Sydney show review

SIBS 2024 saw a number of highlights and firsts including:

• • 44 Asia-Pacific and Australian premieres and launches
  • 618 boats on display in the ICC Halls and Cockle Bay Marina
  • over 19,000 square metres of indoor exhibitor space
  • over 10 industry forums with attendees including government decision-makers, members of the NSW Parliament, heads of national maritime regulatory agencies and major non-government organisations involved in the boating sector
  • collaboration and activations with the Australian National Maritime Museum, including HMAS Advance joining the show for the first time
  • collaboration and activations with the Australian Melanoma Institute of Australia.

BIA President Adam Smith said the 2024 Sydney International Boat Show has been a success with the depth and diversity that the show has been able to offer consumers, exhibitors and the general marine industry.

“From launching new products to market, strengthening brand awareness and addressing issues facing the industry, through to converting sales, and from fishing rods to superyachts, over the last four days the show has provided the backdrop and opportunity for all of this plus so much more,” he commented.

“Last weekend was further testament that the Sydney International Boat Show continues to be a must on the international boating events calendar, and is now a lifestyle event for everyone from the young to the young at heart,” he added.

This year exhibitors and attendees experienced some exciting changes, including the expanded and reconfigured exhibition space at the purpose-built marina in Cockle Bay, the expansion of the Discover Sailing & Paddling Hub and entertainment stage, and additional displays and activities throughout the show precinct to enhance the overall visitor experience.

Jules Luxury’s Managing Director Jules Legge said, “It’s absolutely exhilarating to see how the buzz of a boat show can propel the sale of the elusive hull # one.

“After months of discussions, we’re thrilled to announce that our final negotiations with the very first owner of a HH Catamarans Power Cat wrapped up right at our stand during the Sydney International Boat Show.

“Contracts are signed, deposits are in and we’re officially on our way to launching the incredible first HH52PC.”

Displaying the Fleming 55 Maude Hesse, Sam Nicholas was joined by Duncan Cowie and Will Chang from the yard in Taiwan. Over the four days, the Fleming team met with owners and aficionados of the brand, sharing the latest video of the Fleming 85 Freja and her owners’ journey from concept to first voyage in the Philippines.

“We had a great show,” said Sam. “The weather was fantastic on the weekend and brought out the crowds. There were a lot of quality people and we had a sea trial on Tuesday with plenty of leads to follow up.”

Next up for Fleming Yachts Australia is an owner rendezvous in Pittwater in November, which has already attracted 12 vessels.

Adjacent to the Ocean Media stand, in prime position for passersby to appreciate, the 100-foot superyacht Shadow was the venue for four major events during the show – an industry soiree on the first night, a VIP party on the Friday night, drinks on the Saturday evening and the Women in Boating breakfast on Saturday.

“We had more than 1,500 people on board for events,” said Cooper Chapman, founder and CEO of Chapman, the full-service agency that refit the vessel and now maintains and runs it as a commercial charter operation.

“During the show, we had hundreds of people on board – their feedback was they were impressed at the quality of finish and the features. Many people, including industry, didn’t realise this calibre of charter yacht was available on Sydney Harbour for events, and longer charters.”

CL Yachts’ latest model, the CLB65, made its Sydney debut, represented by Andrew Withers at Sydney Marine Brokerage. Martin Lo, Director of CL Yachts attended and said he was happy with the interest in the CLB65 and buoyed by the compliments of this model.

“It was a good opportunity to bring CL Yachts and what we offer to a large boating market like Sydney. People have been very positive about the CLB65, which is very good.”

Iliad Catamarans had the award-winning Iliad 53F on show at SIBS, which attracted hundreds of visitors each day and resulted in a number of orders currently being negotiated. “We were thrilled to be so busy at this year’s event,” stated Kate Elkington, Business Development Manager for Iliad.

“It’s generally been a quieter year across the market, but this show was extremely strong for us and is a great testament to the features of our range,” explained Kate Elkington. “Everyone who came on board was overwhelmingly impressed with the living space, the quality of finish, fuel efficiency and ability to customise their boat.”

“The demand wasn’t just strong across our 53-foot series, as we also had a lot of interest in our larger models including the Iliad 62 and new flagship 75.  The sea trials following the show were full and our team is now busy following up on a mountain of enquiry, as well as dealing with the ever-expanding interest from new international markets, including the US and Europe.”

Palm Beach Motor Yachts Mark Richards said SIBS 2024 was a positive show. The Palm Beach 50 on show attracted a steady stream of visitors and the PBMY team was happy with “quality leads and a great response to new models as well as the huge amount of exciting stuff we have coming.”

