MAATS buyer/supplier meetings up 25 percent

LAS VEGAS – A bigger Marine Aftermarket Accessories Show means more buyer/supplier meetings this year – about 1,500, compared to 1,128 last year.

This year’s show, which is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, will feature 366 exhibitors, up 24 percent from last year, according to an interview with MAATS manager Kathleen Clickett. The show floor has moved from the Las Vegas Hilton to the Las Vegas Convention Center, allowing for an increase of almost 30 percent to 43,000 square feet.

Some of the growth in exhibitors is coming from outside the United States. With the addition of the Italian Pavilion this year, there are a total of 38 international companies exhibiting, said Clickett.

The number of exhibitors participating in buyer/supplier meetings has also grown, from 215 last year to 282 this year.

MAATS organizers have responded to requests to change the show’s timing by pushing it back two weeks. In addition, they were able to secure dates during the week, rather than over the weekend, this year.

These changes – combined with co-location with the ICAST show – should lead to a boost in attendance of “at least 5 percent,” according to Clickett. Pre-registration for the show is up 11 percent, she added.

Despite expectations for growth, Clickett said MAATS won’t ever be “a huge show.” The future of the show, now in its fifth year, is gradual expansion, she predicted.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association, which organizes the show, has reserved the same amount of space for the show in 2006 and 2007, but there remains some room on the show floor for additional booths if the number of exhibitors continues to grow, Clickett explained.

Bigger AND better
Not only has MAATS grown, it is improving, according to organizers.

Tools introduced last year, such as booth critiques and buyer ratings of supplier presentations, are expected to make for better booths and more effective buyer/supplier meetings this year.

In addition, the launch of Buyer Preview Night, in which the buyers have a chance to visit exhibitors in their booths before the show opens, will likely push exhibitors to be more prepared than in years past, Clickett suggested.

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