After a two-year break, most of the visitors and exhibitors were literally delighted that the trade fair was back: Nine days of water sports, marvelling at new products, meeting like-minded people and exchanging ideas with them. Located in the centre of the exhibition centre, with an XXL pool, including winch and wind machines and many stars on stage, Beach World is a major attraction and was well attended right from the start.
So there's a lot going on in Hall 17 this week - including in the SUP area, of course.
Even if there are only a few pure SUP stands, such as the Dutch brandMOAIHowever, you can still stumble across stand-ups on every corner - mostly inflatable models.
Racing machines and a SUP made of glass
The exhibition in Hall 17 is quite mixed.
It seems as if the windsurfing and wingfoil manufacturers, such asGunsails, Ensisor TabouThis year, the focus was on inflatable, easy-to-ride boards with a mast foot mount (for the sail mounting option).
But exhibitors such asAqua Marina, that do not originate from the wind-water sports sector are starting out exclusively with "inflatables" and advertise 20% more stiffness thanks to new, double longitudinal stiffeners.
At the large stand ofStarboard however, everything can be found: From inflatable all-rounders and hardboards to radical surf SUPs for the waves, or the race highlight of the trade fair called Zero: the hollow, ultra-light race SUP from Starboard is an eye-catcher in the front row. The exhibitor assures: "This flat water machine was built to win races."
However, you have to take a closer look at the stand ofglassSUP - Well cleaned, you can see right through this innovation. Is the transparent glass board heralding a new trend? It is not a sport, but an experience to paddle on it and marvel at the underwater world while doing so, claims the manufacturer.
Right next door, the brandIndiana generously: The Swiss company's entire water sports product range is huge and continues to grow. In the SUP sector, they emphasise two products in particular: Their chic classic, the Allround-Wood, and the new, hollow carbon racing machine.
Jimmy Lewis shaped on Maui - Jan Muellers presents the shiny, classic shapes at the attractive stand in Düsseldorf. The new European importer relies on Jimmy's many years of experience and the timeless board concepts of the septuagenarian, who built custom boards for big wave legends such as Laird Hamilton and Aloha Classic winner Mike Waltze back in the early 80s.
