METS Leads Global Maritime Industry Amid Choppy Waters

As the world's largest trade fair dedicated to industries of watercrafts, marine equipment and related services, the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS), organized by the Amsterdam RAI International Exhibition and Congress Organizers of the Netherlands in association with the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), has hardly had its sails ruffled amid the rough seas since the global meltdown. The exhibitor and visitor numbers this year are very encouraging compared to those of last year.

The METS has been always regarded a key business platform for yacht builders, naval architects, distributors, wholesalers, super-yacht owners and captains, marina owners and operators and equipment manufacturers worldwide, confirmed by the sizable attendance at the 3-day event from Nov. 17 to 19 at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre.

The 2008 edition attracted 1,210 exhibitors and 18,485 visitors, nearly 90% of whom came from other European countries, 3% from the Middle East, 2% from North America and 1% from Asia. More significantly is that the official figures show that each exhibitor contacted 53 new clients and signed 33.6 orders on-average, reflective of the event's considerable business potential.

Fortunately for especially yacht builders for, after being virtually capsized by the global downturn, they have found a lighthouse of hope at the 2009 METS, whose promising exhibitor number of 1,261 and 18,454 visitors from across the globe pointed to a recovery.

Enormous Range

Occupying gross area of 52,000 square meters, the METS 2009 saw 15 national pavilions established to house globally-famous exhibitors from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.

Describing the METS as a show offering everything under one roof for boat builders would be an understatement, for any builder could have literally found, except mermaid bow ornaments, fiberglass-reinforced deck coating to dinghy hanger assembly to craft a 17-foot runabout as well as 60-foot tri-cabin yacht. Practically everything was available for watercrafts, including anchoring and docking equipment, aspiration and ventilation, boat care, chemicals, coatings, maintenance, boat covers and canvas, shipbuilding materials and equipment, clothing and apparel, deck hardware and the rigging, electrical products, electronics, engine management solutions, boat engines and motors, fuel handling, galley equipment and appliances, gas installations, marine hardware, hydraulic systems, insulation, interior furnishings, boat lightings, lubrication, marina and yard equipment, maritime goods, mounting equipment, navigation devices, plumbing, marine safety equipment, seating, starter systems and parts, steering stability equipment, trailers, transmissions and gears and ventilation.

Catering to the tip of the yachting pyramid, the organizer also set up the SuperYacht Pavilion (SYP), which not only showcased the newest megayachts but also support services required to keep such floating palaces in ship shape, including bunkering, crew management, provisioning, repair and refit and yacht transport. The SYP housed 119 exhibitors and drew 4000 visitors.

Leading Design Event

Besides being a world-class stage for marine and yacht gear, the METS is also a promoter of innovation among inventors, designers and other bright minds interested in the watercraft industry. Inaugurated since 1991, the DAME (Design Award METS) has been a much anticipated event at the trade show that honors new, creative groundbreaking designs in marine equipment and accessories, as well as recognized as the leading design competition of its kind globally.

Contributing to safer night-time navigation, FLIR Systems, Inc. of the Netherlands won the overall DAME Award 2009 with its M-626L Series Thermal Night Vision System. The DAME Jury's report describes the system as built with a micro-lux, low-light camera for improved visibility during twilight hours and a 26-degree field of view. The M-626L also wins intense compliments for sleek exterior, Ethernet capability and, especially remote controlled function, which enables mariners to control the system with a joystick anywhere onboard.

Upgrading Know-how

METS is also known for its tradition of providing educational opportunities for insiders via a series of specialist conferences and seminars, and there was no exception in 2009.

The Global SuperYacht Forum, hosted by The Yacht Report Group, celebrated its 15th anniversary at the METS this year, which, with a number of globally-famous specialists and leading superyacht builders attending, focused on issues of ownership, superyacht market prospects and technological development as one of the most important trendsetting conferences in the industry.

With use of electronics and computerized accessories in watercrafts and luxury yachts continuing to grow, the NMEA (National Marine Electronic Association) also hosted the NMEA 2000 ConnectFest and an educational seminar at the METS, aiming to raise awareness and level of understanding regarding the applications of electronic products in vessels and NMEA 2000 standards for shipbuilders. Not only did such conferences and seminars help to update shipbuilders with the latest in maritime electronics, but also served to build more business opportunities for suppliers of such products.

Taiwan Sails Along

The global downturn has surprisingly not fully taken the wind out of the sails of Taiwan's yacht-builders. And perhaps partly buoyed by the recent delivery of a retrofitted superyacht to an owner of a European luxury goods house by a Kaohsiung-based boat-builder, many Taiwan-based marine hardware and maintenance equipment suppliers saw fit to exhibit at the METS this year. Such enthusiasm is fueled also by the decades of know-how and prowess sharpened in Taiwan's tool and machinery sectors, as well as the relatively unknown genesis of the island's boatbuilding sector that traces back to the Vietnam War days. In recent years and as the Taiwan government recognizes the need to back a diversified range of sectors, makers of marine equipment and yacht builders on the island have received varying degrees of help to upgrade technologies and go global, enabling such suppliers to find new harbors of business in ever challenging seas.

Well known for commitment to quality and customer service, the exhibitors from Taiwan were quite popular with buyers at the show. For instance, marine hardware suppliers Marine Town Inc. and Homer Mfg & Co., Ltd. attracted ample attention with a variety of items, effectively taking another step forward to tap the global market.

Always ready to serve Taiwan-based suppliers and being sensitive to global trends, CENS, a Taipei-based multimedia export-promoter with 35 years of experience, attended the METS this year the first time, circulating the newest Watercraft Hardware Special, which helped suppliers in Taiwan to build global presence.

Global suppliers and buyers of yachts and marine equipment can look forward to the METS in 2010, scheduled for Nov. 16 to 18, 2010 at the same venue. With the American stock market rallying and Europe technically out of the recession, the yacht and marine gear sectors will likely be able to do business on calmer seas.