"The Boat Show has everything to be an international benchmark"

The Barcelona Boat Show is finalizing preparations for its 62nd edition. And it won't be just any edition: the event is changing course to target a more exclusive audience with greater purchasing power. With one goal: to consolidate its position among the most influential nautical shows in Europe, as explained by the show's president, Luis Conde. With this refocusing of the show, which will be held from October 8 to 12, the event makes space for larger lengths and a new village, with a gastronomic proposal that aims to attract this exclusive audience, led by chef Rafa Zafra.

The show, organized by Fira de Barcelona, thus elevates the level of experience and event quality, and also grows in space. The boats will extend from Marina Port Vell, Moll de España, and Moll de la Fusta, reaching the Moll de Barcelona for the first time, in what is "the most beautiful port in the Mediterranean," according to the event's president. Conde, who has been at the helm of the show since 2009, is clear: "The Barcelona show has it all."

— How did this change of course for the show come about?

— It was last year, when it couldn't be held because the America's Cup occupied Port Vell. Not having the show allowed us to reflect well and decide to direct it towards the buyer, and not so much towards the general public. Every cloud has a silver lining, they say. We set up a new three-year strategic plan and rethought the show's approach.

— What does this change of direction seek?

— Nautical is changing a lot, and we couldn't be left behind. We have opted for quality, and not so much for quantity, and for giving more space to large lengths.

— Will this greater emphasis on large boats be to the detriment of small ones?

— We maintain small boats, and expand the space for large ones. We will have more than 500 boats, with about 130 in the water. Of these 130, 24% are over 15 meters in length. The goal is to expand the variety of models for both motorboats and sailboats or catamarans. We want to increase the quality of our offer. We have worked to feature major brands and many new products, and in this sense, we will have a world premiere and 15 boats nominated for European boat of the year.

— For the first time, they occupy the Moll de Barcelona, a space that has also opened up to the city as a result of the America's Cup.

— Yes, it's another of the changes that have arrived after the competition. Now we dedicate this space to large length boats, as we have detected that, while the sale of small boats remains stable, that of large boats has grown in recent years. What we want is to boost this growth, and that whoever wants to acquire a large boat can find it at the show.

— And that also applies to smaller boats.

— Of course! And all at a time when boats in Spain have an average age of about 30 years. And a 30-year-old boat has nothing to do with one today. It's harder to handle, consumes more, and has an outdated design.

— With these advances of recent years, where is nautical going?

— It's going towards technologies that seek zero emissions and sustainable materials, with new designs, wider, and with much easier handling. In fact, many now don't even have a rudder, but rather joystick-type devices that allow the boat to be handled much more easily.

"We must excite citizens about the sea"

— The buyer of large boats is demanding, and we offer the possibility of being in front of the sea with a gastronomic proposal of two Michelin stars from Rafa Zafra.

— Does this differential experience contribute to positioning the show internationally?

— We are now the fourth nautical show in Europe, behind Cannes, Genoa, and, ahead of all, although it has no sea, Dusseldorf. We want to consolidate ourselves in this fourth position, gaining distance from the fifth, or even becoming third.

— What should the show highlight to achieve this?

— That Barcelona has everything to be a benchmark: the sea, the infrastructure, the port, and a beautiful city. Coming to the Barcelona show is not just coming to the port, it's coming to the city.

— Does Barcelona's commitment to the blue economy benefit the show?

— The blue economy is a value of present and future that must be bet on, and for cities open to the sea like Barcelona, it is essential. The show wants to contribute to its development and to strengthen the positioning of the Barcelona brand in this area.

— How should the relationship between the sea, the show, and the people of Barcelona be promoted?

— The Nautical Show is a very friendly show, in the most beautiful port in the Mediterranean, and citizens must be excited about the sea. Barcelona used to live with its back to the sea, and now we live facing it, but one thing is to look at it, and another is to get into the sea; this is the step that needs to be taken now.