Switching the Irish Skipper Expo from Galway to Limerick was something of a gamble – but one that has been a resounding success, according to show organiser Mara Media’s Commercial Fishing Manager Sharon Boyle.
‘The Limerick venue is a much more professional platform, with more space and visitor numbers are up on last year. The addition of the two conferences held the day before the event provided the perfect synergy, bringing aquaculture and offshore strongly into the picture,’ she said, commenting that listening to the feedback from exhibitors and visitors has paid off.
Now there are changes about to take place at the Scottish Skipper Expo, which opens its doors on the 9th of May at P&J Live in Aberdeen.
‘This show is now in its 12th year and is firmly established as one of Europe’s most important fisheries expos. The move to P&J Live really opened the event up, with an international reputation for being a great place to do business.’
This year is the first time that the Scottish Skipper Expo becomes a weekday-only event, running across Thursday and Friday, which allows both visitors and exhibitors more options in reaching Aberdeen and the opportunity to be home for the weekend.
But this isn’t the only change that’s coming – as the next Scottish Skipper Expo won’t be until 2026.
‘It’s not easy to make this kind of change, but going to a Thursday-Friday exhibition is in line with every other industry trade show, and this is a change we made based on what our visitors and exhibitors have been telling us. The feedback from the industry has also been clearly in favour of going to holding the expo every second year from 2024, developing a stronger series of events with a longer interval between them,’ Sharon Boyle said.
‘Companies from around the world are eager to secure their space within the new floorplan layout, recognising the exhibition as a prime opportunity to grow their business. We’re looking forward to seeing a fantastic showcase for the Scottish, wider UK and European fishing sectors that features virtually every type of equipment and support service available to the fishing industry today.’
Although exhibition space at the Scottish Skipper Expo is close to fully booked, there are still some options available for companies looking to join those already placed.
‘There’s a strong overseas representation at Scottish Skipper Expo 2024, including Denmark’s leading fishing ports, Turkish shipbuilders and leading products from around the globe. The spacious exhibiting arena will also feature six vessels on display, the greatest number to date and a leading attraction for visitors,’ she said.
Shaping up to be the biggest and best Scottish Skipper Expo to date, pre-registration for visitors to beat the queues at the door is already open.
