Industry professionals from different parts of the world are arriving at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville today, to attend the three-day 2012 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) where they will be able to get a glance at the future of the recreational boating industry.

IBEX 2012

IBEX 2012 Show Stats

·         Exhibit Hall – 100,000 net square feet

·         Exhibiting Companies – 520 exhibitors from 12 countries

·         Number of Seminars – 92 technical and business seminars

·         Total Number of Speakers – 120 leading marine industry experts

·         Average Length of a Seminar – 90 minutes

·         Number of FREE Learning Workshops Offered – 16

“IBEX offers value for everyone involved in the marine industry, from designers to dealers, and everyone in between who are servicing and supplying products for boats of all types and sizes,” said Anne Dunbar, IBEX show director. “Marine professionals come to IBEX to learn about the new products and technologies that will create a better boat, and to gain fresh perspectives and insights on how to run their businesses more effectively, discover business opportunities and close deals – all in one location at an affordable price. It’s the only place you can do a year’s worth of business in three days.”

IBEX 2012 features more than 500 OEM and aftermarket suppliers who will be presenting their new products and technologies, many of them for the first time, as well as more than 90 technical and business seminars conducted by top industry experts in their fields, 16 factory workshops and hands-on outdoor product demos.

IBEX kicks off tomorrow morning with the All-Industry Breakfast, where the Keynote Speaker will be Steve M. Murdock, former director of the U.S. Census. He will speak on how demographic trends in the U.S. population will affect the boating industry. The keynote speech will be followed by a welcome from National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) president Thom Dammrich, inductions into the Marine Hall of Fame and presentation of the Alan J. Freedman Award, Mel Barr Award, 2012 Product Innovation Awards and the first-ever Exhibitor Video Awards (EVAs).

Following a full day of seminars, demos and action on the exhibition floor, attendees will head downtown Tuesday evening for the Fourth Street LIVE party in Louisville’s premier entertainment and dining district. And on Wednesday evening, IBEX will host the first-ever IBEX Bourbon Experience in the exhibit halls, featuring displays and 50-cent samples from two of Kentucky’s most famous distilleries.

IBEX is taking advantage of new online and social media tools to help exhibitors and attendees plan and optimize their IBEX experience, including myIBEX, an interactive online portal that plays “matchmaker” between buyers and sellers, a smartphone app that allows them to navigate the exhibit halls and plan their schedules on the move, real-time updates on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and free Wi-Fi coverage throughout the halls. For 2012, IBEX is also inaugurating a Social Media Lounge in the center of the exhibit halls, where marine professionals can learn how to use the new technologies to engage with their customers and improve their businesses.

“If you don’t come to IBEX you miss the opportunity to improve the quality of your boats; you miss the chance to learn and to innovate. If you are in boat manufacturing, design, or purchasing and you are not at IBEX, then you could be at a disadvantage,” said Jay Patton, President, American Boatbuilders Association Inc. (ABA).

“IBEX is one of our most important events of the year for anyone doing business in the marine industry,” said Adam Boulay, President & CEO of Universal Waters, representing Dolphinite at IBEX. “It’s our opportunity to meet the best people in the industry in an environment where we openly share and learn about new projects, new technologies, and new innovations. The IBEX trade-only show allows us to meet with our suppliers, customers, and distribution partners in an unrushed friendly atmosphere far different than the pressure experienced at the big national consumer boat shows.”