The Barcelona International Boat Show is the leading trade fair event in Spain and one of the most important in Europe after a 60-year history that began in 1963 when a group of pioneers, led by Juan Antonio Samaranch, who later became President of the International Olympic Committee, decided to set up a fair dedicated to the world of sailing.
Since then, the Barcelona Boat Show has consolidated its status as a benchmark as a commercial and informative platform for the practice of sailing both in Spain and internationally.
Year after year, the show, organised by Fira de Barcelona with the collaboration of the National Association of Nautical Companies (ANEN), brings together the main brands and leading companies, making Barcelona, a great city on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the international nautical capital.
A city whose nomination as host of the 1992 Olympic Games has led to its transformation, turning it into a privileged tourist destination for nautical enthusiasts with first class facilities. In 1992, Barcelona hosted one of the best Olympic Games in history, with a prominent role for water sports.
The 1990s were key years for the development of the Barcelona International Boat Show. In 1995, for the first time since 1963, the event featured a floating exhibition in the waters of the port of Barcelona.
But it was not until 2012 that the definitive move took place, as the show’s sole venue, to the Catalan capital’s Port Vell, an emblematic location in Barcelona, one of the most glamorous cities in the world and one that faces the Mediterranean Sea, as evidenced by its choice as the venue for the America’s Cup in 2024.
Throughout its long history, the show has played a key role in the expansion of sustainability, innovation and the digitalisation of the nautical sector, presenting advances such as GPS and plotters and providing a space for entrepreneurs and start-ups, among other issues that make the Barcelona Boat Show a trade fair that advances trends.
In its last edition, held in 2022, the year of its 60th edition, the Barcelona International Boat Show had more than 700 boats and 80 new products, with more than 50,000 visitors.
