The METSTRADE atmosphere generated by people from around the world connecting in a productive environment continued throughout the show, which ultimately saw the 6610 personnel representing 1471 exhibiting companies welcome a final total of 23,702 visits. The figure of 15,541 unique visitors was an increase of 8% on the previous highpoint set in 2015, and they represented 11,091 different companies, a year-on-year rise of 7.5%.
The three-day METSTRADE Show, which ran from November 15 to 17, was flanked on either side by leading conferences in the superyacht, leisure marine sustainability, yacht design & construction and marina sectors. The busiest day of the exhibition, the Wednesday, saw almost 10,000 visitors at the RAI Amsterdam centre to access the 11 halls open for business (a 3000m2 increase on last year’s show floor layout).
Turning to the visitor numbers, no less than 64% were from outside the Netherlands. Italy, France and Denmark, three countries which have always been well represented at METSTRADE, saw significant rises this year. And there were a large number of Russian, Polish and Swiss visitors in attendance, which has not been the case before.
85% of the overall visitor total had decision-making authority within their company. And with some 22% of visitors being under 35 years of age, a 10% rise on METSTRADE 2015, the future looks bright for the marine equipment industry.