From Princess Yachts Australia, Greg Haines said that while numbers were impacted by the weather and the cold, the weekend brought out Princess owners and people new to the brand.

“We had the V55 on display and were very happy with the amount of interest in Princess and our current line-up. We met a lot of people we have never met at boat shows before and had the opportunity to reconnect with owners.”

Adam Essex, General Manager of Princess Asia-Pacific joined Haines on the Princess stand and spoke of the strong line-up Princess will present in Cannes in September, including two world premieres as part of its eight-yacht selection – the new 25-metre S80 and 21-metre S65 sports yachts.

Coinciding with Cannes, Haines and his team will be hosting the 2024 Princess Rendezvous on Hayman Island.

Representing SilverYachts, Schaeffer from Brazil and the largest boat at the show, the Gulf Craft Nomad 101 Bluestone, Flagship International Yacht Brokers occupied a significant amount of space on the marina. “Our SilverYachts stand drew a lot of attention,” reported Adrian Ravasio. “People are very interested in their unique offering in the 36 Catamaran SpaceCat.”

On show in the Schaeffer brand were three models – the 375, V33 and 510 Flybridge. “There was a lot of enquiry on the 510 and the 375, which was great,” said Ravasio. “We are expecting the V44 very soon, which will really hit the mark with Australian boaties.

“There are a lot of similarities between how Brazilians and Australians use their boats – large deck spaces, built-in barbecue and lots of cup holders, as well as well-thought-out interiors. And they’re priced very competitively compared with similar boats.”

Highfield Boats had two RIBs on the water – the 660 Sport and 660 Patrol – with NSW dealer, Marineco. “It’s important to support dealers and meet with owners and customers to answer their questions about the brand and our plans,” said Peter Pembroke, Highfield Australia. “We’ve just appointed Lewis Marine as a dealer in Tasmania, so it was an opportunity for them to attend SIBS and meet other Highfield dealers as well.”

Invictus Yachts, represented exclusively by Sundance Marine, attracted a lot of attention for their presence on water. “We sold boats, so that’s always good!” said Director David Beck. “We sold a TT280 and have booked sea trials on the larger boats.

“Invictus continues to generate more and more interest each year,” he continued. “The feedback from people is they’re impressed with the quality of the build, fit-out and customisation. People who buy Invictus are generally downsizing from larger vessels and looking for something that’s easier to use. They’re a brilliant day boat and entertainer’s boat, with accommodation on board when you want to.”

Raymarine General Manager Damien Weber said, “Raymarine and FLIR’s presence on the marina allows us to directly engage with our customers and demonstrate our latest technology.

“The live demonstrations of the Raymarine Cyclone radar and FLIR M364C-LR thermal camera attracted significant interest, particularly showcasing FLIR Thermal when the sun goes down. The show remains a great opportunity for us to strengthen our connections within the boating community and showcase our commitment to innovation and excellence.”

Edencraft International General Manager Josie Eastman said, “Businesses can underestimate the long-term impact that the Sydney International Boat Show can have for brand awareness and sales. We came to Sydney with seven boats in 2018 and it was a catalyst for Edencraft International and really set up our brand. We’re still seeing results from that show today. It can be a big investment, but for us, it plants the seed and if executed correctly can make a huge long-term impact.”

Nicky Vaux, known in the marine industry as The Boat Princess said, “This year’s show has been fantastic, with more demonstrations, activations and an overall great vibe, a lot more buzzing activity all round. It has been a joy to share my knowledge about the different ways of getting into boating with the public on the Discover Sailing & Paddling Hub and help to encourage a new wave of boating enthusiasts.

“Another highlight for me was the BIA’s Diversity Seminar and our Women in Boating event on board Shadow Charters, which created an inspirational space to share our views, challenges and how we can all work together to create diversity across the industry.”

Adam Smith commented, “We’re delighted to work once again with our event delivery partner Mulpha Events to produce an innovative and engaging world-class event. I’ve no doubt the Sydney International Boat Show has further cemented its reputation as not only a stand-out event nationally but one of a limited number of internationally recognised boat shows on the global boating calendar.”

According to independent data, the Sydney International Boat Show injects hundreds of millions of dollars into the NSW economy, creates tens of thousands of jobs and generates millions of dollars in sales and orders.

The 2025 Sydney International Boat Show will take place from 31 July to 3 August.

The Sydney International Boat Show is presented by the Boating Industry Association Ltd (BIA) with delivery partner Mulpha Events and proudly supported by Partner in Safety – Transport for NSW, along with official event partners Century Batteries, GMSV and Walcon Marine Australia.

sydneyboatshow.com.au
mulphaevents.com.au