Water sports are in crisis. This is exactly the right time to invest, says Petros Michelidakis, Director of boot in Düsseldorf. We spoke to him:
Aloha Petros,
Thank you for taking the time to write for Stand Up Magazine.
We have been following boot for over 10 years and have experienced a lot during this time: the change through three halls, the coming and going of the wave and numerous examples of how boot has done pioneering work for trend sports in many areas.
Probably the biggest news in our joint history with boot is the complete redesign of the surfing hall in 2025.
Can you give us some background to this new concept? What was the trigger for this change?
The last time we relaunched the Surf Halle was over ten years ago. Back then, the design was very bold and clearly different from all other halls and trade fairs. In the meantime, this style has become almost too normal and there are similar concepts in many halls. That’s why we asked ourselves what an appealing environment for our very young target audience would look like today.
With this design, we are once again showing courage and are in tune with the times. Our aim was to let our exhibitors’ products shine more and to create more of a club atmosphere than a chill-out zone.
It is no secret that the trend sports industry is currently going through a difficult phase. Nevertheless – or perhaps precisely because of this – boot is investing heavily in the Surfsport Halle. And not only in the infrastructure, but also in the supporting program. On behalf of Stand Up Magazine, we would like to express our sincere thanks for this.
Can you tell us more about this? How does boot see the current situation in the trend sports industry and what motivates you to hold on so unconditionally to this loyal support?
Yes, you’re right. The industry is in crisis, but we can’t change that as a trade fair alone. It will take the strength of the entire industry. This year, we are doing everything we can in advance: Deliver a great show. We are firmly convinced that you have to invest during the crisis in order to reap the rewards during the upswing afterwards. That’s why we are organizing six world-class contests at boot 2025, including three official World Cups. One in SUP too.
Our aim is to put on the best possible event for our exhibitors and potential exhibitors. We want to bring the entire industry together in one place to strengthen their business. Our visitors come to us because they want to find out about water sports, but also because they want to experience something. Here they can escape the gray winter for a day. And if we manage to offer these people a good experience, then they will have more courage to invest their hard-earned savings in surfing equipment.
To the last part of your question: we are all water sports enthusiasts at heart and love the water. As such, we need to take our future into our own hands and invest in young water sports enthusiasts and new trends and sports.
Stand up paddling has taken a bit of a back seat over the last two years, but that looks set to change abruptly in 2025. boot has heard the industry’s call and is bringing an international race to the pool.
What are your thoughts on this?
Stand up paddling is the surf sport with the lowest entry threshold and certainly the greatest potential for popular sport. The boom is somewhat over. The market is continuing to consolidate. Those who first bought a discount board and use it regularly will certainly go for a higher-quality board the next time they buy. And that is exactly what our exhibitors offer here.
It’s also about giving those who are interested in sport-oriented stand-up paddling a motivational boost and showing them: “Hey, if you keep at it, you can stand at the top of the podium here too at some point.” Apart from that, it’s simply fun to watch the exciting races of the EuroTour SUP Indoor World Cup.
In an interview two years ago, you emphasized the importance of trade fair organizers being close to the market. After the pandemic, the Surfsport Halle was very well frequented, but the substance of the visitors who came to the Surfsport Halle didn’t quite seem to meet the industry’s expectations.
Can you tell us which population group currently makes up the largest number of visitors to the Surfsport Halle?
We have an extremely mixed audience in Hall 17. On the one hand, we have visitors who are already actively practicing a surf sport. Admittedly, we’ve seen a slight drop in this after the big post-pandemic run. And we have a mix of children and grandparents who are generally interested in water sports and want to watch the action in Hall 17. We are talking about visitors with an affinity for events. This group is very stable. We have realized that we need to do more for the active surfers who are looking for new impulses or have concrete buying intentions.
In order to appeal more to this group, we have adapted our advertising strategy and added these high-caliber events to our offer, which should really become the talk of the scene. Where else can you experience so many surf stars up close in one central location in the middle of winter, cheer them on and celebrate with them afterwards? Or can you do that anywhere at all?
We at Stand Up Magazine have the impression that the trend sports industry as a whole is getting older. However, boot is once again setting standards to inspire a younger audience for the surf sports hall – which will hopefully generate new customers.
What can we experience at the Surfsport Halle that will attract visitors under 30 in particular?
The six world-class contests are certainly a strong magnet, but we must not forget that money plays a major role, especially for our younger visitors. That’s why we have created two offers to make the decision to go to boot easier. For our boot Club members, membership is free, we are offering the 2-day ticket for 19 euros. This is a great offer, especially if you want to watch the contests at the weekend and also attend the party on Saturday evening. But since you also have to stay overnight somewhere, we have decided to offer the pitches in the Caravan Center on our P1 directly at the exhibition grounds at a special price of 25 euros and set up a Surf Festival Camp on the site. There will be a heated tent with catering offers at market prices and not at moon prices. In the evening, a DJ will play there and in the morning surf coach Sascha Lange will offer a wake-up warm-up in case the night in the bus wasn’t quite as cozy as in summer. And if you want to save money on food on site, get our new app and compare the catering prices before you order.
Thank you very much, Petros. We are looking forward to an exciting time at the Surfsport Halle and are doing everything we can with Stand Up Magazine to support boot’s efforts.
Thank you very much Mike, I look forward to seeing you at boot 2025!
That was 2023 after the pandemic
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This was our first appearance at bood 2013
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