The Marine Equipment Trade Show reported slightly higher attendance this year and an exhibitor total that fell only marginally, compared with what organizers said was a record-breaking figure last year.
METS 2012, which was held Tuesday through Thursday in the Amsterdam RAI Convention Center, said 19,617 people attended, up 385 from 19,232 in 2011. Organizers said vibrant networking and social events added extra buzz to the largest show to date and international attendance was about 2 percent higher than last year.
There were 1,318 exhibitors, compared with 1,331 a year earlier, organizers said.
“The atmosphere has been brilliant, with high attendance levels reinforcing the fact that the concept of METS stands firm,” METS domain manager Irene Dros said in a statement. “There could have been no greater vote of confidence for our 25th anniversary event.”
METS is organized by Amsterdam RAI in association with the International Council of Marine Industry Associations. The event incorporates the SuperYacht Pavilion, the central platform for the worldwide superyacht industry.
An unprecedented 43 percent of METS exhibitors pre-booked stand space for 2013 before this year’s show ended, organizers said. The next METS will be held Nov. 19-21, 2013, at the same location.
