2012 International WorkBoat Show Attracts Record Number of Exhibitors and Visitors; October 9-11 Dates Announced for 2013 Show in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LA, January 22, 2013 (Press-News.org) With a keynote address by John Dane, President & CEO, TY Offshore & Trinity Yachts, on "Building for the Workboat Industry--A Look into the Future," 2012 Shipyard Day awards for the Top 10 Significant Boats and the WorkBoat Environmental Awards, and a record 1,100 exhibitors showcasing the latest marine products and services, the 2012 International WorkBoat Show attracted 14,500 attendees, which is the largest number of visitors in the Show's 33 year history.

"The response to this year's show was amazing," said Show Director Bob Callahan of Diversified Business Communications, producers of the International WorkBoat Show. "The Show continues to be the premier marketplace for businesses working on the coastal, inland and offshore waters."

Callahan also announced that the 2013 Show would be held from October 9-11 in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

"With the renovation of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center's Hall A into the 60,000 square foot Great Hall and a pre-existing booking in Halls E-J, the WorkBoat Show will be moving from their normal dates in December," says Stephen Perry, President & CEO of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. "As one of the city's most important customers and most respected long-term business partners, we are delighted that we had alternate dates to offer that allowed the show to continue to maximize their growth and maintain their commitment to New Orleans, now and into the future."

"The WorkBoat Show is really where the industry comes together and it's the key show for this market," commented Martin Meissner, ZF Marine. "It's a world class show."

Callahan noted that Tradeshow Week ranks the International WorkBoat Show as one of the Top 200 largest U.S. trade shows.

2012 Show Highlights
"I continue to be very optimistic about our industry, especially with the U.S. on track to be the world's largest oil and gas producer by 2020 and deepwater set to have a long run," Dane said during his Shipyard Day keynote address. But he tempered his optimism with caveats and concerns ranging from threats to the Jones Act and a shortage of skilled workers to government regulations and budget deficits.

A highlight of the 7th Shipyard Day was the announcement by the WorkBoat editorial staff of its 10 Significant Boats of 2012. The editors review scores of boats that appeared in the magazine during the previous 12 months (December 2011 to November 2012). Of these, the editors choose 10 that deserved special recognition - with some chosen for design or technological advances, while others were selected for speed, style, and uniqueness.

This year's winners were dominated by Louisiana shipyards, which took six of 10 top awards.

The awards recognize the strength and importance of the workboat industry to the New Orleans area and the state of Louisiana." said David Krapf, editor in chief of WorkBoat magazine, which sponsored the awards.

Significant Boat Awards: Louisiana Winners
Aiviq
Designed by Edison Chouest Offshore, based in Cut Off, La., and built by La Ship in Houma, La. and North American Shipbuilding, Larose, La.

AET Innovator
Designed by Elliott Bay Design Group's New Orleans office and built by Jennings, La.-based LEEVAC Shipyards.

Discovery Coast & Chesapeake Coast
Designed by Entech & Associates Inc., Houma, La., and built at Main Iron Works, also of Houma.

H.I. Rich
Midship Marine, Harvey, La., designed and built the H.I. Rich for Clean Gulf Associates, New Orleans.

Murden
Conrad Industries, Morgan City, La., built the vessel and design was overseen by the Corps of Engineer's Marine Design Center in Philadelphia, which hired Seattle-based Jensen Maritime Consultants to develop the contract level design.

Ocean Wave and Ocean Wind
Designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants, Seattle, and built by Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La.

Other 2012 Significant Boat Winners
Hornblower Hybrid
Builder: Chesapeake Shipbuilding (original hull); Derecktor Shipyards (new superstructure); and Hornblower Cruises & Events (outfitting). Designer: Hornblower Cruises & Events, DeJong & Lebet (new superstructure); Hornblower Cruises & Events and partners (propulsion system).

Rich Passage 1
Owned by Kitsap (County) Transit, built by All American Marine, Bellingham, Wash., and designed by New Zealand-based Teknicraft Design.

