Record exhibitors lined up for Skipper show

A RECORD breaking 151 companies have confirmed so far that they well be exhibiting at Skipper Expo Int. Aberdeen 2016, making the show the biggest yet.
Among those present at this year’s exhibition, on May 27 and 28, will be 51 first time exhibitors.
There has been particularly strong interest from abroad, with companies coming from Canada, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the US.
According to Sharon Boyle of show organiser Mara Media, a surge of confidence within the Scottish industry, including new boat building activity, has been behind much of the interest in this year’s event.
‘The bookings for stand space have been quite phenomenal this year and it is heartening to see so much confidence within the Scottish fishing industry,’ she said.
‘This is also very much turning into a pan-European expo, with a large number of exhibitors attending from abroad.’
Among these is French based trawl door and fishing equipment manufacturer, Morgère, which will be promoting the Exocet trawl door and the innovative new Cyclops pair trawl control system.
The company’s Michel Dagorn said: ‘We look forward to meeting skippers at the expo and demonstrating to them the benefits offered by our trawl gear systems, which are ideally suited for the demanding fishing conditions experienced by the Scottish fishing fleet.’
Steven Taylor, senior manager at Denholm Fishselling, also praised the support the expo is enjoying.
‘It’s great to be participating at Aberdeen this year and it is fantastic that so many other companies have also confirmed their attendance,’ he said.
‘The expo will provide us with an excellent opportunity to meet our customers and clients.’
The exhibition hall at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) will feature companies from virtually every equipment and service sector of the fishing industry.
Highlights of the show include a new venue (Aberdeen Football Club, Pittodrie) for the free industry seafood buffet night.
Sharon Boyle said stand space is filling up fast so companies thinking of booking should do so as soon as they can.