Published on: 21 November 2023
Busy stands, awards and accolades
METSTRADE 2023 has proved a great success for British Marine members as thousands of visitors headed to the world’s largest trade exhibition of marine equipment, materials and systems.
Thirty-two British Marine member companies showcased a whole host of products and services at the British Marine organised British Pavilion (Hall 3), with a further seven members exhibiting in the Superyacht Pavilion (Halls 10-11) at this year’s METSTRADE (15-17 November).
The show got underway with the traditional Breakfast Briefing followed by much awaited results of the world-renowned DAME Awards 2023. Congratulations to all the British Marine members who were amongst those shortlisted and a huge congratulations to British Marine member’s Scanstrut, who clinched one of the DAME category awards for the ATMOS 12V Waterproof Built in Air Station. Grant Fox, Head of Marketing at Scanstrut commented: “We’re extremely proud to have picked up the DAME award in the comfort and entertainment afloat category. It’s a real testament to our team’s product development and design process. We’re looking forward to seeing what this product is able to achieve in the market in the coming years.”
Day one of the show also marked the unveiling of the much-awaited ICOMIA ‘‘Pathways to Propulsion Decarbonisation for the Recreational Marine Industry’ research report, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive, peer reviewed research report outlining a portfolio of technologies best positioned to continue to propel the marine industry toward decarbonisation.
“This new research reveals that a variety of solutions need to be considered to continue reducing carbon emissions from recreational craft. It’s a pivotal moment for our industry, as we now have the data to help shape our journey towards a more sustainable future for boating that can be cherished by future generations”, explained Lesley Robinson, CEO, British Marine.
You can learn more about the report by visiting the British Marine Decarbonisation Hub at https://mymembership.britishmarine.co.uk/decarbonisation-hub/accelerating-decarbonisation/pathways-to-propulsion-decarbonisation-for-the-recreational-marine-industry/
Thursday morning saw the welcome return of the incredibly popular ‘Women in the Marine Industry International’ networking and panel discussion. Over 200 men and women attended the event hosted by British Marine, Soundings Trade Only, METSTRADE and Marine Industry News, and supported by Barton Marine, to hear from a panel of exceptional and inspirational women from across the industry.
The panel, made up of Gemma Gonzalez, Yachting Business Unit Director, Gruppo Boero; La
urie Louvier, Vice President Marketing, Dometic; Michelle Hildyard, Vice President Product Management & Business Development, Raymarine; Nicky Vaux, Partner & Business Development Manager, Empire Marinas Group, and host of The Boat Princess podcast; Rachel Bridges, Director & General Manager, Cummins, Global Marine, shared their backgrounds, experience and insights as female leaders working in the marine industry to a packed theatre and thoroughly engaged audience, with discussions focusing on sustainability, AI and work-life balance.
Speaking of the event, Lesley Robinson commented, “What an incredible event, with an inspirational panel of women. We have been delighted by how many people have joined us today. It just shows that there is a real appetite for inclusive events of this nature.”
Then on Thursday evening it was time for the Boat Builder Awards, celebrating excellence in boat building and the individuals, teams and supply chain partners that make them great, there was further success for British Marine members with Beneteau Group and Fairline Yachts each claiming one of the prestigious awards.
- Sustainability Project of the Year, sponsored by ePropulsion – Beneteau Group – recycling fibres into new builds.
- Designer of the Year – Christian Gott, Fairline Yachts
British Marine were also delighted to be nominated at the awards, in the People and Skills Development Category, but sadly a win was not on the cards this year!
British Marine, alongside the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) also hosted a drinks reception on Thursday evening on the British Marine stand, situated at the heart of the British Pavilion, which provided a perfect opportunity to network with fellow exhibitors and visitors to the show.
Throughout the three days there was a real buzz around the show and at the British Pavilion with lots of meetings taking place and plenty of visitors. Representatives from British Marine were also on site throughout the show assisting companies in getting the very best from the show and offering support to exhibitors and visiting members.
“This show is the world’s largest marine trade exhibition and critical for so many of our members. We are pleased to be able to assist our members on the international stage and offer them a prime location at the show enabling them to showcase the best of British to a worldwide market”, Lesley concluded.
