Mel is back in the warehouse after a whirlwind trip to Europe for Boot Düsseldorf—a quick but incredibly worthwhile visit. It’s been well over a decade since her last time at the show, and this one reminded her exactly why it remains one of the standout events in the global boating calendar. If you are interested in seeing one of the best if not the best boat show in the world check it out next January.
Boot Düsseldorf is the perfect opportunity to see what’s happening across the boating world. While METSTRADE is very much focused on industry and trade connections, Boot is a brilliant indicator of trends, innovation, and where the market is heading. With an enormous variety of boats on display—from dinghies to luxury yachts—along with products and technologies from right across the industry, the scale of the show is always impressive.
In the two days Mel was there she managed to walk around approximately 80% of the show in between catching up with suppliers. As well as listening in on a talk on women in the industry which is always interesting to get the perspective of those in the industry from other countries.
Last time Mel attended Boot, she had the chance to catch up with the fantastic Brand the Walder Boom Brake. It was great to reconnect in person and once again. There’s nothing like seeing products and brands in person and hearing directly from the people behind them.
The second part of the trip took Mel to England to visit the Barton Marine factory. While it would be ideal to tie this in with November’s METSTRADE trip, that month is one of the busiest for us at DeckHardware, making it nearly impossible to get away. January, once things have quietened down a little, makes far more sense for a focused factory visit.
The visit to Barton Marine was a real highlight. Being able to meet the team in person, walk through the factory, and see their operations firsthand is invaluable. There’s so much pride in their operations and how they manufacture their hardware, and experiencing that up close gives us an even better understanding of the products we import and support here in Australia and the region.
Despite the short timeframe, the trip was incredibly productive. It’s always motivating to connect with our international partners and see the passion, innovation, and workmanship that goes into the gear we bring to sailors and those who love to spend time on the water. As well as hearing the many industrial applications the Barton Marine team are working on products for.
Now that Mel is back in the warehouse, we’re excited to put that renewed energy into the year ahead.
