METSTRADE 2023 countdown: What’s on and when
With little more than a week remaining, thousands of leading marine professionals prepare to meet at METSTRADE, the world’s largest gathering of leisure marine industry businesses, from Wednesday 15 to Friday 17 November 2023 in Amsterdam.
“It’s a special edition for us in so many ways,” says METSTRADE director Niels Klarenbeek. “We are celebrating our 35th anniversary by launching two new pavilions to stimulate interest in foiling and start-up businesses, reflecting the industry’s need to innovate. We’re stimulating accessibility and inclusion by placing a new Career Zone right in the heart of our Young Professionals Club and holding our second Women in the Marine Industry International Event.
“Plus, as you have come to expect of METSTRADE, we have an array of features and events to share best practices and stimulate debate on the passion we share to create a sustainable marine sector. This includes a Next Generation Propulsion Zone for the first time.
“More than 1,500 exhibitors from 53 countries will be present in 11 halls, 240 of them new to METSTRADE this year. Visitors will also be able to explore the collective endeavours of 29 national pavilions representing 19 countries, including newcomer Croatia, and engage with marine industry associations to be signposted to local expertise.”
Unique for this year, METSTRADE is starting on the Wednesday and running through to Friday, providing opportunities for visitors and exhibitors to take a weekend break in Amsterdam before heading home.
Industry leaders, awards and announcements
METSTRADE will be prefaced by its traditional Breakfast Briefing on Wednesday 15 November 2023. Headlining the event, chairman and CEO of Italian shipyard Sanlorenzo and committed sustainability advocate, Massimo Perotti, has 40 years’ experience working at the leading edge of motoryacht and superyacht construction. His keynote will outline how the leisure marine sector can transition to carbon neutrality.
Perotti’s presentation will be followed by the unveiling of the winners of the coveted DAME Design 2023 Awards. This year saw a very high ratio of entries nominated across eight new categories – winning products represent the pinnacle of holistic design effort, with one judged to be the overall DAME Award winner. All winners will be available to view at the DAME Design Awards showcase in hall 13.
Alongside this display, the METSTRADE Theatre will host interviews with Massimo Perotti and DAME winners, as part of an extensive series of discussion panels and presentations covering key technology, innovation, diversity and sustainability topics.
Plus, the Theatre hosts the launch of ICOMIA’s independently researched Ricardo study into decarbonising marine leisure propulsion.
The full METSTRADE Theatre programme is available online.
New technologies and innovators
METSTRADE is introducing two brand new pavilions for this year, in hall 7.
The Foiling Technology Pavilion, developed in partnership with the Foiling Organization, brings many key players involved in this technology to the show as exhibitors for the first time. Visitors will learn how to implement foils into mainstream yacht design and construction from leading experts and try their hand at an AC40 simulator — the same one used by the race series’ crews.
The Start-Up Pavilion, launched in collaboration with Yachting Ventures, features 15 businesses and their products. The exhibitors in this area are focused on two key areas – digitisation and sustainability. Within those categories there is a range of activity, from underwater robotics, 3D printed inflatable complex structures and electrification enablers, to management systems and battery health prediction software.
The Next Generation Propulsion Zone in hall 13 brings together the latest electric and hybrid engines, alternative fuels, and zero-emission products from 19 international companies in one display.
Walk the Superyacht Sustainability Route to explore the products from marine businesses that have successfully achieved the Water Revolution Foundation’s rigorous life cycle assessments.
METSTRADE will also display the results of its collaboration with World Sailing and World Sailing Trust at the Construction Material Pavilion in hall 12, including common but difficult-to-recycle sailing equipment that was collected this year at the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships’ new Equipment Recycling Hub.
METSTRADE 2023 also hosts the 14th edition of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Award, which brings together the 20 top images of professional photographers worldwide. The overall winner is announced on Thursday 16 November. The photo competition is a precursor to the annual Yacht Racing Forum’s arrival within the METSTRADE programme from 2024 onwards.
Employability and diversity
METSTRADE’s Young Professionals Club (YPC), which has been nurturing marine professionals under the age of 35 for many years, offers a free-to-access lounge and networking opportunities and tours. New for this year within the YPC is the METSTRADE Career Zone, run in partnership with international recruitment specialist Marine Resources.
Students and up-and-coming professionals will enjoy complimentary access to career coaching sessions with the Marine Resources team, lots of informal advice and opportunities to meet industry leaders, and hear about the latest job vacancies.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, a breakfast-time Women in the Marine Industry International meeting at the METSTRADE Theatre on Thursday 16 November will be supported by Marine Industry News, British Marine and Soundings Trade Only.
Six inspirational female leaders will discuss how to take advantage of the opportunities open to women in the marine industry today and answer audience questions. Later that day the METSTRADE Theatre will see host a distinguished panel of female founders who will share their challenges and success strategies, providing valuable insights into how to support and promote entrepreneurship.
Marine Industry News magazine heading to METSTRADE
The Invention and Design issue of Marine Industry News (MIN) magazine will be launched at METSTRADE in November 2023 and will feature exclusive interviews with leading leisure marine businesses, market analysis and the latest product news.
Members of the team will be at the show, so do get in contact for meetings and networking. Visitors keen to meet the editorial team can email info@marineindustrynews.co.uk.
The magazine will be distributed to all exhibitors at METSTRADE plus visitors to the Marine Industry News stand 01.582.
In addition to distribution at the show, the Marine Industry News magazine is sent to our international database and a digital version to our 12,500+ daily news database.
To learn more about online and print advertising opportunities with Marine Industry News, contact Lyndsay McClay.
Celebrating excellence in boat building and its supply chain
The Boat Builder Awards for Business Achievement, in association with Raymarine, raises the profile of companies and industry professionals collectively driving the boat and superyacht manufacturing sector forward.
A celebratory gala dinner under the star-studded glass canopy of the Amsterdam National Maritime Museum on Thursday 16 November.
Key focal points around METSTRADE
The Superyacht Pavilion (SYP) features more than 350 sector specialist suppliers in halls 9-11. Hall 9 will also feature the SYP Bar, hosted by Holland Yachting Group. The Construction Material Pavilion (CMP) is the place to head for in hall 12 to check out latest developments in materials and construction techniques, while the Marina & Yard Pavilion (MYP) has its own dedicated space for marina and harbour professionals to meet in hall 5 again this year.
Conference programme
Alongside METSTRADE is a particularly busy programme of conferences this year.
These include the HISWA Marina Symposium on Friday 17 November and the Superyacht Forum: Connect (14-16 November) with a theme of fostering connections, sharing knowledge and cultivating innovation in the superyacht industry.
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