METSTRADE sees growth in all areas

METSTRADE Show organiser, RAI Amsterdam is claiming that the decision to expand the capacity of the 2016 edition has been fully justified. At the time of Composites in Manufacturing going to press, 97% of the original exhibition floor has already been booked, and sales are also well on course for the additional hall.

By meeting the anticipated increase in demand in this way, RAI Amsterdam has ensured that METSTRADE Show retains its position as the world’s number one leisure marine equipment show. The impressive growth figures cut across all areas of the three-day B2B show. Coupled with a significant increase in the average stand size, they illustrate that the marine industry is well and truly back in business.

There has also been a notable rise in the number of companies opting to have a stand in the pavilions at METSTRADE 2016 compared to the 2015 exhibition. Many more square metres have already been booked at the SuperYacht Pavilion (SYP) compared to June 2015, including first-time exhibitors such as Mapei, Nobiskrug and Pin-Craft.

Plain sailing for composites

Both the Marina & Yard Pavilion (MYP) and Construction Material Pavilion (CMP) already have as many exhibitors registered for 2016 now as there were in total at the 2015 show. Notable newcomers in these pavilions include Marina Projects and Dockmarine in the MYP and Gurit, Scott Bader, Diab, Airex, Wessex Resins and BNS Industrial in the CMP, where a total of 41 exhibitors have currently signed up for participation. Indeed, RAI Amsterdam says that the demand for alternative and lightweight materials for yacht building is increasing, which reflects on the growth of the CMP.

The extra hall added to the new layout for METSTRADE 2016, which will increase the show floor by over 3,000m², is also proving attractive to leading companies like Yamaha and Dometic and a range of other exhibitors. As part of a new layout designed to optimise social and networking opportunities as well as accommodate the ongoing demand for exhibition stands, the successful InnovationLAB concept and stage has been moved to Hall 6 connecting Hall 1 to Hall 7. It will form a central innovation hub with dedicated presentations of the winning and nominated products for the prestigious DAME Design Award. The IBI newsroom will also be located in this part of the show.

“We are delighted to have achieved such high booking numbers so far in advance of the actual event,” commented Irene Dros, manager Maritime METSTRADE at RAI Amsterdam. “The fact that the METSTRADE Show is generating so much interest at this stage of the year – while we have also made the event larger than ever – makes it all the more impressive.

“It is also pleasing to see so many companies registering to take part for the first time. This will help accelerate ongoing growth in the future for the METSTRADE Show as the meeting place of choice for the global leisure marine industry. Our challenge now is to live up to the expectations of the high standards we have set, and focus on welcoming even more visitors from the global marine industry in the editions ahead.”

www.metstrade.com