A true triumph of Italian craftsmanship will be seen amongst the curvy, elegant and highly-accessorised yachts, pleasure craft and top-notch marine equipment which will come to the fore in Dubai from 9^th to 13^th March. It is synonymous with luxury, yes, but also with safety and the use of state-of-the-art technology. The event is also truly for those who deserve to be there, because the International Boat Show is now coming up to its eighteenth edition. Just last year the metropolis in the United Arab Emirates hosted 714 exhibitors from fifty different countries. And for 2010, the forecasts are projecting 25 thousand visitors, arriving from the surrounding states like Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia too.

What, in specific terms, will the Italian consortium made up of 19 companies coordinated by the Italian Trade Commission offer? Their strengths will be varied: they will range from naval lighting, including ceiling lights and installations which - apart from embellishing boat interiors - are also environmentally-conscious; to lifejackets which are compulsory for navigation in the high seas and made with top-quality materials. There will also be mechanisms for ship control - for which the essential attributes are safety and reliability – as well as engine control systems, water pumps, gearboxes, hydraulic jetties and stairs, electrical equipment and finally, radar and instruments to aid navigation. Particular attention has also been given to the production of cables, braids and ropes produced in Campania under the dictates of a longstanding tradition going back a hundred years, and to the internal furnishing of ships. The latter will naturally follow the traditional interpretation of Italian craftsmanship by incorporating practicality, uncompromising quality and good taste, all rolled into one.

The International Boat Show will also be a good opportunity to present some new products which have arisen out of important research performed at corporate level: such as next-generation desalinators – simple, compact, silent and consuming little more energy than an electric lamp. Or even fabrics for use in nautical covers and canopies which are totally waterproof, thermo-weldable with high frequency and have hundred percent dimensional stability. And there will also be diesel marine generators that are silenced with alternators using permanent magnets. Finally, the promotional aspect will certainly not be forgotten, with the presence of a representative group from the La Spezia (Liguria) Chamber of Commerce, a city famous for its port.

In short, only the very best will be on show at the Dubai International Boat Show; an event which has added importance because there are good signs of recovery, despite the economic crisis. The construction of property on the seafront in the cities of the United Arab Emirates, the development of small ports and numerous international events (like offshore motorboat contests) have indeed led to an increase in the general level of interest towards the nautical sector. This will naturally prove to be an opportunity which the consortium of Italian companies will be fully prepared to grasp.