meeresgrund 📘 (Photo Hunt on the Bottom of the Sea). Many years later (I think it was 2009), I had the privilege of meeting this great man and his wife Lotte (among many others) in person at boot and requested his autograph. This still means a lot to me today, since I am also an underwater photographer 📷 – but still worlds away from his achievements.
Thomas L.
It was a dreary day in Luxembourg in January of 2014, (…) I was researching what interesting things we could do for the upcoming weekend. (…) I suggested we visit the boat show even though it was a bit of a drive for us. (...)
The show was brilliant! 😁 We were drawn into the boating world and after a few weeks of the boat show, we ended up buying a boat ourselves. Although we are living in Australia, we have moved our yearly holiday plans around to be able to make it to the boat show. It is a very important visit for us as we plan on moving back to Europe (…)
The boat show has ignited a passion for all things boats and we are super excited to be able to visit it again on it's 50th Anniversary. 😋
Susan S. from Luxembourg
I started diving in 1999. In 2000 I visited the boot for the first time and was blown away! 👍
I bought my first complete set of gear in Hall 3. (...) I still go to the boot every year, even though I use Hall 3 now more as a way to maintain contacts. In the meantime, I have become a dealer myself (...) As a trade fair or to see the latest innovations, the boot is still a high point every year. 😁
Ralf K.
In 1985 I visited the fair as an active member of the DRK Water Rescue Service. We had the opportunity to compete against combat swimmers in the “Maritime Pentathlon” 🏊♂️ during the Navy demonstration in the event pool. We of course had no chance, but it was a lot of fun and the boys from the Navy were really great guys 💪. The “outing” in front of what was then a large grandstand overlooking the event pool was also very exciting.
I have been an active sailor for 23 years now and continue to visit the boot on a regular basis.
Volker P.
Some years ago we learned to sail and met some friend who did a long journey on a catamaran. (…)
In January 2017 my husband planned a visit to look for the different models and see the new Bali at boot.(...)
We didn’t had the budget to buy a new boat, but we started to look for second hand boats after that day, and although we expected that stepping into this adventure would take some years, we bumped into the perfect second hand boat and that summer (2017) we already made a deal on a Helia 44. 😁
Visiting BOOT and the catamarans definitely changed our lives! 👍
Lin and Paul from Belgium
For me, every visit to the “boot” is a highlight 😁 . When I was in the youth group of a Düsseldorf sailing club ⛵ in the 60s, our 1st Chairman Horst Schlichting (one of the fathers of the “boot”) surprised us with his suggestion of an inland boat show, an idea that was initially smirked at. He always kept us well informed about the status of the development of the 1st exhibition, (...) and, thanks to free tickets, we experienced the first “boot” at the exhibition grounds on Fischerstrasse. Except for a few cases of illness, my wife and I haven’t missed a single “boot”, and we always look forward to the last week of January when the “boot” is on the calendar again 👍.
Wolfgang A.
My son Nils experienced diving for the first time at the 2014 boot. 😋
Bernhard K.
My favourite boot memory is also one of my earliest memories. I was a little over 2 years old when I was at my first boot with my brother, parents, aunt and uncle 👪. I can still remember some impressions and moments from it. This day was unforgettable not only for me but also for my parents. They were already enthusiastic “board sailors” (windsurfers) 🏄♂️ for many years in the former GDR. At the boot they were able to discover “real” surf equipment for the first time. Windsurfing accompanied me throughout my entire childhood. It’s no wonder that I’m not only a windsurfer but also a standup paddleboard enthusiast 😁. (...)
Susanne S.
I had a sort of blind date at the boot in 2008.
We met in a diving forum, exchanged messages and called each other on the phone.
We got together for the first time in real life at the diving pool in Hall 3 on 19 January 2008.
In the meantime, we got married and have a daughter.👪
We still go to the boot every year! 👍
Martin R.
January without the boot?????? Not on your life!
50 years of the boot means 46 years of meeting great people from all over the world🌐 who stay with my parents during the fair. Now I go to the boot every year with my children, and they are as enthusiastic as I used to be. But luckily, they no longer collect hundreds of stickers. 😂
Sonja V.
Already as a scuba diver in the GDR, I was enthusiastic about water sports in, on and under the water.
In 1990 the time had finally come; the border was open and nothing stood in the way of a visit to boot Düsseldorf😍. (…)
There have been many highlights that I like to remember. (…)
From 1993 on, I have been coming to Düsseldorf at least one day per year with my wife and later my children, and this tradition lives on. (...)
THANK YOU Messe Düsseldorf for my first sailing tour with the optimist on the event pool, trial diving for my children and wakeboard “riding”.
See you in 2019!!👍
Matthias H.
My daughter had dreamt of diving at boot Düsseldorf for years! This year, her dream finally came true. It was the highlight of the year for her.🤙
We’ll definitely be back in 2019.😎👍
Markus Kurz