Genoa changes course: new dates and a new vision for the International Boat Show
The decision to move the dates of the Genoa International Boat Show, although probably prompted by the rescheduling of the Monaco Yacht Show, whose opening in 2026 has been brought forward to September 23, should not be seen merely as a logistical adjustment or a seasonal compromise. It represents a shift in perspective, a sign of maturity for an event that has long been the barometer of the entire Mediterranean boating industry.
With the new calendar—October 1–6, 2026—Genoa aims to take on a more competitive position compared to the main European shows—Cannes and Monaco—reducing overlaps and offering exhibitors a wider timeframe to plan their participation.
Cannes, after all, has only one significant limitation: it takes place when the boating season, also thanks to climate change, is still in full swing, and for industry operators participation is becoming increasingly problematic. They have to leave their activities, their clients who are still using their boats, to attend the French show.
It is a choice that looks beyond the single event and aims to strengthen the Italian boating industry within the international context, enhancing the distinctive features of our production system: an industrial fabric made up of shipyards, accessories and design firms that continue to set trends and drive innovation worldwide.
After Confindustria Nautica identified a more favorable calendar from an organizational point of view—allowing shipyards to exhibit boats that in recent years had no longer found space in Genoa, particularly the larger units now starring in the Monaco Yacht Show—the ball is now in the hands of the individual builders.
It will be up to them to enhance, also through the media, our national boat show, especially by reconsidering the distribution of world premieres and product presentations.
Reducing the number of debuts reserved for Cannes, particularly for series and semi-custom production, and bringing back to Genoa the main novelties of Italian boatbuilding would restore to the Show the central role it deserves on the international stage.
An emblematic example of what happened this year: the queen of the exhibition, the Amer 120, after just two days on display, was forced to cast off to reach Monaco. With the new dates, this will no longer happen, and indeed, many boats returning from the Monegasque event will finally be able to take part in Genoa’s show.
The new exhibition layout, expected to reach its final configuration in 2027, represents another strong point. Genoa is preparing to offer the largest and most structured showcase worldwide among in-water boat shows, with a setup combining rationality, functionality and visual impact.
A format designed to highlight every type of craft and to offer visitors a complete and immersive experience, with many boats available for sea trials throughout the Show’s opening hours. The impression for those who visited this year was already a “wow” effect. Genoa’s is a unique model within the international exhibition landscape, reaffirming the experiential vocation of the Boat Show and its authentic, indissoluble bond with the sea.
However, there is a “but” that concerns the city of Genoa and its relationship with the Show.
Many criticize—and will continue to criticize—the fact that the event is held here: a complex city, squeezed between the sea and the hills, home to Italy’s main seaport and to major shipyards and industries.
An urban context that is difficult to compare with the resort towns that host the other September shows.
And yet, if Genoa truly wants to become the world capital of yachting, a qualitative leap is needed in terms of infrastructure and hospitality.
Air, rail and road connections are essentially the same as forty years ago, when we first started working on the Show, as is the hotel offering, which is still not up to the standards of the international boating audience nor to the city’s tourism potential.
The new parking facilities under the renovated Palasport certainly represent an improvement compared to the previous situation, but they still do not solve an age-old problem. It took less time to connect Salerno to Reggio Calabria with a motorway than to create 800 parking spaces in Piazzale Kennedy.
Added to this is the lack of immediately accessible services in the area around the Show: once outside the fairgrounds, there is a beautiful seafront but no welcoming bars or restaurants where the boating public can linger, discuss the boats they have seen, review quotations or simply catch their breath after a long walk along the docks. At Piazzale Kennedy there are only taxis—always too few—to take you away from the exhibition.
The result is a rapid outflow towards the city center, towards hotels or the Brignole station to escape to the Riviera, where most visitors stay, causing traffic congestion and a loss of opportunities for relationships and business. The comparison with Cannes and Monaco is relentless.
Is it possible that no one is thinking about making the Genoa Boat Show more welcoming outside its gates as well? A concrete turning point is urgently needed in this respect.
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