I’ve just arrived home from the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference at the Tampa Bay Convention Center in Florida. Some of you may remember when the event was held in Louisville, Ky. Boy, I sure do, and not in a good way. Since the show moved to Tampa, it has improved for the better year after year.

The docks outside the convention center, which were barely populated the first year in the new venue, were packed this year with boats showcasing autonomous operation, electric propulsion and more. People bustled around as if they were at a good-size, standalone boat show. 

Inside, the venue was packed wall-to-wall with exhibitors, from the third floor to the first. It felt like extra effort went into every display and booth this year, from small widget-makers to multi­billion-dollar component manufacturers. It all looked great.

Soundings Trade Only and IBEX launched the Marine Ideas Exchange, which kicked off early on day two. MIX featured my keynote conversation with Correct Craft president and CEO Bill Yeargin, followed by four rapid-fire panel discussions with industry leaders discussing emerging technology, the future of marine retail, using companies as a force for good, and brand building. From everything our team heard after MIX, it was an unabashed success. Thank you to our sponsors. I can’t wait to get started on the next one, for 2026.

Every time I walked past one of the many conference rooms in the convention center, I saw healthy crowds participating in all sorts of educational presentations. Topics ranged from composites and boatbuilding tech to standards adherence and understanding marine industry associations. I was also excited to see young students learning that jobs in the marine industry are desirable, pay well and can be quite fun.

The feeling on the show floor was overwhelmingly upbeat, despite the tsunami of uncertainty everyone in the industry is facing right now. American companies that manufacture products here at home, using U.S.-made raw materials, touted the fact that tariffs don’t affect them, while foreign companies from countries with trade deals in place said they’re not increasing customer prices. 

Soundings Trade Only also announced the winners of the inaugural EPIC Awards (formerly the Top 10 Most Innovative Marine Company Awards). There were two ties, for first and second place, and category awards were presented for the first time. It was amazing to see the happy faces of industry leaders as they were recognized. You can read about how they all placed, and about each company, in our coverage starting on Page 34. Thank you to all the companies that participated.

The IBEX Innovation Awards had a record 112 entries this year. Having judged these programs for years, I understand what it must have taken for the judges to move around the preshow floor hearing three-minute product pitches for two days. Kudos to Ben Stein, Tim Murphy and all the judges for getting it done.

Speaking of innovation, senior editor David Conway traveled to the Genoa Boat Show in September to take a look at what European boatbuilders and component manufacturers are up to. He found plenty of reason to be excited about the future of boating. You can read about what the Italians are doing starting on Page 42.

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will be days away when most folks pick up this issue. Our marketing columnist, Wanda Kenton Smith, put together an excellent story that provides dealers and industry leaders solid advice about how to market at important shows. Have a look her suggestions starting on Page 56. 

On the horizon in the next few weeks is Metstrade, which takes place in Amsterdam, one of my favorite cities. The show is forecasting record numbers and has expanded into an additional hall, giving it the biggest footprint in Metstrade’s history. I spoke with show director Niels Klarenbeek in late September. You can read his thoughts about the event and the global marine industry on Page 6. 

It was so fulfilling to see our industry rally with a positive vibe at IBEX. Here’s hoping the momentum continues through Fort Lauderdale and Metstrade, and well beyond.