Over 420 to attend Marine13

by Marine13 on 21 Apr 2013 With one week to go before the inaugural event, 28- 30 April, registered attendees at the Marine13 International Conference and Trade Exhibition have grown beyond 420.

Marine13 is attracting a growing number of associated events and VIPs. Marine13 Organising Committee member and Marina Industries Association (MIA) President Andrew Chapman said this is a great achievement given the challenging economic environment and considering the three stream format is new to the marine industry and governments in Australia.

'The Committee is extremely pleased to have achieved this milestone making it probably the biggest marine industry, business to business event in the Southern Hemisphere. We are delighted with the quality and relevance of the 47 conference topics, the national and international speakers and the 45 exhibitors that have invested in the event.'

The scale of Marine13 has attracted significant additional activities around the event. These include an ‘International Lifejacket Forum’ with over 85 participants from Australia and overseas; a ‘Fast Craft’ workshop for commercial vessels and a forum to share safety knowledge across Pacific nations; all hosted by Transport for NSW. MIA has also arranged for 30 marina professionals from five countries to meet as part of their continuing professional development program recognised by the Global Marina Institute.

MIA is welcoming a number of VIPs to Marine13 including groups from Korea and China. A key VIP is Mr Zhang, Chairman and President of the Qingdao City Construction Investment Group (QCCI). QCCI is a state-owned company with assets over ?50 billion (AU$ 8bn) including land development, bridge and road construction and the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center (Marina). Mr Zhang will be one of four presenters in a marina stream session outlining issues and opportunities in emerging marina markets in the Asian region.

Boating Industries Alliance Australia is hosting Andrew Williams, past MD of UK’s National Boat Shows to give delegates a well-researched briefing on how to maximise their boat show investment. Thom Dammrich, President of the US National Marine Manufacturers Association will provide an update on US and global markets. Marine13 will provide several must-attend sessions for dealers and retailers preparing for the forthcoming Australian industry boat show season.

Conference registrations are available online until midnight Thursday 25 April. Tickets for the gala awards dinner and Sydney Harbour Field Trip are also available.

Full information on exhibiting at Marine13 go to www.marine13.com