I recently returned from the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference in Tampa, Fla., where the trends that will shape the industry are unveiled each year. By all accounts, inside and outside of the Soundings Trade Only booth, it was a wildly positive event spiked with a bit of excitement after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic and Hurricane Ian. The aisles were packed, exhibitors seemed genuinely upbeat, and there was a great vibe inside the Tampa Convention Center.

According to organizers, the show welcomed 8,600 industry professionals from 70 countries, including 4,600 visitors, 27% of whom were from abroad. The breakfast, Innovation Awards presentation and keynote address on opening day were sold out, with more than 900 attendees. Thirteen of the awards were handed out, along with four honorable mentions. Frank Hugelmeyer, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, gave a state-of-the-industry address, and Connor Lokar, ITR Economics senior forecaster, gave the keynote.

The Soundings Trade Only team hosted a series of pre-IBEX events at the Tampa Marriott Water Street, including a Women in the Industry Summit and an Industry Leadership Panel. Approximately 150 people attended the events, which opened with a lunch-and-learn session. The Leadership Panel consisted of women from many segments of the marine industry.

Following the leadership panel, I had the privilege of announcing the overall winner of Soundings Trade Only’s Top 10 Most Innovative Marine Companies Awards. Now in its sixth year, the program recognizes businesses that are transforming the industry through new manufacturing processes, marketing approaches, technologies, products, purposes, directions, workforce culture and other initiatives.

Garmin, which had placed close to the top during the past few installments, took the top spot this year as the most innovative marine company. We did not announce the placement of the remaining nine winners and three honorable mentions at the event; instead, we saved that news for this issue. Spread across eight pages starting on Page 32, our reporting details the innovations and initiatives that made these companies standouts among the year’s 28 entries. Please join me in congratulating the winners for their hard work pushing the innovation needle.

Outside of the awards, IBEX set the stage for the trends we’ll see across the industry in the coming year. Automation in boat navigation and docking is picking up steam fast. Some offerings are not yet fully baked, but companies are refining the algorithms, sensors and components needed to make autonomous boating ready for prime time. Eric Colby reports on Brunswick’s first autonomous system on Page 48. He says the system is among the most polished he’s seen (and he’s done deep dives into several autonomous boat systems this past year).

Another expanding trend is systems electrification. With high-output alternators, hefty lithium-ion battery banks and electrical systems wired for 48 volts, electrification is promising a world on board without noisy gas and diesel generators. If you haven’t experienced sleeping in air-conditioned silence on the hook, let me tell you, it’s a game changer for anchorages. Alan Jones reports on this trend in his “Getting Technical” column on Page 50.

Artificial intelligence was another buzzword at IBEX. In some cases, such as automation, AI is largely a trusted and reliable partner. In other spheres, such as the publishing world, editors and writers like me are still trying to figure out the ethical and professional ramifications of tools like ChatGPT. Wanda Kenton Smith investigated some of these hurdles this month in her Marketing Insight column, which is on Page 65. Without spoiling her reporting, I’ll tell you that AI still needs a good team of editors to ensure accuracy, brand voice and story structure.

Last, it was a great thrill this month to interview innovator and X Shore CEO Jenny Keisu, who is helping to lead an electric-boat revolution from Sweden. The company’s Eelex 8000, X Shore 1 and X Shore PRO models are proof that electric boats can be fun, exciting and environmentally sound. The interview begins on Page 6.

I’m still buzzing from what felt like the first normal gathering of the industry since the pandemic barreled into our lives in the awful year that was 2020. Getting a peek into the crystal ball of trends is always fun, but heading into 2024, it seems downright exhilarating. 

This article was originally published in the November 2023 issue.