It may seem strange to mark your calendars now for something occurring January 10 and 11 of next year. But, when it comes to refits, planning well in advance is a priority. The organizers of the annual Refit International Exhibition & Conference, a.k.a. the Refit Show, understand that well. It explains why they’ve announced the upcoming dates—along with greatly enhanced reasons your captain and/or project manager should attend.
Approaching its third year, the Refit Show will have double the exhibit space that it had this past January. If you attended, you may remember that it shared an exhibit hall with the International Marina and Boatyard Conference. Due to interest from leading shipyards, service yards, and refit-equipment vendors, the Refit Show organizers reserved more floorspace. (The event is owned and produced by Professional BoatBuilder magazine.) It’s worth noting that the 2017 event reflected a 10-percent expansion exhibit space, too.
Another big change for next year is a more in-depth seminar series. This past January, 15 sessions included updates on best practices, case studies of refits, and more. Next year, the Refit Show will have 24 seminars. The boost is in large part due to The Triton crew newspaper, training schools, and trade groups such as the U.S. Superyacht Association coming on as partners.
The Triton editorial staff, for example, will help show organizers develop more seminars meant for captains and crew. So, too, will they assist in creating networking events for these on-deck professionals. “This is a brilliant idea for a conference,” says Lucy Reed, publisher of The Triton. “It’s a perfect fit for us to help bring shipyard and project managers in front of captains and crew so that they can learn from each other to have better refit experiences.”
The Refit Show is further adding more live product demonstrations. What it isn’t changing, however, is the inclusion of the Refit Excellence Awards. These awards recognize international refit professionals for efficiency, problem-solving, and teamwork. Past winners include Enigma XK, refitted by Atlantic Refit Center, and Axia, refitted by Front Street Shipyard.
Organizers will reveal the seminar series in late summer. Registration opens in the fall.
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