Biograd Boat Show - from the Days of Open Doors to the leading autumn nautical fair
In 1999, ILIRIJA d.d. together with the Yacht Club of Biograd and charter companies operating within the marina launched a nautical fair organized as Spring Days of Open Doors, mainly intended for companies operating within the marina. It was the first such event in Northern Dalmatia. We were driven by the desire for Biograd na Moru, given its status of the cradle of nautical tourism, to get an attractive nautical event at which all sectors of the nautical and charter business would be presented in a short period. The Days of Open Doors have tuned into a grandiose nautical manifestation - Biograd Boat Show. Since 2004, when Biograd Boat Show was organized as the first autumn boat show in Croatia, it has been recording an annual growth of over 50%.
The international nautical fair, the success of which initially depended on the enthusiasm of employees of ILIRIJA d.d., has proven to be a superb nautical event that profiled the city as an unavoidable nautical center in the first 11 years of its existence.
During the last years the fair was held in late October, which contributed not only to the improvement of nautical offer, but also to the extension of tourist season that has been traditionally opened and closed by boaters in Biograd. As early as in 2007, only 3 years of organizing the fair as an autumn nautical event, exhibitors showed an exceptional interest in the fair. That year alone, there were over 130 exhibitors with 150 boats on the sea and on land at the fair, which also required an expansion of exhibition space to additional 120 m of waterfront and 3.000 m2 of land. This brought reputation and trust among exhibitors and visitors to the fair. Within the scope of Biograd Boat Show in 2005, a motto "Croatian product for Croatian tourism" was launched with the aim of gathering all Croatian shipbuilders.
Contact: tel. +385 (0) 23 386 147, fax. +385 (0) 23 384 500,
e-mail: info@bbs.com.hr
URL: www.bbs.com.hr
