More than 3,200 people attended last week’s event

The 30th International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) closed last week with early indications that attendance exceeded expectations. The show took place at the Tampa Convention Center in Florida from September 28-30.

With the return of an in-person event, IBEX saw more than 560 exhibitors, including 80 new exhibiting companies, and more than 3,200 visitors. The IBEX docks were sold out with 29 boats on display and the expanded outdoor displays included nine demos and exhibits.

In all, there were 18 exhibiting international companies representing 12 nationalities – Australia, China, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Slovenia, Taiwan and the UK.

The IBEX Education Conference had more than 300 registrants who participated in over 40 pre-conference sessions and technical seminars. Additionally, hundreds of visitors took advantage of the free workshops hosted in The Tech Talk Theater on the show floor.

“I’ve talked with many of our exhibitors and they are saying the same thing, that while attendance may have been impacted by Covid concerns, the quality of boatbuilders and industry buyers this year was exceptional,” said Anne Dunbar, IBEX show director. “We all needed this event to reconnect and experience the new innovations that will move the marine industry forward. We are so pleased to have brought the industry together for another successful IBEX.”

IBEX is scheduled to return to the Tampa Convention Center next year from September 27-29, 2022.

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