Thank you for helping us to make IBEX Tampa 2014 an incredibly successful show. I know selecting Tampa as a location for IBEX was the right choice. It was energizing to see our industry well-represented, helping us create a vibrant, reinvigorated show. Given the unique offerings of the Tampa Convention Center with its on-water options and close proximity to marine businesses throughout the Southeast boating region, we look forward to returning to Tampa in 2016.
I’m equally excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in Louisville, KY in 2015. Louisville’s proximity to leading boat builders and manufacturers across the Midwest, North and South, make it a central, low-cost destination for a majority of our industry. In addition, our plans for Louisville, which we’ll begin to unveil in the coming months, promise to bring a renewed momentum to this location.
While some of our community requested that IBEX remain in Tampa in 2015, the many benefits Louisville offers guided our decision to keep IBEX in Louisville in 2015. In addition, keeping IBEX on course for Louisville honors our prior commitments to the city, the convention center, and several hotel chains we do business with. I feel strongly that acting with integrity to honor our commitments is important.
I am dedicated to a long-term strategy of rotating IBEX between the two largest areas of boat building and marine manufacturing in North America. Each year, the show will shift between a central location and a Florida location. Show dates for IBEX Tampa 2016 are October 4 - 6, 2016.
I believe this creates the right combination for IBEX. One that brings together boat builders and decision makers who value IBEX and recognize that location is secondary to the business the show generates and the growth it brings to our industry.
We’d like to announce and invite you to join us as we celebrate our 25th IBEX, September 15-17, 2015 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. In addition to the valuable networking you’ve become accustomed to in Louisville, in 2015 the entire industry will celebrate 25 years of marine innovation, technology, and excellence as IBEX rolls out the red carpet in honor of our 25th event. It will be a party you won’t want to miss and a milestone we can all be proud of.
Thank you for supporting IBEX and being a valued partner. Please feel free to contact me anytime.
Sincerely,
Anne Dunbar
IBEX Show Director