What the exhibitors said:
Mark Penny, Commercial Manager, Energy Solution
“Energy Solutions has not exhibited at the show for the last three year but prior to that we’ve exhibited for 10 years. We finally came back this year in 2023 as we are bringing in new products, mainly hybrid drives. We’ve recently been appointed a Damfrost Integrator and we find that a very exciting proposition in the new world of electrification. It’s been great to work with British Marine to get our stand organised and in general in supporting our marine activity.”
Stuart Curtis, Seaglaze
“The show has been really good, lots of enquiries in the book and we are happy to come back again next year.”
Ross Partridge, Yachting & Boating Sales Manager, Henri Lloyd
“Henri Lloyd are delighted to be back at METSTRADE for 2023. We are here launching our 2024 yachting and boating collection, offering recycled and organic materials. We’ve signed up new distributorships at the show and we are looking forward our launch in March 2024.”
Robin George, GMDSS Product Manager, Seas of Solutions
“We are pleased to be here in the British Pavilion with British Marine. The show has lived up to our expectations. We’ve had lots of visitors come in from far and wide. The show saves us from travelling to see them, so it’s good for the environment and it’s a show well done.”
Dr Chris Quigley B.Eng. M.Sc EngD, Director, Warwick Control Technology
“We have loved our stand’s location; it’s been really good being next to British Marine. The show was especially good on Wednesday and Friday, and we have had time to catch up and send one of our team round to network with other exhibitors. We will definitely be coming back next year.”
Brutons Propellers Ltd
“This years METSTRADE has been very good for Bruton Propellers. We got to see many of our suppliers and customers and we’ve made some amazing new connections as well. It’s been really good and we are definitely coming back next year.”
Nigel Bird, Managing Director, Bird Stainless
“Thanks for having us again, this is the 6th time that we’ve been here. This is the biggest stand we’ve had and we’ll be back next year with an equal stand because its generated for footfall for us. METSTRADE is a great networking facility, we’ve seen customers from Europe, England, and all over. It’s a great way to meet and greet and to catch up with people face to face.”
Eifrion Evans, CEO, Lumishore
“Another wonderful METS. It has been 15 years since we first came and this is the show that made our company and its still wonderful to see old friends, old customers, new customers and hopefully some new friends as well. A special thank you to British Marine for making all this happen on our behalf, thank you very much indeed. See you all next year.”
Alexia Fountain, Superyacht Sales Manager, Bluefin LED
“It’s been great to have Bluefin team here at the 35th anniversary of METSTRADE. We’ve had a really great show, lots of energy, a few new products, picked up some great new contacts and we are really looking forward to next year. See you all soon.”
Sophie Mogford-Revess, Commercial Director, LGM Products
“It’s great to be at METSTRADE with British Marine. It’s been a really good show this year. We’ve seen current customers and met some really good new customers as well. We’ve got some great new products that we’ve been showcasing in particularly for boat building, which has gone down really well. All in all, it’s been a really great show and we’ll be back next year.”
Chris Copper, Business Development & Account Manager, Makefast Ltd
“Makefast Marine had an exceptional experience at METSTRADE 2023. Standout highlights included engaging discussions with customers and industry leaders and the vibrant atmosphere of the show. We look forward to the prospect of returning in 2024 with British Marine, further contributing to the success of this premier marine trade show.”
Marcus Pickering, Marine Electronics Marketing Manager, Wescom Group
“It’s been a brilliant week here at METSTRADE. We’ve launched 7 new products, including the Smrt ALERT DSC AIS MOB that got a special mention at the DAME Awards. Thank you to British Marine for all the help and we look forward to seeing you next year.”
David Ellis, Sales & Marketing Manager, Marine Components International Limited
“This has been our 5th time in the British Pavilion at METSTRADE and it was a good year for us. Marine Components International is a distributor for over 11 brands, and at this show our focus is on those we are distributors for in Europe as well as the UK. We had a busy, productive three days talking to current contacts, existing leads and also new opportunities particularly for Groco and Lasdrop . It was great to see the usual buzz around the British Pavilion. See you next year.”
Whether it’s to boost brand exposure, sales generation, to network with peers or to explore new export opportunities, British Marine offers a whole host of UK and International Events for all sectors of the leisure marine industry. To find out more about British Marine’s calendar of events visit https://britishmarine.co.uk/Events-and-Courses
