IBEX registration opens
The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) has announced that visitor registration is now open for this year’s show, set to take place at the Tampa Convention Center, Oct. 7-9.
IBEX 2025 is set to feature over 700 exhibitors, including more than 50 new exhibiting companies, across three floors of exhibition space, and welcome an anticipated total attendance of 8,000 industry professionals. Attendees will include boat builders, manufacturers, naval architects, distributors, wholesalers and more.
The show theme, “Fast Forward,” reflects the pace of innovation currently shaping the marine industry, from advanced electronics and smarter build technologies to next-gen propulsion and sustainable materials.
“In an industry undergoing rapid change and an uncertain future, IBEX is where we come together to navigate what’s next,” said Mary Velline, show director of IBEX. “Boatbuilding is a decentralized, resilient, and remarkably inventive community – and IBEX is the one place each year where those innovations, challenges, and ideas take center stage. It’s where builders connect, learn, and push each other forward. The show floor is packed with new technologies, the seminars offer critical insights, and the conversations you have will shape the year ahead. IBEX is where momentum is built and where we go Fast Forward, together.”
Many displays and events will return to IBEX this year, including the IBEX Industry Breakfast, the Tech Talk Theater, a Start-Up Pitching Competition, the Start-Up Pavilion in a new location on the first-floor exhibit hall, the Opening Night Party and Mid-Show Mixer at the Sail Pavilion, and more. The full schedule of events is now available.
IBEX 2025’s seminar program offers forward-thinking content for today’s boatbuilders. Highlights include “AI Afloat,” exploring practical applications of AI with experts from Hefring Marine, Tocaro Blue, and MIT; “Winning the Next Generation of Boaters,” featuring leaders from Freedom Boat Club, Lund Boats, and Tiara Yachts; and “The Perils of Paint: Creating Consistency in Yacht Coatings” with experts from Peake Coating and Front Street Shipyard. In “Good Ideas Gone Bad,” DLBA’s Chris Swanhart examines design missteps and their impact on performance. ABYC’s E-11 Update will unpack major 2025 changes to electrical system standards, offering critical insight for engineers and installers alike.
The Education Conference will include Monday Pre-Conference sessions, Tech Talk workshops on the show floor, the technical Seminar Series and the returning IBEX Main Stage lineup of sessions.
Visitors and accredited press registration and exhibitor registration are now open. Show management strongly recommends securing hotel reservations soon. To begin planning for IBEX 2025, visitors can review the exhibitor list, floor plans, schedule of events and more by visiting the IBEX website. To learn about the products, services, and companies that are driving the future of marine industry technology, visit IBEX 365.
