4th Olympic Yacht Show: New attendance record at Greece's premium in-water show
by Olympic Yacht Show 17 Oct 2024 02:29 PDT
10-13 October 2024
4th Olympic Yacht Show © On Deck Media
Held between October 10-13 at Olympic Marine in Lavrio, the 4th Olympic Yacht Show was a tremendous success, having the weather on its side.
At the in-water section more than 20,000 yachting enthusiasts had the opportunity to admire, with the help of expert guides, more than 130 boats from all categories of motor and sailing yachts, catamarans and dayboats, performance boats and ribs. A point worth mentioning is that the Olympic Yacht Show focuses on Greek shipyards, which are a pole of attraction for Europe. The majority of the market's brands and of the premium models made their presence felt at the greatest event for yachting and recreation at sea.
This year the number of foreign visitors was high, creating an important asset for the business scene of Greek yachting. What is more, foreign houses and yards have added the Olympic Yacht Show to their agenda as another important meeting point.
According to the initiator and head of the Olympic Yacht Show, Gerasimos Gerolimatos: "The Olympic Yacht Show has become the number one market tool. A fruitful communication platform. An international meeting point with ever-increasing demand. This year it returned, bigger and richer in content, featuring several premieres, both European and international. Four years after the first event, the dynamic of the exhibition not only promotes sea tourism, but also creates added value for our country."
More than 90 exhibitors participated in this year's show, representing over 400 brands, while the companies from abroad who took part for the first time expressed their tremendous satisfaction at such a successful event, already booking a place for the 5th Olympic Yacht Show.
Greece's largest in-water yacht show opened its gates on Thursday, October 10, and welcomed representatives of the country's political and business scene. Gerasimos Gerolimatos, Head of the Olympic Yacht Show Organizing Committee, George Prokopiou, owner of Olympic Marine, Stefanos Gikas, the Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, who represented the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogiannis and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Staikouras gave speeches during the opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure & Transport Vasilis Oikonomou, the Secretary General of Ports, Port Policy and Maritime Investments of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Evangelos Kyriazopoulos, and the First Deputy Commandant of the Hellenic Coast Guard Vice Admiral HCG Drossos Reizis. The event was honoured by the Deputy Regional Governor of Eastern Attica, Vicky Kavallari, the Mayor of Lavrio, Dimitris Loukas, the President of the Greek Marinas Association, Stavros Katsikadis, the Managing Director of the Lavrio Port Authority, Georgios Vakondios, and the Central Harbour Master at Lavrio Port Authority, Christos Zoumpos.
A special moment during the opening of the 4th Olympic Yacht Show was the presentation of honorary awards to eminent figures of the industry for their contribution to the development of yachting and their support to the Show. Specifically, the awards were given to George Prokopiou, Vassilis Apostolopoulos, Konstantinos Koronakis, George Kyriazakos, Petros Riginos, Lazaros Zarifis, Ioannis Kourounis and George Vernikos, as well as to Atalanta Marine and Athenian Yachts. The prize was sponsored by ZOIS EFSTATHIOU S.A.
For the second consecutive year, EKO was the major sponsor of the Olympic Yacht Show 2024, supporting the most successful and most acclaimed in-water show in Greece. Having won the wholehearted support of the state for the fourth consecutive year, the Olympic Yacht Show 2024 was under the auspices and kind support of the GNTO, the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, the Ministry of Tourism, the Prefecture of Attica, the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Greek Marinas Association, the Hellenic Ports Association, the Hellenic Association of Ship Suppliers and Exporters, the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Municipality of Lavreotiki.