Queen of the Mississippi
Owned by American Cruise Lines (ACL), Guilford, Conn. and built and designed at sister company Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md.

Sea Scout
Owned and operated by C&C Technologies Inc. and built at All American Marine in Bellingham, Wash. Designed by Teknicraft Design Ltd.

2012 WorkBoat Environmental Awards
Harley Marine Services of Seattle, Harvey Gulf International Marine and the Port of Seattle took top honors during the 2012 WorkBoat Environmental Award ceremonies. Harley Marine won the Comprehensive Environmental Management Plan Award, while Harvey Gulf won for Outstanding Environmental Initiative. The Port of Seattle's Marine Maintenance Department received a Judges Special Recognition Award.

"The quality of these applications was amazing and each of the winners had a compelling story to tell about innovative environmental management practices." commented Bruce Buls, WorkBoat magazine technical editor and one of the award judges. "These award winners clearly show sustainability practices yield bottom-line results and tremendous overall benefits to our communities," commented Buls.

The Fifth Annual WorkBoat Environmental Award recognized businesses and government agencies that operate in the U.S. maritime industry that have successfully incorporated environmentally sustainable practices into their operations.

This year's judges include: Sarah Branch, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Offshore Marine Service Association; Bruce Buls, Technical Editor, WorkBoat Magazine; Laurie Counsel, Energy and Environmental Relations Director, Cummins Inc.; Peter Lauridsen, Regulatory Affairs Consultant, Passenger Vessel Association; David Santos, Commercial Craft Segment Manager, ZF Marine LLC; and, Christina Villiott, Director of Marketing, Elliott Bay Design Group.

WorkBoat Professional Series
Topics ranging from marine industry specific issues to business management and leadership were addressed during the Show through the WorkBoat Professional Series. The Series featured tiered programming that focuses on business management, legal and regulatory issues, marine safety and security, vessel construction and repair, owner/operator issues.

"Through panel discussions, this year's Show featured a very strong and comprehensive professional series that will help marine businesses keep on top of the latest industry and regulatory issues," said Krapf.

Fourth Annual WorkBoat Executive Summit, December 4
The day before the Show began, WorkBoat hosted an Executive Summit designed for senior managers from every sector of the commercial marine industry including fleet owners, builders and finance executives. This year's all day summit focused on finding capital in today's challenging economy.

"World Economic Prospects: Risks and Opportunities After the Great Crisis" was the topic of the Summit's keynote address by Michael Mandelbaum, Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Mandelbaum is the author of 13 books and the editor of 12 more. Foreign Policy magazine named him one of the "Top 100 Global Thinkers" of 2010.

In addition, the Summit featured three industry panels: Vessel Construction and Repair; Product & Credit; and Asset Valuation/Restructure.

"This is the only industry forum offering a private and exclusive setting for critical information sharing, idea generation and rare business to business collaboration," said Krapf. "The Summit provides maritime executives the right resources to keep their companies competitive and profitable."

Exhibiting at the 2013 International WorkBoat Show
Businesses and organizations interested in exhibiting at the 2013 Show can contact Chris Dimmerling, Sales Director, cdimmerling@divcom.com or (207) 842-5666.

Registration will open in the spring.

For further information, visit www.WorkBoatShow.com.

The International WorkBoat Show
The International WorkBoat Show is North America's largest maritime trade show and conference. For more than 30 years, the WorkBoat Show has proven to be the premier marketplace for businesses working on the coastal, inland and offshore waters. It is the place where attendees can meet face to face with thousands of colleagues and suppliers while sourcing new products and ideas. With over 1,100 exhibiting companies, this is the biggest opportunity to find the new idea or products are needed in the industry.

To attend the show, pre-register online at www.workboatshow.com or call 1-800-454-3007. Pre-registration for the exhibit hall is free, onsite price is $50. To exhibit call Chris Dimmerling at 207-842-5666.

The International WorkBoat show is produced by Diversified Business Communications.

For details, visit www.workboatshow.com.