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For the major custom brands, the shows were essential. They allowed them to meet the public and it was always a pleasure to see looks full of desire! But the real challenge was to meet the dealers, because they were the ones who made the year possible! Until December 1987, the Paris Boat Show was held at the CNIT in La Défense. In spite of the labyrinthine "delivery" access, the atmosphere was effervescent, the world of windsurfing met on the gangways, dominating the forest of masts on the ground floor. I always wondered how and in what order these boats were brought in, so numerous and tightly packed were they!
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1985 Boat Show No Farigoulette stand yet, but some boards on the Freestyle USA stand.
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Boat Show 1986 This time, we share the ITV sails stand.
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Boat Show 1987 No pictures... It was snowing hard that year in Paris, we really struggled to bring the stand made of chipboard boxes creating different levels. All this weighed a dead ass and we were parked very far away... It was not a good year... Not a single sale on site, in the end we abandoned the whole stand on site...
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Boat Show 1988 For this last year at the CNIT, there were 2 Boat Shows. Until then, it was held in January, then in December for the following editions. Big success! Farigoulette is in the top three of French customs, with PM Shape and Swell Expression.
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Boat Show 1989 First edition at the Porte de Versailles. Much bigger, much more impersonal... The corner stand was very good, with a Japanese inspiration. I had some gravel delivered, but it was wet and not washed! The result was that every visitor left earthy footprints on the blue carpets as they left ! After a while, it was a strange horizontal signpost that led to the Farigoulette stand. It was a mature edition, the ranks of the shapers had thinned out. The reseller market had tightened around the 3 brands structured to produce 4 or 500 boards per year, with a European dimension, respecting a quality standard: Farigoulette, PM Shape & Swell Expression. These 3 brands (with Hollywind) are at the origin of the French Shapers' Association, which aimed to promote a qualitative idea of custom-made.
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1990 Boat Show Last participation in the Boat Show... Marco Copello releases his Red Line range of production boards and opens a Pandora's box that messes up the custom market, which is finally profitable! The Gulf War completes the process: suddenly, nothing is "fun" anymore. Orders collapse, the year is saved by subcontracting, it's time to move on. No other image than this press article, I don't even remember the stand.
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ISPO Munich 1986 Ispo was the world's largest trade fair for sporting goods. Thanks to the advantageous conditions offered by Fondexpa, I was able to participate twice. Each time I participated, I was able to expand my distribution to different European countries and to establish a reputation of seriousness on the national market. No other archives than a few press articles. This is Planche Mag.
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ISPO Munich 1987 Although my boards got stuck in customs for some mysterious reason, everything was sorted out after I paid 9000 Frs (gloups...). This edition was a real success !
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