METS 2018
A one-stop-shop for marine industry professionals, the METSTRADE Show provides excellent networking opportunities and a broad range of showcased innovation all located under one roof.
Taking place across three innovation-packed days on 13 to 15 November, METSTRADE, located in RAI exhibition venue in Amsterdam, boasts 87% international exhibitors and 16% new companies for 2018. Opened with the inaugural Breakfast Briefing on the first day of the show, this year’s opening ceremony will include a keynote address by the Chief Executive of Groupe Beneteau, Hervé Gastinel, in which he will share his thoughts and experiences about innovation.
The Breakfast Briefing will also feature the ICOMIA-hosted award ceremony for the world-famous DAME – Design Award. The DAME Awards also serve as a way for the METSTRADE community to give something back to society as all entry fees are donated to a good cause, and this year two charities both of which pursue marine-related objectives have been selected – Wetwheels and the Blue Marine Foundation.
Read the entire METS 2018 preview in SuperYacht Industry issue 4 >
The Centre of Luxury
New for 2018 is METS’ central luxury theme, best exemplified by its debuting MaterialDistrict Pop-up (formerly Material Xperience On Tour). This exhibition is entirely dedicated to inspirational materials for yacht building, with over 120 materials selected by 12 partners all showcasing their wares in the Elicium in RAI Amsterdam. The comprehensive display of materials is again being organised at the Construction Material Pavilion by the global platform for innovative materials, MaterialDistrict.
This year’s emphasis on luxury sees a raft of custom design innovators exhibiting and attending. Anchor brands, such as Armani, which is showing with fashion and interior, are throwing light on the bespoke element of yacht building, from interior designers to shipyards. The examples and references in this exhibition will show that intelligent and recycled materials can be beautiful and luxurious. Recycled felt, recycled leather, lightweight composites made of hemp, wooden textiles and acoustic wool are just some examples of what innovative ‘good’ materials now pass for luxury. MaterialDistrict’s creative director Els Zijlstra will take to the stage on 14 and 15 November with a presentation that will focus on how luxury is not about the bling anymore, but about real, custom-made, personal materials.
All Aboard the SuperYacht Pavilion
Announced in May 2018 as completely sold out, the highly popular Superyacht Pavilion promises to be a hive of activity once again. With two dedicated halls and an associated educational and social networking programme, this will be the 14th occasion that the Superyacht Pavilion offers a 100% platform for the luxury yacht world during the world’s largest B2B leisure marine event.
“We are delighted that we can again serve the superyacht industry with this unique B2B concept within the METSTRADE Show,” comments RAI Amsterdam’s maritime domain manager Irene Dros. “The Superyacht Pavilion has grown exponentially since it was launched in 2005 and we are delighted that it attracts such a wide range of exhibitors, both established and new-to-market companies. Some 10% of the participants in this year’s pavilion will be making their debut and, with more than 20 different nationalities, we can truly claim to be the only international B2B exhibition providing products and services for the large luxury yacht industry.”
Adding to the attraction for this part of the leisure marine market, the 23rd edition of The Superyacht Forum will run parallel, with one day difference, to the METSTRADE Show. Organised in association with METSTRADE, this three-day event sees professionals come together in a meeting of minds from all sectors of the superyacht market, bringing influences and inspirations from both within and outside the industry. The event will offer insight into the latest technical developments and feature a diverse range of keynote speakers, think tank talks and networking opportunities.
To further emphasise the importance of the superyacht industry, a new award category for superyacht builders has been added to the prestigious annual Boat Builder Awards. Initiated in 2015 by METSTRADE and International Boat Industry magazine (IBI), this event recognises individual and team success within companies globally. The fourth edition of the Boat Builder Awards will take place on Tuesday 13 November, the opening day of METSTRADE, in the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.
HISWA Symposium Golden Jubilee year
The year 2018 marks the Golden Jubilee of the International HISWA Symposium on Yacht Design and Yacht Construction. Organised to shine a light on the latest developments in the field of yachting and yacht design every year, the Jubilee edition will take place on 12 and 13 November.
“We have been organising this symposium since 1968,” explains Hans Hopman, professor in marine engineering at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). “A unique collaboration between HISWA, TU Delft and RAI Amsterdam, it is the ideal forum in which to share the latest scientific findings with the international market and research institutes.”
This year’s symposium, which is open to businesses, students and research institutes carries the theme of ‘Back to the Future’, and will be opened by naval architect Gerard Dijkstra and the former associate professor at TU Delft Dr Lex Keuning. They will reflect on past innovations while also considering new ones in the fields of yacht design and construction.
I-nnovationLAB Stage
A series of lectures and presentations organised on the I-nnovationLAB Stage in Hall 6 this year will take place in the MaterialDistrict, spanning three days of the exhibition. Designed to stimulate discussions on a variety of topics in the leisure marine industry, the stage on the exhibition floor will host two expert panel debates during the first two days on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 November 2018: ‘Cleaner oceans and waterways’ and ‘The search for authentic sustainability’. The panel sessions will host a range of specialists from the industry with an expert background related to the topics at hand.
The session will be moderated by Patrick Hemp, technical manager of ICOMIA, and the panellists will be Dr Vienna Eleuteri (sustainability manager at Viareggio Superyachts), Ken Wittamore (managing director of Triskel Marine, Hybrid Power & Propulsion Systems), Jaap van der Woude (sustainability committee chair of the European Composites Industry Association), James Starkey (yacht design & production graduate from Southampton University) and Charlotte Schiffer (designer at the LADIDA Design Institute).
“This is the second year that sustainability will be at the very heart of the METSTRADE Show,” explains Dros. “This clearly demonstrates our commitment to these crucial issues and ensures we have the broadest possible reach. We intend to continue placing sustainability at the forefront of our activities as METSTRADE encourages and advocates for ways to implement more environmentally friendly practices throughout the industry.”
E-nnovationLAB
The growing demand for hybrid and electric engines is becoming ever-more apparent within the leisure marine market. METSTRADE responded to this emerging trend last year by introducing the E-nnovationLAB platform for electric propulsion technology. This year’s E-nnovationLAB will occupy an even more prominent position in Hall 7, where it will host Danfoss Mobile Electrification and Transfluid, amongst others.
Electrification is changing the boating world. It is clear from the growing popularity of purely electric boats and visible in the increasing number of hybrid variants, including serial hybrids (in which a generator supplements batteries and renewable energy sources) and parallel hybrids (in which an electric propulsion system operates in conjunction with a traditional propulsion engine). The E-nnovationLAB will celebrate the world of marine electrification by showcasing electric and hybrid solutions, and bring together specialists to explore technical challenges and celebrate successful projects. A series of presentations by experts will define the costs and benefits of various electric and hybrid options, report on critical advances in the core areas of energy storage and hull design, and describe ongoing implementations in applications ranging from superyachts to canal boats. Vital information will be provided for naval architects, system designers, boat builders and other marine professionals.