Commercial Marine Expo Returns to Virginia in 2013

The Port of Hampton Roads is the largest port complex in the United States, encompassing Norfolk, Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk and Virginia Beach—and Commercial Marine Expo is the only B2B trade show representing this robust maritime marketplace.

Commercial Marine Expo brings qualified marine buyers and sellers together in a unique, business-to-business environment in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic commercial marine industries. It's an opportunity for the industry’s leading suppliers and manufacturers to showcase new products and technology before this audience of hard-to-reach coastal and blue-water maritime professionals over two days.

For the first time, CME will be held in the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, VA.  Also new for 2013, the CME Boat Pavilion—featuring commercial-grade vessels of all types and sizes—debuts on the show floor in the heart of the main exhibit hall.

Professionals who attended the 2011 edition of the show were extremely satisfied with the depth and diversity of the products and services offered by exhibitors. “I drove down from north of NYC,” says Mark Markarian, a 2011 CME attendee, “and it was worth every mile! I’m starting a boutique adventure cruise and saw Commercial Marine Expo as a place to get questions answered and to find partners and venture capitalists. I came away with leads in all of those areas, so I’m a very happy camper.”

At CME, buyers compare, price and purchase the latest equipment and gear. They attend expecting to see technical experts in search of solutions to the challenges they face, and the newest technology and innovations. For many, CME is the only show they attend to see and purchase what's new in the industry—it's their most efficient, one-stop purchasing source.”

Many exhibitors reported positive results from the show, attributable to the quality of the attendees. Ernest Ellis Jr. president of Sea-Fire Marine, a manufacturer of fire suppression equipment and a CME 2011 exhibitor, was quoted in Inside Business magazine after the inaugural event in Virginia. “I voiced earlier to the show organizers that the expo was very good,” he said.  During the first day of CME, Ellis met an attendee who was retrofitting a vessel. Before the show opened the second morning, Ellis was able to visit the attendee’s Portsmouth-based business. “It’s the quality of the foot traffic, not necessarily the quantity,” Ellis said.

Hampton Roads boasts a robust presence in every key market segment including major U.S. port authorities and engineers; ship building and repair; marine engineers and architects; and owners and operators of—and service-providers to—tug and push boats; commercial fishing boats; passenger and vehicle ferries; patrol, police and fire boats; excursion vessels; military and Coast Guard vessels; homeland security vessels; diving and salvage vessels; research and education vessels, and ship building and ship repair operations.