Profiles: Company Profiles

Crick Boat Show 2026

Your guide to exhibiting at Britain’s premier canal boat event

Now in it’s 26th year, the Crick Boat Show sponsored by Haven Knox-Johnston is the focal point of the year for the inland waterways. It brings together around 250 exhibitors with thousands of boat-owners and aspiring boat-owners in the biggest single gathering of the British inland waterways industry. As an exhibitor at Crick you can showcase your company to an audience of boating enthusiasts, boating industry professionals and meet existing and future customers.

With the 2026 Show - held over the late May Bank Holiday weekend - now just a few weeks away, if you’re looking to showcase your company’s services or products you will need to act soon to secure one of the remaining exhibition spaces.

Overhead photo of the Quayside looking across to the Show Village at Crick Boat Show.

The Show is open to the public from Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th May and some 27,000 visitors attend the Show over these three days. There is also a Trade & Preview Day on Friday 22nd May that provides a perfect opportunity for suppliers and trade customers to meet and build their business relationships. On this day, a limited number of Preview ticket holders – who are predominantly serious boat-owners or aspiring boat-owners – get easier access to boats and boating industry stands to talk in greater depth than might be possible on busier days.

As well as presenting your own products or services, the Show is always a good way to learn about new ideas in inland boating that are being developed by other companies. With inland boating trade press and media professionals attending, the Show can be especially valuable to smaller businesses looking to raise their profile and increase brand awareness.

Being an exhibitor is a big commitment of your time and resources – but being part of the inland waterways’ busiest marketplace opens the biggest and best possible window to your potential customers. Many exhibitors return year after year.

To find out about becoming an exhibitor at Crick Boat Show 2026, phone Ian Sharpe on 01283 742977 or email ian.sharpe@wwonline.co.uk.

There are exhibition spaces priced to suit all budgets, as well as opportunities to enhance your impact at the Show.

Trade & Preview Day - Friday 22nd May

Are you attending Trade & Preview Day?

On Friday 22nd May, Britain’s biggest inland waterways festival opens its gates for Trade & Preview Day, in association with Haven Knox-Johnston Commercial, and you are invited.

This day is EXCLUSIVELY for qualifying boating businesses and just 1,000 pre-booked paying visitors. This gives you time to make connections, time to find new suppliers and time to meet new customers from the inland boating industry - all before the main Show weekend. On top of all that, tickets for invited trade visitors are FREE - but you must register in advance.

Hundreds of inland boating contacts all in one place
The BIG names in inland boating equipment, boat-building and fitting
Meet new potential customers and suppliers
Find out about new products and opportunities
Talk to current business contacts face-to-face

Trade & Preview Day sponsors - Haven Knox-Johnston

Haven Knox-Johnston Commercial, the marine trade insurance experts, return in 2026 as Trade & Preview Day sponsors of Crick Boat Show. With decades of experience in the inland sector, they provide a one-stop shop to assess risks, provide advice and organise insurance cover to protect a huge variety of businesses operating across the waterways.

Sponsoring Trade & Preview Day is the Haven Knox-Johnston Commercial team’s way of giving back to the industry, providing businesses with the opportunity to get together for networking, sharing all that’s new and celebrating everything great about our unique and close-knit community.

Trade & Preview Day will be taking place on Friday 22nd May and provides exclusive access to the show with no crowds, allowing visitors to talk in depth to exhibitors and discover all the latest launches before anyone else. The Haven KJ Commercial team will be on hand throughout the day. As an advice-based insurance broker, they have the experience to uncover all the risks your business faces and provide truly tailored advice, ensuring continuity, whatever challenges come your way. As well as being able to discuss all matters around insurance face to face, the team will also be happy to introduce visitors to the Benchmark Review Report.

Launched last year, the Benchmark Review Report provides businesses with a great starting point when it comes to managing business risks - the cornerstone of insurance. It’s an independent ‘health check’ for your business which looks to assist you not only spot areas of risk that need to be addressed, but also provide reassurance on the areas that don’t. An annual review of risk can help provide a solid story to take to your insurers and can provide the tangible evidence needed to confirm you are a better risk when it comes to setting premiums and conditions.

The Haven KJ Commercial team will be handing out hot drink vouchers to exhibitors throughout the day as they explore the show, providing a little boost to keep you on your feet and a welcome to Crick 2026. A new book of business insurance tips will also be available to pick up. Comprising of all the articles written for Waterways Network to date, it provides a huge amount of information to help make the right insurance decisions.

If the team don’t find you, and even if they do, all inland businesses are warmly invited to drop in to the Commercial Corner of the Haven Knox-Johnston Pavilion (Stand No. V3) to discuss insurance needs, find out more about risk management or just have a chat and swap contact details for future reference. As marine trade insurance experts they fully understand the challenges and complexities businesses on the inland waterways face across day-to-day activities and in the process of attending shows.

“Our goal is to make marine trade insurance simple, so you can focus on running your business. The inland waterways are a unique and special sector of the marine industry and to be able to assist the business community coming together prior to the public opening of the show is a great opportunity. We look forward to meeting new contacts, sharing experiences and catching up with friends. We hope you will join us there.” - Malcolm Stewart, Head of Haven KJ Commercial

A friendly welcome, helpful advice and a few goodies can always be found on the Haven Knox-Johnston stand. If you need anything in the meantime, call the team on 01905 930 760.

Present your own masterclass

Exhibitors at Crick have the opportunity to give presentations to Boat Show visitors in the dedicated Masterclass Theatre (capacity 100 people).

Presentations can be up to 15 minutes - with an opportunity for an extra 10 minutes for questions and answers at the end. The choice of topic is open to the exhibitor, but as Masterclasses are aimed at an audience of both existing and potential boat-owners they are pitched at a low level of ownership experience.

Exhibitors who are interested can discuss their ideas with the Crick Boat Show team to ensure their presentations enhance their brand and appeal to the public.

Other Masterclass benefits include promotion across various show marketing channels - including the Show Guide presented to all Crick Boat Show visitors - and the opportunity to discuss your brand, service and products directly to the Masterclass audience.

Companies interested in presenting a Masterclass should get in touch with Rachael Grignon - r.grignon@wwonline.co.uk.

Show highlights

Real Ale & Cider Festival

Crick Boat Show real ale and cider festival.

Following the enormous success of previous years, there will, once again, be a Real Ale & Cider Festival in the Crick Tavern marquee at Crick Boat Show. Sponsored by Lee Sanitation, the festival offers a wide choice of cask ales, as well as ciders, perries and gins. Cheers!

Favourite Boat in Show

Visitors to the Crick Boat Show will, once again, have the opportunity to cast their vote for the coveted Favourite Boat in Show award, sponsored by boat insurance provider Haven Knox-Johnston. Judged by a combination of an expert panel and a public vote, the winners will be announced at the Show on the Monday afternoon.

Crick Music Festival

Crick is proud to be Britain's biggest inland waterways festival, but the Crick experience wouldn't be complete without a full weekend of live music entertainment. Enjoy a wide selection of music performed in the Crick Tavern Marquee in the afternoon and evening. On Saturday and Sunday, the evenings build to the appearance of a headline act.

We are pleased to announce that Vetus is the sponsor of Crick Music Festival 2026.