IBEX exhibit space sells out

BROOKLIN, Maine — All available space in the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference 2006 exhibition area of the Miami Beach Convention Center has been contracted out to boatbuilding-related businesses worldwide, organizers reported this week.

The total number of companies represented at IBEX 2006 exceeds 800, and includes manufacturers and suppliers from six continents. Attendees at this year’s IBEX, to be held Nov. 1–3 with pre-conference Oct. 31, will be able to meet with annual exhibitors as well as many companies making a debut at the 16th annual show for boat builders, repairers, designers, surveyors and yard/marina operators.

Complete descriptions of the companies that will be exhibiting at IBEX, as well as the brands and products they sell, are available online at www.ibexshow.com. Prospective attendees can visit the site and search for companies by name, by location in the exhibition, or by products they sell. An Internet mapping tool also is available that allows users to schedule their time throughout the convention center in the exhibition and conference.

“We had a great response from the trade when we began selling exhibit space for this year’s show,” says Carl Cramer, IBEX co-director and publisher of Professional BoatBuilder magazine. “Many annual exhibitors increased the size of their spaces, and we had a lot of new interest this year as well.”

Several dozen of the exhibiting companies also are producing pre-conference workshops the day before the show opens, exhibitors’ workshops each afternoon of the show, and outdoor demonstrations ongoing during exhibition hours.

“The opportunities for information and training from exhibitors are exceptional at IBEX 2006,” says Kathleen Clickett, IBEX co-director and NMMA trade manager. “With daily special events and free workshops and demos, IBEX is a valuable way to introduce entire staffs to the new technologies now available.”

IBEX 2006 attendees can receive their free exhibit-hall badges in the mail by registering before Oct. 19. Seminar discounts are available for attendees who register by Sept. 29. The complete list of almost 60 seminars, organized into nine topic-tracks plus three special daylong sessions, is on the Web site at www.ibexshow.com, which includes a downloadable brochure.

Companies interested in receiving exhibitor information or being placed on the wait list for space should contact Tina Sanderson at 802–879–8324, or Anne Dunbar at 716–662–4708.

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